Miss Universe 2004 was the 53rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Centro de Convenciones CEMEXPO in Quito, Ecuador, on 1 June 2004.
At the conclusion of the event, Amelia Vega of the Dominican Republic crowned Jennifer Hawkins of Australia as Miss Universe 2004. It is Australia's first victory in thirty-two years, and the second victory in the pageant's history.
Contestants from eighty countries competed in this year's pageant. The competition was hosted by Billy Bush and Daisy Fuentes. Cuban-American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan performed in this year's pageant.
Background
Location and date In September 2002, the Miss Bahamas Universe Organization announced that the Bahamas is tentatively set to host the pageant. However, plans to host the pageant did not materialize, and the Bahamas hosted the pageant in 2009.
Quito, Ecuador was announced as host city of the pageant on 19 August 2003. The city paid $5 million for the right to host the event, although it anticipated recouping this through visitors and promotion of the country during the televised competition.
In March, Ecuador's foreign trade minister was forced to reject rumours that the pageant was at risk of being moved to China, and he urged Ecuadorians to back the pageant. As an added incentive for tourists, American Airlines, official airline sponsor of the pageant, offered 5% off airfares to Quito for travel to the pageant, as well as 10% off for those who booked a month in advance. The attempted use of the pageant to promote Ecuador threatened to be derailed just prior to the telecast, when a corruption scandal led to growing demands for the removal of President Lucio Gutiérrez in the politically unstable country.
Prior to the arrival of delegates in early May, officials in Quito attempted to renovate areas where they would be visiting, which involved temporarily removing beggars and homeless people from certain areas of the city. The event was protested by native Indian activists and environmentalists who accused the government of concealing the nations poverty whilst the pageant was being hosted.
The delegates, judges, media and tourists were heavily protected by a security detail involving over 5000 police officers. On 16 May, just hours before delegates were expected to participate in a parade in Cuenca, a pamphlet bomb was deactivated by police. Although it was protesting the economic policies of the Ecuadorian government, police suspected that the bomb, found just six blocks from the parade route, was timed specifically to coincide with the event.
Selection of participants Contestants from eighty countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Two delegates were appointees to their position to replace the original dethroned winner.
Zita Galgociová was initially chosen to represent Slovakia, but she was replaced with her first runner-up Zuzana Dvorská because she was under the minimum age. Miss Hanoi-Vietnam 2003 Hồng Vân Nguyễn was chosen to represent Vietnam, but she was replaced by the gold medal winner of Vietnam Supermodel Award 2004 Khánh Ngọc Hoàng with unknown reasons.
The 2004 edition saw the debuts of Ethiopia, Georgia, and Vietnam, and the returns of Austria, Botswana, Chile, Denmark, Ghana, Kenya, Lebanon, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Uruguay. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines last competed in 1991, Austria in 1999, Denmark in 2000, Botswana, Turks and Caicos Islands, Lebanon, and Paraguay in 2001, while the others last competed in 2002. Albania, Argentina, Mauritius, Namibia, and New Zealand withdrew. Sabine Bourdet of Mauritius withdrew due to health problems, while Petrina Thomas of Namibia withdrew due to lack of sponsorship. Albania, Argentina, and New Zealand withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Maria José Girol Jimenez was set to compete at Miss Universe. However, Jimenez withdrew due to the lack of sponsorship. Dian Krishna, Puteri Indonesia 2003, was welcomed by the pageant organizers and was given the chance to attend the show in the audience as an observer. Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir of Iceland was also set to compete at Miss Universe, but withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 2004 – Jennifer Hawkins 1st Runner-Up – Shandi Finnessey 2nd Runner-Up – Alba Reyes 3rd Runner-Up – Yanina González 4th Runner-Up – Danielle Jones Top 10 – Catherine Daza – Nancy Soto – Susana Rivadeneira – Tanushree Dutta – Christine Straw Top 15 – Telma Sonhi – Gabriela Barros – Rosalva Luna – Kathrine Sørland – Bianca Sissing
Special awards AwardContestantMiss Photogenic Puerto Rico – Alba ReyesMiss Congeniality Italy – Laia ManettiBest National Costume Panama – Jessica RodríguezBest Catwalk Vietnam – Khánh Ngọc Hoàng
Pageant Format Same with 2003, fifteen semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The fifteen semifinalists competed in the evening gown and were narrowed down to ten afterward. The ten semifinalists competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final look.
Selection committee Final telecast Bo Derek – Film actress Bill Rancic – Winner of the first season of The Apprentice Katie Pritz – Today Show's "You Be The Judge" contest winner Wendy Fitzwilliam – Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago Elsa Benítez – International supermodel Jon Tutolo – President of Trump Model Management Anne Martin – Vice President of Global Cosmetics and Marketing of Procter & Gamble Cosmetics Monique Menniken – Supermodel Petra Němcová – Sports Illustrated supermodel Jefferson Pérez – 1996 Ecuadorian Olympic gold medalist Emilio Estefan – Music producer and entertainer
Note: Kwame Jackson, runner-up on the first season of The Apprentice, was initially chosen as a judge, but he was disqualified because he inadvertently visited the hotel where the delegates were staying and interacted with some of the contestants.
Contestants Eighty contestants competed for the title. Country/TerritoryContestantAgeHometown AngolaTelma Sonhi18Lunda Sul Antigua and BarbudaAnn-Marie Brown25St. John's ArubaZizi Lee22Oranjestad AustraliaJennifer Hawkins20Newcastle AustriaDaniela Strigl23Salzburg BahamasRaquel Horton24New Providence BarbadosCindy Batson19Saint Michael BelgiumLindsy Dehollander21Brussels BelizeLeilah Pandy23Belize City BoliviaGabriela Oviedo21Santa Cruz BotswanaIcho Keolotswe24Gaborone BrazilFabiane Niclotti †19Gramado BulgariaIvelina Petrova18Varna CanadaVenessa Fisher18Waterdown Cayman IslandsStacey-Ann Kelly25Bodden Town ChileGabriela Barros23Viña del Mar ChinaAlina Zhang23Tianjin Chinese TaipeiJanie Hsieh26Taipei ColombiaCatherine Daza21Cali Costa RicaNancy Soto23San Lorenzo CroatiaMarijana Rupčić18Slavonia CuraçaoAngeline da Silva19Willemstad CyprusNayia Iacovidou21Nicosia Czech RepublicLucie Váchová19Příbram DenmarkTina Christensen22Copenhagen Dominican RepublicLarimar Fiallo20Santo Domingo EcuadorSusana Rivadeneira24Quito EgyptHeba El-Sisy22Mansoura El SalvadorGabriela Mejía19San Salvador EstoniaSirle Kalma22Viljandi EthiopiaFerehyiwot Abebe18Bahir Dar FinlandMira Salo23Helsinki FranceLætitia Bléger23Saint-Hippolyte GeorgiaNino Murtazashvilli21Tbilisi GermanyShermine Shahrivar21Süddeutschland GhanaMenaye Donkor23Accra GreeceValia Kakouti23Athens GuatemalaMarva Weatherborn20Izabal GuyanaOdessa Phillips21Vergenoegen HungaryBlanka Bakos19Ibrány IndiaTanushree Dutta20Jamshedpur IrelandCathriona Duignam23Dublin IsraelGal Gadot19Rosh HaAyin ItalyLaia Manetti23Milan JamaicaChristine Straw24Blue Mountains JapanEri Machimoto20Fukuyama KenyaAnita Maina21Nairobi LebanonMarie-José Hnein19Byblos MalaysiaAndrea Fonseka19Petaling Jaya MexicoRosalva Luna21Los Mochis NetherlandsLindsay Grace Pronk21The Hague NicaraguaMarifely Argüello22Managua NigeriaAnita Uwagbale19Lagos NorwayKathrine Sørland24Sola PanamaJessica Rodríguez22Panama City ParaguayYanina González24Asunción PeruLiesel Holler24Cerro de Pasco PhilippinesMaricar Balagtas21Plaridel PolandPaulina Panek21Rzeszów Puerto RicoAlba Reyes22Cidra RussiaKsenia Kustova20Novosibirsk Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesLaferne Fraser20Kingstown Serbia and MontenegroDragana Dujović19Novi Sad SingaporeSandy Chua19Singapore SlovakiaZuzana Dvorská19Banská Bystrica SloveniaSabina Remar22Trbovlje South AfricaJoan Ramagoshi25Gauteng South KoreaYun-yong Choi20Seoul SpainMaría Jesús Ruiz21Andújar SwedenKatarina Wigander21Lerum SwitzerlandBianca Sissing25Lucerne ThailandMorakot Kittisara20Bangkok Trinidad and TobagoDanielle Jones26Saint James TurkeyFatoş Seğmen22İzmir Turks and Caicos IslandsShamara Ariza19Grand Turk UkraineOleksandra Nikolayenko22Odesa United StatesShandi Finnessey25Florissant UruguayNicole Dupont20Maldonado VenezuelaAna Karina Áñez19Barquisimeto VietnamKhánh Ngọc Hoàng19Hải Dương
Notes
References
External links Official website