Miss Universe 2006

Miss Universe 2006
Miss Universe 2006 from Puerto Rico
Date	July 23, 2006 (2006-07-23)
Presenters	Nancy O'Dell, Carlos Ponce, Carson Kressley and Shandi Finnessey
Entertainment	Chelo, Vittorio Grigolo
Venue	Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA
Broadcaster	NBC, Telemundo
Entrants	86
Placements	20
Debuts	Kazakhstan
Withdraws	Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Vietnam
Returns	Argentina, Cayman Islands, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, Northern Marianas, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sweden
Winner	Zuleyka Rivera  Puerto Rico[1]
Congeniality	Angela Asare[2]  Ghana
Best National Costume	Kurara Chibana[2]  Japan
Photogenic	Lia Andrea Ramos[2]  Philippines

Miss Universe 2006, the 55th Miss Universe pageant, took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA. Unlike past events, it was broadcast live on NBC on a Sunday, July 23, 2006, almost two months later than usual.

The 2006 pageant is the first time the United States has been a host since 1998, and the second time for Los Angeles, which last hosted the pageant in 1990. Kazakhstan was represented for the first time, while the following countries returned after some years of absence: St. Lucia (1977), Iceland (1997), St. Martin (2000), Northern Marianas (2002), Argentina (2003), New Zealand (2003), Estonia (2004), Ghana (2004), St. Vincent and Grenadines (2004), and Sweden (2004).

Natalie Glebova of Canada crowned her successor, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, at the conclusion of the two-hour show. Glebova's reign would be the longest ever in Miss Universe history: one year and two months. Rivera's would be one of the shortest reigns of all, just 10 months.

Results

Placements

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.

Top 5 at Miss Universe 2006

Final results	Contestant
Miss Universe 2006	Puerto Rico - Zuleyka Rivera
1st runner-up	Japan - Kurara Chibana
2nd runner-up	Switzerland - Lauriane Gilliéron
3rd runner-up	Paraguay - Lourdes Arévalos
4th runner-up	USA - Tara Conner
Top 10	Bolivia - Desiree Durán  Canada - Alice Panikian  Colombia - Valerie Domínguez  Mexico - Priscila Perales  Trinidad & Tobago - Kenisha Thom
Top 20	Argentina - Magalí Romitelli  Brazil - Rafaela Zanella  Denmark - Betina Faurbye  Ethiopia - Dina Fekadu  Hungary - Adrienn Bende  India - Neha Kapur  Russia - Anna Litvinova  Sweden - Josephine Alhanko  Thailand - Charm Osathanond  Ukraine - Inna Tsymbalyuk

Special Awards

Award	Contestant
Best National Costume	Japan - Kurara Chibana[2]  Indonesia - Nadine Chandrawinata  Ecuador - Catalina Lopez
Miss Congeniality	Ghana - Angela Asare[2]
Miss Photogenic	Philippines - Lia Andrea Ramos[2]

Judges

Telecast Judges

The following celebrities judged the final competition.

• James Lesure - Actor from NBC's Las Vegas.
• Claudia Jordan - Model for Deal or No Deal; former Miss Rhode Island USA (1997) and Miss Rhode Island Teen USA (1990).
• Sean Yazbeck - Winner of season 5 of The Apprentice.
• Amelia Vega - Miss Universe 2003.
• Emmitt Smith - Former Dallas Cowboys player and Dancing with the Stars winner.
• Marc Cherry - American writer and producer.
• Tom Green - Actor and comedian.
• María Celeste Arrarás - Telemundo host.
• Patrick McMullan - Fashion photographer.
• Bridgette Wilson-Sampras - Actress and Miss Teen USA 1990.
• Santino Rice - Project Runway finalist.

Note: Actress Bo Derek was scheduled to be a judge but was later replaced.

Background Music

• Swimsuit Competition: "Cha Cha" by Chelo (Live Performance)
• Evening Gown Competition: "Bedshaped (Cosi)" by Vittorio Grigolo (Live Performance)

Contestants

Albania - Eralda Hitaj  Angola - Isménia Júnior  Antigua & Barbuda - Shari McEwan  Argentina - Magalí Romitelli  Aruba - Melissa Laclé  Australia - Erin McNaught  Bahamas - Samantha Carter  Belgium - Tatiana Silva  Bolivia - Desiree Durán  Brazil - Rafaela Zanella  Bulgaria - Galena Dimova  Canada - Alice Panikian  Cayman Islands - Ambuyah Ebanks  Chile - Belén Montilla  China - Gao Yinghui  Colombia - Valerie Domínguez  Costa Rica - Fabriella Quesada  Croatia - Biljana Mančić  Cyprus - Elena Ierodiakonou  Czech Republic - Renata Langmannová  Denmark - Betina Faurbye  Dominican Republic - Mía Taveras  Ecuador - Catalina "Katty" López  Egypt - Fawzia Mohamed  El Salvador - Rebeca Iraheta  Estonia - Kirke Klemmer  Ethiopia - Dina Fekadu  Finland - Ninni Laaksonen  France - Alexandra Rosenfeld  Georgia - Ekaterine Buadze  Germany - Natalie Ackermann  Ghana - Angela Asare  Greece - Olympia Hopsonidou  Guatemala - Jackelinne Piccinini  Guyana - Alana Ernest  Hungary - Adrienn Bende  Iceland - Sif Aradóttir  India - Neha Kapur  Indonesia - Nadine Chandrawinata  Ireland - Melanie Boreham  Israel - Anastacia Entin  Jamaica - Cindy Wright  Japan - Kurara Chibana

Kazakhstan - Dina Nuraliyeva  Korea - Kim Joo-hee  Latvia - Sanita Kubliņa  Lebanon - Gabrielle Bou Rached  Malaysia - Melissa Ann Tan  Mauritius - Isabelle Antoo  Mexico - Priscila Perales  Namibia - Anna Nashandi  New Zealand - Elizabeth Gray  Nicaragua - Cristiana Frixione  Nigeria - Tienepre Oki  Northern Marianas - Shequita Bennett  Norway - Martine Jonassen  Panama - María Alessandra Mezquita  Paraguay - Lourdes Arévalos  Peru - Fiorella Viñas  Philippines - Lia Andrea Ramos  Poland - Francys Sudnicka  Puerto Rico - Zuleyka Rivera  Russia - Anna Litvinova  Serbia & Montenegro - Nada Milinić  Singapore - Carol Cheong  Slovak Republic - Judita Hrubyová  Slovenia - Nataša Pinoza  South Africa - Thuli Sithole  Spain - Elisabeth Reyes  Sri Lanka - Jacqueline Fernandez  St. Lucia - Sascha Andrew-Rose  St. Martin - Gisella Hilliman  St. Vincent & Grenadines - Shivern Peters  Sweden - Josephine Alhanko  Switzerland - Lauriane Gilliéron  Thailand - Charm Osathanond  Trinidad & Tobago - Kenisha Thom  Turkey - Ceyla Kirazlı  Turks & Caicos - Shaveena Been  Ukraine - Inna Tsymbalyuk  United Kingdom - Julie Doherty  Uruguay - Fatimih Dávila  USA - Tara Conner  U.S. Virgin Islands - JeT'aime Cerge  Venezuela - Jictzad Viña  Zambia - Mofya Chisenga †

National competitions

Debut

•  Kazakhstan

Returns

Last competed in 1977:  St. Lucia Last competed in 2000:  St. Martin

Last competed in 2002:  Northern Marianas Last competed in 2003:  Argentina  Iceland  New Zealand

Last competed in 2004:  Cayman Islands  Estonia  Ghana  St. Vincent & Grenadines  Sweden

Withdraws

Barbados  Belize  Curaçao

Italy  Kenya

Netherlands  Vietnam

Did not compete

British Virgin Islands - Deria Joseph

Portugal - Marina Rodrigues.

Crossovers

Miss World 2009  Kazakhstan Dina Nuraliyeva (Top 16) Miss World 2006  Namibia Anna Nashandi (Top 17) Miss World 2005  Switzerland Lauriane Gilliéron  Belgium Tatiana Silva Miss World 2004  Trinidad & Tobago Kenisha Thom (Top 15)  St. Lucia Sascha Andrew-Rose Miss Teen International 2002  Costa Rica Fabriella Quesada (Winner)

Miss International 2007  Mexico Priscila Perales (Winner) Miss Continente Americano 2006  Dominican Republic Mía Taveras (Winner) World Miss University 2006  Nicaragua Cristiana Frixione (Winner) Reina Internacional del Café 2007  Costa Rica Fabriella Quesada (Winner) Miss Italia nel Mondo 2007  Nicaragua Cristiana Frixione (1st runner-up) Miss Caribbean Hibicous  Peru Fiorella Viñas (1st runner-up) Reina Sudamericana 2005  VenezuelaJictzad Viña (1st Runner-up)

Historical significance

• A top 20 was selected, rather than the usual top 15.
• Countries that placed for the first time were: Ukraine, Hungary and Ethiopia.
• Countries that got called out to the semi-finals after a long period without placement were: Denmark (39 years), Argentina (27 years), Thailand (18 years), Bolivia (16 years) and Sweden (9 years). This was the longest absence in history for these countries without placements.
• Lauriane Gilliéron, 2nd runner-up became Switzerland's highest placement in Miss Universe, surpassing Lolita Morena's 1983 record of 3rd runner-up.
• Venezuela did not place for only the second time in the past 24 years.
• Ethiopia was the only African country to place in the top 20.
• Puerto Rico, with their fifth win, became the second most successful territory/state (behind the USA with 7 wins) to compete at Miss Universe, followed by Venezuela with four wins. In 2008 Venezuela tied Puerto Rico with their fifth win, then moved into second place with their sixth win in 2009, dropping Puerto Rico into third place.
• Philippines won via internet voting five Miss Photogenic awards. This is its fourth.
• Japan won the Best National Costume award for the first time.

International broadcasting

These are some of the networks outside the United States (telecasted on NBC and Telemundo) that showed the 2006 Miss Universe pageant live (or recorded earlier) in their respective countries and territories:

Argentina: TNT  Brazil: Rede Bandeirantes and TNT  Chile: TNT  Colombia: Caracol and TNT  Dominican Republic: TNT  Ecuador: Gamavision, TNT  France: Paris Première  Indonesia: Indosiar

Mexico: Televisa and TNT  Nicaragua: Telemundo  Panama: Telemetro and TNT  Peru: ATV  Philippines: RPN-9  Puerto Rico: Telemundo  Thailand: Channel 7  United States (host country): NBC and Telemundo  Venezuela: Venevisión and TNT

References

1. ^ "Puerto Rico wins, faints". The Age. July 24, 2006. http://www.theage.com.au/news/people/crowning-leads-to-collapse/2006/07/24/1153593239796.html. Retrieved 24 November 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "New Miss Universe hails from Puerto Rico". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 24, 2006. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003147861_miss24.html. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 

External links

• Official site of Miss Universe Organization