Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States on December 19, 2012. At the end of the event, Leila Lopes of Angola crowned

Olivia Culpo Olivia Frances Culpo (born May 8, 1992) is an American model, fashion influencer, social media personality, and actress. After winning the Miss Rhode Island USA competition, she went on to be crowned Miss USA, and then Miss Universe in 2012. ...

of the United States as Miss Universe 2012. It is the United States' first victory in 15 years, and the eighth victory of the country— the most in the pageant's history. Contestants from 89 countries and territories competed in this year's pageant, surpassing the previous record of 86 contestants in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. The pageant was hosted by

Andy Cohen Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. Cohen is the host and executive producer of Bravo's late night talk show, '' Watch What Happens Live!'' He also has a pop culture ...

and

Giuliana Rancic Giuliana Rancic (; ; born August 17, 1974) is an Italian-American entertainment reporter and television personality. She is a co-anchor of ''E! News'' and resides in Chicago and Los Angeles. Early life Rancic was born in Naples, Italy and immigra ...

, with

Jeannie Mai Jeannie Mai-Jenkins (born Jeannie Camtu Mai) is an American television host and stylist best known for her work on the makeover show '' How Do I Look?'' and the syndicated daytime talk show ''The Real''. As a fashion expert, she is frequently fe ...

as backstage correspondent. American rock band

Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

and Australian musician

Tim Omaji Timothy Ugbedo Omaji (born 9 September 1987), better known by his stage name Timomatic, is a Nigerian-born Australian singer-songwriter and dancer. Omaji rose to fame as a contestant on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' (Australia) in 2009 and pl ...

performed in this year's pageant.

Background

Location and date

In March 2012, the Miss Universe Organization announced that the pageant was postponed to mid-December since the broadcaster,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, is unable to broadcast the pageant at the same time as the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and the

United States presidential election The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not dire ...

. In April 2012, it was announced that

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

would host the pageant on December 13, 2012. However, in July, the Bangladeshi president announced that they will not host the pageant because of financial constraints. It was rumored that

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

, Sun City, and

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

were to host the competition. However, in August 2012, the Dominican government received a proposal from the Miss Universe Organization to host the competition on December 11, 2012. The Dominican Republic had once hosted the Miss Universe pageant in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

. The Miss Universe Organization was considering hosting the final night at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino in

Punta Cana Punta Cana is a resort town in the easternmost region of the Dominican Republic. It is part of the Veron–Punta Cana Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipal district, in the Salvaleón de Higüey, Higüey municipality of La Altagraci ...

. However, The Dominican government said that the country was not able to provide any kind of financial assistance to the pageant. Therefore, the Dominican Republic was not granted the hosting rights due to the country not being able to fulfill the requirements asked by the Miss Universe Organization. The backing out of the Dominican Republic caused the Miss Universe Organization to host the pageant in

in December deviating from the customary mid-year scheduling of the pageant. On September 27, 2012, the Miss Universe Organization confirmed that the 2012 edition of the pageant will be at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in

, on December 19, 2012.

Selection of participants

Contestants from 89 countries and territories were selected to compete in the competition. Seven of these delegates were appointees to their positions after being a runner-up of their national pageant or being selected through a casting process, while nine were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.

Adwoa Yamoah Adwoa Yamoah is a Canadian beauty pageant contestant who placed 1st runner-up at Miss Universe Canada 2012 and represented Canada in the Miss Universe 2012 pageant, replacing Sahar Biniaz who had been named Miss Universe Canada. Pageantry Yamoa ...

, the first runner-up of

Miss Universe Canada 2012 Miss Universe Canada 2012 was the 10th edition of the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant. It was held at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto, Ontario. Controversy The 2012 contest was accused of transphobia after disqualifying a transgen ...

, was appointed to represent Canada after

Sahar Biniaz Sahar Biniaz (born November 17, 1984) is an Iranian-Canadian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe Canada 2012. She had a recurring role on the hit TV show ''Sanctuary'' as Kali goddess of destruction. Biography ...

, Miss Universe Canada 2012, withdrew due to personal reasons. Ioánna Yiannakoú, the runner-up of Star Cyprus 2012, was appointed to represent Cyprus after Ntaniella Kefala, Star Cyprus 2012, withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.

Carola Durán Carlina Durán Baldera (born January 17, 1987 in Concepción de La Vega) is a Dominican model who won the national crown of Miss Dominican Republic 2012, initially giving her the right to compete in Miss Universe 2012 representing her country in ...

Miss Dominican Republic 2012 Miss República Dominicana 2012 was held April 17, 2012 in ''Renaissance Auditorio de Festival del Hotel Jaragua'', Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Miss República Dominicana 2012 winner will represent the Dominican Republic in Miss Univers ...

, originally was supposed to compete in Miss Universe. However, Durán was dethroned after it was discovered that she was previously married and is divorced. Due to this,

Dulcita Lieggi Dulcita Lynn Lieggi Francisco (born 19 May 1989, in Santo Domingo) is a Dominican actress, model and beauty pageant title-holder. Ms. Lieggi was originally placed first runner-up to Carola Durán at Miss Dominican Republic 2012, but later ...

, the first runner-up of Miss Dominican Republic 2012, replaced Durán as the representative of the Dominican Republic in Miss Universe. Natalie Korneitsik, the first runner-up of Miss Estonia 2012, was appointed to represent Estonia after

Kätlin Valdmets Kätlin Valdmets is an Estonian beauty queen, model, who won the title of Miss Estonia Eesti Miss Estonia is a national beauty pageant in Estonia. History The first Miss Estonia was elected in April 1923, her name was Sinaida Tamm. The comp ...

, Miss Estonia 2012, withdrew due to lack of sponsorship.

Marie Payet Marie Payet (born 17 August 1992 in Réunion) is a French singer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Réunion 2011 and second runner-up in Miss France 2012, behind Delphine Wespiser. She went on to place in the top ten ...

, the first runner-up of

Miss France 2012 Miss France 2012 was the 82nd Miss France pageant, held in Brest,_France, Brest on 3 December 2011. Miss France 2012, Laury Thilleman of Brittany crowned her successor Delphine Wespiser of Alsace at the end of the event. It was the first time th ...

, was appointed to represent France due to a potential date conflict between Miss Universe 2012 and

Miss France 2013 Miss France 2013 was the 83rd Miss France pageant, held in Limoges on 8 December 2012. Miss France 2012, Delphine Wespiser of Alsace crowned her successor Marine Lorphelin of Burgundy at the end of the event. It was the first time that the p ...

, at which Delphine Wespiser,

, was contractually obligated to be present.

Channa Divouvi Channa Divouvi is a Gabonese beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Winner Miss Gabon 2012 1st runner-up and she was represented Gabon at Miss International 2012 and Miss Universe 2012 Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pag ...

, the first runner-up of Miss Gabon 2012, was appointed to represent Gabon due to a potential date conflict between Miss Universe 2012 and Miss Gabon 2013, at which

Marie-Noëlle Ada Ada Meyo Marie Noelle (born 6 April 1990) is a Gabonese beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Gabon 2012. Miss Gabon 2012 Marie Noelle Ada is from the province of Ngounie. She was crowned Miss Gabon 2012 by Miss Universe 2011 Leila Lop ...

, Miss Gabon 2012, was contractually obligated to be present.

Shilpa Singh Shilpa Singh is an Indian singer, dancer, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was the runner-up at I AM She – Miss Universe India 2012. She represented India at the Miss Universe 2012 pageant at Las Vegas and became one of the semi-finali ...

, the first runner-up of I Am She 2012, was appointed to represent India after

Urvashi Rautela Urvashi Rautela (born 25 February 1994) is an Indian film actress and model who predominantly appears in Hindi films. She was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana India 2022 and represented India at the Reina Hispanoamericana 2022 pageant. Raute ...

, Miss Universe India 2012, withdrew due to being underage as well as being the reigning Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International at that time.

Avianca Böhm Avianca Böhm (born 1 January 1990) is a South African-born New Zealand actress, model and former beauty pageant titleholder. Avianca Bohm was crowned “Miss New Zealand 2012″ by Priyani Puketapu (Miss New Zealand 2011) at the grand finale o ...

, Miss Universe New Zealand 2012, was replaced by her first runner-up,

Talia Bennett Talia Bennett is a New Zealand TV Host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was 1st runner-up at Miss New Zealand 2012. The winner of Miss New Zealand 2012 was Avianca Böhm. She was subsequently stripped of her crown and replaced by Ben ...

, due to citizenship issues. Isabella Ayuk, Most Beautigul Girl in Nigeria 2012, switched pageants with Damiete Charles Granville, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Universe 2012, due to being overage at

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...

. Andrea Huisgen, Miss Spain 2011, originally was scheduled to participate in this edition. However, the

Miss Spain Miss Spain (Spanish: Miss España) is a national beauty pageant in Spain that selects Spanish representatives to compete in three of the big four major international beauty pageants: the Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International competi ...

organization fell into bankruptcy and the license to participate in Miss Universe went to a new organization called Miss Universe Spain. Although the rights to participate at Miss Universe was given to the Miss Universe Spain organization, the organization still allowed Huisgen to compete at Miss Universe after giving up her contract with Miss Spain. The 2012 edition saw the debuts of Gabon and Lithuania, and the returns of Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Namibia, and Norway. Bulgaria, Ethiopia, and Namibia last competed in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, while Norway last competed in

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. Egypt, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Slovenia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands withdrew. Aĭnur Tolyeuova of Kazakhstan withdrew due to being underage. Egypt, Portugal, Slovenia, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Miss Universe allows transgender women to compete

Beginning in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, the Miss Universe Organization allows

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

women to compete in the competition following the consultations with the GLAAD Organization. The changes in the rules came after

Jenna Talackova Jenna Talackova (born October 15, 1988) is a Canadian model, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who gained media attention in 2012 when she successfully waged a legal battle to be allowed to compete in the Miss Universe Canada a ...

, a transgender woman competing at

, was reinstated back into the Miss Universe Canada 2012 pageant. Talackova was initially removed from the competition by the organization because she "did not meet the requirements to compete". However, a month after the disqualification of Talackova, the Miss Universe Organization allowed Talackova to compete provided that "she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions." Talackova eventually placed in the Top 12 of Miss Universe Canada 2012, and is also one of the four contestants to win the Miss Congeniality award. Six years after the pageant rules were changed,

Ángela Ponce Ángela Maria Ponce Camacho (born 18 January 1991) is a Spanish model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe Spain 2018. Ponce made history on 29 June 2018 as the first openly transgender woman to be crowned Miss Spain. She represe ...

of Spain made history in

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as the first

contestant competing at Miss Universe.

Results

Placements

Special awards

Best National Costume

Pageant

Format

Same with

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, 15 semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The internet voting is still being implemented, with fans being able to vote for another delegate to advance into the semifinals, making the number of semifinalists 16. However, the winner of the Fan Vote was not revealed during the final telecast. The top 16 competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to the top 10 afterward. The top 10 competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to the top 5 afterward. The top 5 competed in the question and answer round and the final look.

Selection committee

Preliminary competition

* Carlos Anaya – Host for My Lifestyle Extra * Beverly Frank – Executive Vice-president for Business Affairs for

19 Entertainment 19 Entertainment is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced ''Pop Idol'' in the United Kingdom with Thames Television in 2001. The ''Idol serie ...

* Duane Gazi – International scout with the

Trump Model Management Trump Model Management, later shortened to T Management, was a New York City-based modeling agency founded by Donald Trump as T Models in 1999. It was closed by Trump in April 2017, shortly after he became U.S. president. History In October 20 ...

* Michael Greenwald – Vice-President of Talent at Don Buchwald & Associates * Jimmy Nguyen – Prominent entertainment and new media lawyer * Corinne Nicolas – President of the

* Amy Sadowsky – Senior Vice-President of Public Relations for Planet Holywood International *

Crystle Stewart Crystle Danae Stewart (born September 20, 1981) is an American actress, host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. Stewart later began an acting career, starring as a real estate agent Leslie Morris on the OWN/TBS comedy-d ...

–

Miss USA 2008 Miss USA 2008 was the 57th Miss USA pageant, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart of Texas was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder Rachel Smith of Tennessee. ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Final telecast

* Nigel Barker – Fashion photographer and the host of

The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...

Diego Boneta Diego Andrés González Boneta (born November 29, 1990) is an American actor, producer and singer. He gained wider recognition after starring in ''Rock of Ages'' (2012) alongside Tom Cruise and the ''Netflix'' biographical series '' Luis Miguel: ...

– Singer, actor and songwriter from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Scott Disick Scott Michael Disick (born May 26, 1983) is an American media personality and socialite. He is most famous for starring as a main cast member on ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and its spinoffs. Disick's popularity on ''Keeping Up with the ...

– Businessman, entrepreneur and reality star of

Keeping Up With the Kardashians ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian–Jenner blended family, airing between 2007 and 2021. Its prem ...

Brad Goreski Brad Goreski (born August 15, 1977) is a Canadian-American celebrity fashion stylist and television personality. In 2015, he joined ''Fashion Police'' as a new co-host. Since 2021, he has been one of the regular judges on ''Canada's Drag Race''. ...

– Fashion stylist and reality star of

It's a Brad, Brad World ''It's a Brad, Brad World'' is an American reality documentary television series on Bravo. The series debuted on January 12, 2012. On August 29, 2012, Bravo announced that the series has been renewed for a second season which debuted on March 6, ...

Masaharu Morimoto is a Japanese chef, best known as an Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show ''Iron Chef'' and its spinoff '' Iron Chef America''. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food. Career Morimoto received practical training in sush ...

– Chef and star of

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and Iron Chef America from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Ximena Navarrete Jimena "Ximena" Navarrete Rosete (born February 22, 1988) is a Mexican actress, TV host, model and beauty queen who won Miss Universe 2010. She was previously named as Nuestra Belleza México 2009. She is the second Miss Universe from Mexico. ...

–

Miss Universe 2010 Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...

from

Pablo Sandoval Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (born August 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, ...

– Professional baseball player from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Lisa Vanderpump Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

– Reality star of

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment in ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has ...

Kerri Walsh Jennings Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings (born August 15, 1978) is an American professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. She is the beach volleyball leader in career victories as of 2016 ha ...

– Professional beach volleyball player and triple gold medalist in

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

Contestants

89 contestants competed for the title.

Notes

References

External links

Miss Universe official website
{{Miss Universe 2012 delegates 2012 beauty pageants

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2012 in the United States Beauty pageants in the United States 2012 in Nevada December 2012 events in the United States Zappos Theater