Miss Universe

nostalgia

Miss Universe Pageant's Good, Bad, and Scandalous History

Today, the Miss Universe organization has found itself immersed in controversy once again when Miss Delaware Teen USA Melissa King resigned after a pornographic movie surfaced that allegedly features Melissa just months after she turned 18.

Today, the Miss Universe organization has found itself immersed in controversy once again when Miss Delaware Teen USA Melissa King resigned after a pornographic movie surfaced that allegedly features Melissa just months after she turned 18. Melissa denies that it's her, even if the girl in the video looks exactly like her and mentions personal details that match up. Last year, the Miss Universe Canada pageant was in hot water for disqualifying transgender beauty queen Jenna Talackova for not being born a woman. After a huge backlash from Jenna's supporters, the Miss Universe organization has reversed its decision.

The beauty pageant world has been riddled with scandals, missteps, and fallen-from-grace pageant royalty, as the somewhat sexualized nature of the competition seems at odds with the strict rules (you can be penalized for playing beer pong, for goodness sake). So click on to learn some of the scandalous and sexy moments in the 60-year history of the emotional and bikini-filled Miss Universe beauty pageant.

women

7 Things to Know About the Newly Crowned Miss Universe Olivia Culpo

Miss USA Olivia Culpo, 20, was crowned queen of the universe last night.

Miss USA Olivia Culpo, 20, was crowned queen of the universe last night. After dominating the medal count at the London Olympics, America triumphed over the countries of the world in another international competition: the Miss Universe beauty pageant. Olivia gave her best surprised Taylor Swift impression as she beat out Miss Philippines and Miss Venezuela. Get to know the new Miss Universe now.

  1. She's the first American to win in 15 years. Miss USA hasn't won since 1997, and Olivia became the eighth American woman to ever win.
  2. She grew up in Rhode Island. Olivia won the Miss Rhode Island competition wearing a $20 dress from Rent the Runway that had a hole in it.
  3. She plays the cello. Olivia, the daughter of professional musicians, calls herself a "cellist nerd," and has played at Carnegie Hall and with Yo-Yo Ma.
  4. She attends Boston University. Olivia is currently a sophomore there, but she might have to put her education on hold to fulfill her duties to the universe.
  5. She got a pretty soft-ball question. Olivia was asked if she ever did something she regretted, and her strategically innocuous answer proved that she'd probably make a good politician. She said, "I'd like to start off by saying that every experience, no matter what it is, good or bad, you'll learn from it. That's just life. But something I've done I've regretted is probably picking on my siblings growing up, because you appreciate them so much more as you grow older."
  6. She's on Twitter. You can follow Olivia @MissUSA if you want to follow a day in the life of a beauty queen that involves pranking hotel guests in bikinis and lots of travel updates.
  7. She gets to enjoy lots of prizes. As the reigning Miss Universe, Olivia now gets a high-fashion wardrobe, a salary, and an NYC apartment.

See photos of Olivia Culpo's big win last night.

Video

Miss Angola Leila Lopes Talks Inner Beauty, Wins Miss Universe

Audiences have come to expect a few fumbles by beauty queens during a pageant's interview portion.

Audiences have come to expect a few fumbles by beauty queens during a pageant's interview portion. But during last night's Miss Universe pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Miss Angola Leila Lopes gave an eloquent answer to a pretty banal question. The 25-year-old was asked which of her physical qualities she would change if given the chance. Instead of choosing something innocuous, like big hands or feet, she said, "Thank God I am very well satisfied with the way that God created me, and I wouldn't change anything. I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I've acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I plan to follow these through the rest of my life."

The fact that Leila delivered her response in fluent Portuguese, with crowd cheers coming before the interpreter could translate, added to her confident appeal. It's no surprise Leila bested the 89 other contestants, who all had to be single and between the ages of 18 and 27. Leila is currently a business student in Britain and plans to continue supporting social causes including childhood poverty and HIV/AIDS prevention. As the newest Miss Universe, she's only the fourth black woman to wear the crown since the competition started in 1952. Last night, Leila addressed tolerance, saying: "Any racist needs to seek help. It's not normal in the 21st century to think in that way."

News

Which Miss Universe Prize Would You Want Most?

Miss Mexico won the Miss Universe crown last night, but what does 22-year-old Jimena Navarrete get for her stellar bikini strutting and question answering besides a morning in the spotlight?

Miss Mexico won the Miss Universe crown last night, but what does 22-year-old Jimena Navarrete get for her stellar bikini strutting and question answering besides a morning in the spotlight? Considering Donald Trump owns the pageant, the prizes have his touch. When you think of The Donald, you think money. So Miss Mexico will get an undisclosed salary. You might also think luxury NYC apartments. She'll get one of those too, for a year at least. Throw in living expenses, a film school scholarship, some clothes, jewelry, and shoes, and the winning woman gets to live like a (beauty) queen during her reign. Which prize do you covet?

News

Speed Read! Miss Mexico Rules the Universe

Miss Mexico crowned Miss Universe last night — The Frisky Britain's first lady gave birth to a daughter today — New York Times Elin Nordegren's native Sweden proud she finalized divorce with Tiger — Daily Beast Scientists discover protein that destroys HIV — AOL News Bristol Palin can bring in $14,000 in speaking fees — Double X Predict Sunday's Emmy winners and win an iPad — BuzzSugar Britney Spears dons wedding dress for magazine cover — Fashionologie The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck supports gay marriage — Huffington Post

Beauty

Oh Snap! Venezuela Rules the Universe

Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez was crowned Miss Universe 2009 last night at the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez was crowned Miss Universe 2009 last night at the Miss Universe pageant. The Donald Trump-led franchise, which has been televised since 1955, definitely gets a lot of attention for bringing together the world's "most beautiful" women (read: tall, thin, great bathing suit body). Despite the objectifying nature of beauty pageants, they don't seem to be going anywhere soon. How do you feel about these contests?

Love It or Hate It

Love It or Hate It? Miss Universe Japan's Futuristic Geisha Look

Miss Universe Japan 2009 Emiri Miyasaka let her imagination run absolutely wild today in Tokyo.

Miss Universe Japan 2009 Emiri Miyasaka let her imagination run absolutely wild today in Tokyo. She rocked bright pink cheeks, big false eyelashes, fuchsia lips, and hair that ran the gamut from frizzy frouf to Princess Leia bun to a pink netting bow. She also left her pants at home, much like Lady Gaga has. I admire her boldness, and she's obviously having a good time, but would you ever do this, or is it too much all at once for you?

Brad Pitt

Sugar Bits — Josh Brolin Arrested During a Bar Fight

Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright were arrested during a bar fight Saturday morning in Shreveport, LA, and charged with the misdemeanor of interfering with police.

  • Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright were arrested during a bar fight Saturday morning in Shreveport, LA, and charged with the misdemeanor of interfering with police. The actors are in town filming the Oliver Stone movie, W, in which Josh plays President George W. Bush. — Shreveport Times
  • Former White House press secretary Tony Snow, 53, died of colon cancer in Washington, DC, Saturday morning. — CitizenSugar
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army won the top spot at the box office this weekend earning an estimated $35.9 million and beating the first Hellboy's opening weekend profits. Eddie Murphy's Meet Dave, which cost $60 million to make, only earned $5.3 million. — BuzzSugar
  • Amy Winehouse was seen smoking this weekend, and her father, who collapsed last week due to stress, continues to express his concern over her well being. — PopSugarUK
  • Bernie Mac made inappropriate and offensive jokes at a fundraiser for Barack Obama in Chicago Friday night, upsetting many people who were waiting for Barack to come on stage. — AP
  • Quentin Tarantino is supposedly flying to France today to meet with father of newborn twins Brad Pitt about starring in a World War II movie called Inglorious Bastards. — Page Six
Miss Universe

Miss USA Falls On Butt During Miss Universe Competition

Everyone knows the only reason to watch these dumb shows is for some good old fashioned slapstick.

Everyone knows the only reason to watch these dumb shows is for some good old fashioned slapstick. I love how, after Miss USA falls flat on her butt, she looks at the camera and does a cheesy wink. Uh, we haven't quite forgotten what just happened, lady! But nice try...


Miss Universe

Miss Universe Passes Out

Miss Universe was declared last night.

Miss Universe was declared last night. Yeah, I didn't care either but the news of the day is that winner, Miss Puerto Rico Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza passed out following the show. During a new conference after the event she collapsed and was rushed off stage. People reports:

"She's okay. She's fine," pageant representative Lark Anton told Reuters. "She got dizzy. It's very hot up here. Her dress is tight – as you could see it was beaded and heavy. She passed out."

The other important thing they included is that she "had plenty to eat today." Yeah, right, I'm sure.

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