Miss Universe 2016


Miss Universe 2016, the 65th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 30 January 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines crowned her successor Iris Mittenaere of France at the end of the event. After waiting 63 years, this is the second time France has won the Miss Universe title, following Christiane Martel in 1953. This is also Europe's first full completed reign as Miss Universe since Norway's title win in 1990, and the second time it has won Miss Universe in the 21st century. This is the second time in the history of the competition that the pageant skipped the entire year, following the 2014 pageant which was held in January 2015.

Organization

Negotiations

The agreement to host the pageant in the Philippines was signed on November 16, 2016. This agreement, made between the Miss Universe Organization, the Philippine Department of Tourism and the LCS Group of Companies, was the result of negotiations that began about four months earlier.
on a courtesy call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Discussions began on July 18, 2016, when Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Although Duterte was open to the idea of having the pageant hosted by the Philippines, he did not want the government to pay the expense of doing so. About two weeks after the meeting, the Department of Tourism announced that the Philippines would be the host. A spokesperson for the Department said that, according to Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart, the Philippines was the organization's prime choice for hosting the pageant, although other countries were being considered.
Despite the statement made by the Department of Tourism, the final decision to hold the pageant in the Philippines had not yet been made and, over the next few months, the Miss Universe Organization had changed its mind several times on the matter. Initial reports did not disclose the reasons for the breakdowns in negotiations, but a later report linked the Organization's concerns with Duterte's controversial remarks regarding U.S. President Barack Obama, as well as his plans to separate ties between the Philippines and the United States. These statements were not received well by the William Morris Entertainment/International Marketing Group, the owners of the Miss Universe franchise. Duterte's statement that he would be glad to kill as many drug addicts as Adolf Hitler killed Jews during the Holocaust led to WME executive Ziv Emanuel to cancel the talks. Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson, who was also chairman of the LCS Group, sent representatives, including some Jewish friends, to the United States to persuade Emanuel to maintain his interest in a Philippines-hosted event. Duterte's later apology for his Holocaust-related remark helped in the renegotiation. Also helpful was Singson's offer to add women-empowerment programs to the pageant.
The Miss Universe Organization's final decision came on November 3, 2016, when Wurtzbach announced via a video message that the Philippines would be the host. The partnership agreement was signed on November 16 and, on that same day, the pageant's official website and Facebook page were launched.

Main venue

In September 2016, the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay was announced to be the main coronation venue of the pageant according to the Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo. The Philippine Arena in Santa Maria and Bocaue, Bulacan was the other venue considered by the Department of Tourism as the main coronation venue of the pageant, but the Miss Universe Organization disapproved of the venue due to "security reasons".

Other aspects

The funds needed to stage the pageant in the country came entirely from private businesses. Among the reported sponsors were Philippine Airlines, the SM Group, Solar Entertainment, Filipino billionaire Henry Sy and Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada. The Okada Manila would serve as the residential venue for the Miss Universe 2016 candidates. The projected expense for the event was US$11 million.
The candidates were expected to arrive on January 13, 2017. The Philippine military were assigned by the Philippines national security council to serves as security escorts.
A reality-documentary television program entitled Journey to the Crown: A Celebration of Beauty was shown on ETC on November 6, 2016 in the Philippines as part of marketing of the pageant.

Results

Final resultsContestant
Miss Universe 2016
  • ' – Iris Mittenaere
1st Runner-Up
  • ' – Raquel Pélissier
    • 2nd Runner-Up
  • ' – Andrea Tovar
    • Top 6
  • ' – Mary Esther Were
  • ' – Maxine Medina
  • ' – Chalita Suansane §
    • Top 9
  • ' – Siera Bearchell
  • ' – Kristal Silva
  • ' – Deshauna Barber
    • Top 13
  • ' – Raissa Santana
  • ' – Kezia Warouw
  • ' – Keity Drennan
  • – Valeria Piazza
    • § - Voted in the Top 13 by viewers

    Order of announcements

    Top 13

    1. Kenya
    2. Indonesia
    3. United States
    4. Mexico
    5. Peru
    6. Panama
    7. Colombia
    8. Philippines
    9. Canada
    10. Brazil
    11. France
    12. Haiti
    13. Thailand

      Top 9

    14. United States
    15. Thailand
    16. France
    17. Mexico
    18. Kenya
    19. Colombia
    20. Canada
    21. Haiti
    22. Philippines

      Top 6

    23. France
    24. Kenya
    25. Colombia
    26. Philippines
    27. Thailand
    28. Haiti

      Top 3

    29. Colombia
    30. France
    31. Haiti

      Pageant

    Kick-off event

    A kick-off party was hosted on December 9, 2016 at Conrad Manila, a hotel in Pasay, marking the beginning of the pageant. Eleven contestants from Asia Pacific were in attendance for the event. They were:

    Ancillary and other events

    Alongside with the main pageant, ancillary events were held which has no effect on the contestants' total pageant score. The contestants were scheduled to participate in fashion shows in Davao, Cebu, and Vigan. Each venue had a theme; Mindanao fabric for Davao, beachwear for Cebu, and terno for Vigan. The contestants partook in a different event in Bicol.
    On December 13, 2016, some of the pageant's candidates had a photoshoot with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu. This activity was criticized by Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Marine Wildlife Watch, and other wildlife conservationist groups in the Philippines who discourage human interaction with the whale sharks, as they are considered endangered species. The Department of Tourism said that there were only five candidates present and the activity was an occular inspection. Following criticisms, the DOT is considering to do the whale watching activity for the final show in Donsol, Sorsogon instead.
    On December 14, 2016, the DOT cancelled the fashion show originally scheduled on January 19, 2017 at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City to prevent further "controversy" following the claim of local-based designers led by the Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. that they have been "brushed off" by the pageant organizers. The group claimed that they were never consulted and questioned why they were asked to dress up local models instead of being in charge of pre-show cocktail of the main event which is tasked to non-Mindanaoan designer, Renee Salud. Following the cancellation announcement, the DFDCFI said that they respect the decision but urged the organizers that Davao City to remain as one of the places to be visited by the candidates. On December 22, 2016, it was announced that the fashion show will push through after Salud and the DFDCFI cleared their misunderstandings and decided to help each other.
    The national costume show was done on January 27, 2017 which had no bearing on the preliminary scores.

    Preliminary competition

    At the Mall of Asia Arena, all 86 contestants competed in swimwear and evening gown in front of a panel of preliminary judges. The scores from the night's event along with an interview portion determine the Top 13 during the Miss Universe broadcast. The Preliminary Competition was hosted by Pia Wurtzbach and Filipino-British actor Derek Ramsay.

    Judges

    The pageant program was initially announced to start at 5:00 a.m. but it was later announced that the program was to run from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
    Solar Entertainment, one of the pageant's partners, was tasked to provide broadcast coverage of the competition in the Philippines. In December 2016, TV5, GMA Network and ABS-CBN secured rights to air live coverage of the pageant.
    Earlier in November it was reported that "all local networks" including GMA Network, TV5 and ABS-CBN will broadcast the pageant upon the request of President Rodrigo Duterte.
    Additionally, TV5 had exclusive rights to air the preliminary event as well as exclusive Philippine digital rights. TV5 posted behind the scenes content on their online TV5 studio

    Presenters

    American presenter Steve Harvey has a five year contract with the Miss Universe Organization for hosting the Miss Universe pageant. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed hesitation on Harvey hosting the event due to Harvey announcing the wrong winner at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant. In response, Philippine Department of Tourism head, Secretary Wanda Teo proposed the idea of having a Filipino woman co-host the event to neutralize the president's displeasure. On November 3, 2016, Harvey was confirmed to return as host.
    American model Ashley Graham served as the backstage host.

    Judges

    American entertainers Flo Rida and Boyz II Men were the musical performers at the final program of the pageant.

    Program

    The 12 women who garnered the highest scores following the preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competition held on January 26 and the subsequent closed door interviews, were named as part of the Top 13. The 13th candidate, Chalita Suansane of Thailand, was determined through online voting results. After the swimsuit presentation from the 13 remaining candidates, nine candidates were selected with the highest garnered average score from the judges and the global online vote.
    Three were then eliminated and the Top 6 candidates proceeded to the question-and-answer portion, where they were asked questions regarding international or their country's affairs. The candidates of France, Colombia and Thailand used a language interpreter. The final three was then announced and all were asked the same question; They were asked regarding a failure over the course of their life and how they dealt with it. Miss France was announced as Miss Universe 2016.

    Best National Costume

    During the final program, the winner of the National Costume Show held on January 27, 2016 was announced. Miss Myanmar, Htet Htet Htun, was awarded the Best National Costume. Her costume, which weighed, featured the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Bagan temples, which she says represents the princess of figures of Myanmar traditional puppetry.

    After party

    An after party event was held at the Okada Manila hotel. During this event, Jenny Kim of Korea was given the Miss Congeniality award while Lindita Idrizi of Albania was given the Miss Photogenic award. The awards were not announced during the final program due to lack of time.

    Contestants

    86 contestants competed for the title of Miss Universe 2016:
    Country/TerritoryContestantAgeHeightHometown
    AlbaniaLindita Idrizi20Elbasan
    AngolaLuísa Baptista21Cuando Cubango
    ArgentinaEstefanía Bernal21Buenos Aires
    ArubaCharlene Leslie24Oranjestad
    AustraliaCaris Tiivel23Perth
    AustriaDajana Dzinic21Vienna
    BahamasCherell Williamson24Nassau
    BarbadosShannon Harris22Bridgetown
    BelgiumStephanie Geldhof19Aalst
    BelizeRebecca Rath23Dangriga
    BoliviaAntonella Moscatelli21Santa Cruz
    BrazilRaissa Santana21Umuarama
    British Virgin IslandsErika Creque22Road Town
    BulgariaViolina Ancheva21Sofia
    CanadaSiera Bearchell23Moose Jaw
    Cayman IslandsMonyque Brooks25West Bay
    ChileCatalina Cáceres26Santiago
    ChinaLi Zhenying21Shanghai
    ColombiaAndrea Tovar23Quibdó
    Costa RicaCarolina Rodríguez27Alajuela
    CroatiaBarbara Filipović19Zagreb
    CuraçaoChanelle de Lau21Willemstad
    Czech RepublicAndrea Bezděková21Prague
    DenmarkChristina Mikkelsen24Copenhagen
    Dominican RepublicRosalba Garcías24Maimón
    EcuadorConnie Jiménez21Ventanas
    FinlandShirly Karvinen24Helsinki
    FranceIris Mittenaere24Lille
    GeorgiaNuka Karalashvili25Tbilisi
    GermanyJohanna Acs24Eschweiler
    Great BritainJaime-Lee Faulkner27Sheffield
    GuamMuñeka Taisipic19Yona
    GuatemalaVirginia Argueta22Jutiapa
    GuyanaSoyini Fraser26Georgetown
    HaitiRaquel Pélissier25Port-au-Prince
    HondurasSirey Moran26El Progreso
    HungaryVeronika Bodizs24Budapest
    IcelandHildur María Leifsdóttir24Kópavogur
    IndiaRoshmitha Harimurthy22Bangalore
    IndonesiaKezia Warouw25Manado
    IsraelYam Kaspers Anshel19Herzliya
    ItalySophia Sergio24Naples
    JamaicaIsabel Dalley20Montego Bay
    JapanSari Nakazawa23Shiga
    KazakhstanDarina Kulsitova19Semey
    KenyaMary Esther Were27Nairobi
    KoreaJenny Kim23Seoul
    KosovoCamila Barraza23Pristina
    MalaysiaKiran Jassal20Subang Jaya
    MaltaMartha Fenech27St. Julian's
    MauritiusKushboo Ramnawaj26Rivière Du Poste
    MexicoKristal Silva25Ciudad Victoria
    MyanmarHtet Htet Htun24Yangon
    NamibiaLizelle Esterhuizen20Windhoek
    NetherlandsZoey Ivory23Almere
    New ZealandTania Dawson24Auckland
    NicaraguaMarina Jacoby21Matagalpa
    NigeriaUnoaku Anyadike22Lagos
    NorwayChristina Waage21Nes
    PanamaKeity Drennan26Panama City
    ParaguayAndrea Melgarejo22Villarrica
    PeruValeria Piazza26Lima
    PhilippinesMaria Mika Maxine Medina26Quezon City
    PolandIzabella Krzan21Olsztyn
    PortugalFlávia Brito23Vilamoura
    Puerto RicoBrenda Jiménez22Aguadilla
    RomaniaTeodora Dan27Bucharest
    RussiaYuliana Korolkova22Orsk
    Sierra LeoneHawa Kamara26Freetown
    SingaporeCheryl Chou20Singapore
    Slovak RepublicZuzana Kollárová25Bratislava
    SloveniaLucija Potočnik25Maribor
    South AfricaNtandoyenkosi Kunene24Mkhondo
    SpainNoelia Freire24Ciudad Real
    Sri LankaJayathi De Silva26Colombo
    SwedenIda Ovmar21Luleå
    SwitzerlandDijana Cvijetić23Gossau
    Tanzania Jihan Dimachk20Dar es Salaam
    ThailandChalita Suansane22Samut Prakan
    TurkeyTansu Sila Çakir21Istanbul
    UkraineAlena Spodynyuk19Kiev
    UruguayMagdalena Cohendet22Artigas
    United StatesDeshauna Barber27Washington, D.C.
    US Virgin IslandsCarolyn Carter27Saint Croix
    VenezuelaMariam Habach21El Tocuyo
    VietnamĐặng Thị Lệ Hằng23Đà Nẵng

    Designations

    Replacements

    Withdrawals