Miss Universe 2008 was the 57th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Crown Convention Center in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on July 14, 2008. This was the first time that the Miss Universe pageant was broadcast in 1080i High-definition.
At the end of the event, Riyo Mori of Japan crowned Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela as Miss Universe 2008. It was Venezuela's first victory in twelve years, and the fifth victory of the country in the pageant's history.
Contestants from eighty countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Jerry Springer and member of the UK pop group Spice Girls Mel B. American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga performed in this year's pageant.
The competition also featured the debut of the new CAO Fine Jewelry Crown, which was designed by the Phu Nhuan Jewelry Company and Vietnamese-American jewelry designer Rosalina Lydster. The crown is made with 18k white and yellow gold and platinum, with over 1,000 precious stones including of diamonds. The crown is said to be worth $120,000, and will only be awarded in this edition. The Phoenix Mikimoto Crown will still be used by the winner.
Background
Location and date In August 2007, representatives of the Miss Universe Organization visited cities that bid to host the pageant such as Dubai and Hanoi to evaluate if these cities can host the pageant. During their stay in Vietnam, Paula Shugart, President of the Miss Universe Organization, also visited the cities of Nha Trang and Da Lat.
On September 26, 2007, the Vietnamese government approved the proposal of Khánh Hòa to host the pageant in Nha Trang in May 2008. This was the first major U.S.-based television production in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War. On November 27, 2007, the Miss Universe Organization officially announced at the Sheraton Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City that the competition will take place at the Diamond Bay Resort in Nha Trang on July 14, 2008.
The Crown Convention Center, a 7,500-seat indoor arena with an area of 10,000 square-meters was built for the pageant. It is located at the Diamond Bay Resort and was opened on June 30, 2008. It is the third biggest Convention Center in Southeast Asia.
Selection of participants Contestants from eighty countries and territories were selected to compete in the competition. Two 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 six were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Miss Estonia 2008 Kadri Nõgu was replaced by Julia Kovaljova, the first runner-up of Miss Estonia 2008, due to undisclosed reasons. Laura Tanguy, the second runner-up of Miss France 2008, was appointed to represent France after Valérie Bègue, Miss France 2008, was not allowed to compete in international beauty pageants after suggestive photos of her appeared in the media shortly after her crowning. Nino Likuchova, Miss Georgia 2007 was stripped of her title after revealing that she was abducted at the age of 16 and was forced to marry without the consent of her parents. Her first runner-up, Nino Lekveishvili was chosen to take over the title. However, Lekveishvili was also found out to be married. Due to this, Gvantsa Daraselia was appointed to represent Georgia at Miss Universe. Vera Krasova, the first runner-up of Miss Russia 2007, was appointed to represent Russia after Ksenia Sukhinova, Miss Russia 2007, was unable to compete due to her studies. Claudia Moro was appointed as the representative of Spain after Patricia Yurena Rodríguez, Miss Spain 2008, couldn't participate because she did not meet the minimum age requirements. However, Rodríguez competed at Miss Universe five years later. Bojana Borić, the second runner-up of Miss Serbia 2007, was appointed to represent Serbia after Zorana Tasovac, the first runner-up of Miss Serbia 2007, withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.
The 2008 edition saw the debut of Kosovo and the return of the Cayman Islands, Ghana, Guam, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Guam last competed in 2000, the Netherlands and Vietnam last competed in 2005, while the others last competed in 2006. Barbados, Belize, Bulgaria, Guyana, Lebanon, Saint Lucia, the US Virgin Islands, and Zambia withdrew. Tanisha Vernon of Belize withdrew due to internal issues between her and her national organization. Barbados, Bulgaria, Guyana, Lebanon, Saint Lucia, the US Virgin Islands, and Zambia withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 2008 – Dayana Mendoza 1st Runner-Up – Taliana Vargas 2nd Runner-Up – Marianne Cruz 3rd Runner-Up – Vera Krasova 4th Runner-Up – Elisa Nájera Top 10 – Laura Dundovic – Claudia Ferraris – Zana Krasniqi – Claudia Moro – Crystle Stewart Top 15 – Eliška Bučková – Jázmin Dammak – Hiroko Mima – Tansey Coetzee – Thùy Lâm Nguyễn
Special awards AwardContestantBest National Costume – Gavintra PhotijakMiss Congeniality – Rebeca MorenoMost Beautiful Figure – Elisa NájeraMiss Ao Dai – Dayana Mendoza
Pageant
Format Same with 2007, 15 semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The top 15 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
Final telecast
Jennifer Hawkins – Miss Universe 2004 from Australia Roberto Cavalli – Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur Nadine Velazquez – Puerto Rican actress from the television series My Name is Earl Louis Licari – Celebrity hairdresser and beauty expert Donald Trump Jr. – Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization Nguyen Cong Che – Vietnamese journalist Joe Cinque – CEO and President of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences Taryn Rose – Shoe designer Isha Koppikar – Indian actress and singer
Contestants Eighty contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Albania 19 Tirana Angola Lesliana Pereira 20 M'banza-Kongo Antigua and Barbuda Athina James 18 St. John's Argentina Maria Silvana Belli 19 Villa Krause Aruba Tracey Nicolaas 20 Oranjestad Australia Laura Dundovic 21 Sydney Bahamas Sacha Scott 19 Nassau Belgium Alizée Poulicek 21 Huy Bolivia Katherine David 19 San Ignacio de Velasco Brazil Natálya Anderle 22 Encantado Canada Samantha Tajik 26 Richmond Hill Cayman Islands Rebecca Parchment 26 West Bay China Wei Ziya 25 Chongqing Colombia Taliana Vargas 20 Santa Marta Costa Rica María Teresa Rodríguez 21 Alajuela Croatia Snježana Lončarević 24 Zagreb Curaçao Jenyfeer Mercelina 19 Willemstad Cyprus Dimitra Sergiou 23 Limassol Czech Republic Eliška Bučková 18 Strážnice Denmark Maria Sten-Knudsen 18 Copenhagen Dominican Republic Marianne Cruz 23 Salcedo Ecuador Domenica Saporitti 19 Guayaquil Egypt Yara Naoum 20 Cairo El Salvador Rebeca Moreno 22 San Salvador Estonia Julia Kovaljova 22 Tallinn Finland Satu Tuomisto 21 Akaa France Laura Tanguy 20 Ecouflant Georgia Gvantsa Daraselia 18 Tbilisi Germany Madina Taher 21 Elmshorn Ghana Yvette Nsiah 21 Accra Greece Dionissia Koukiou 22 Athens Guam Siera Robertson 18 Yona Guatemala Jennifer Chiong 25 Quetzaltenango Honduras Diana Barrasa 22 Tegucigalpa Hungary Jázmin Dammak 24 Budapest India Simran Kaur Mundi 22 Mumbai Indonesia Putri Raemawasti 21 Blitar IrelandLynn Kelly 20 Dublin Israel Shunit Faragi 21 Kiryat Tiv'on Italy Claudia Ferraris 19 Bergamo Jamaica April Jackson 19 Ocho Ríos Japan Hiroko Mima 21 Tokushima Kazakhstan Alfina NassyrovaOfficial site of Miss Kazakhstan 20 Almaty Kosovo Zana KrasniqiMiss Universe 2008 – Hình ảnh mới nhất của các Hoa hậu đến Việt Nam 19 Pristina Malaysia Levy Li 20 Terengganu Mauritius Olivia Carey 19 Vacoas Mexico Elisa Nájera 21 Celaya Montenegro Daša Živković 19 Nikšić Netherlands Charlotte Labee 22 The Hague New Zealand Samantha Powell 21 Paraparaumu Nicaragua Thelma Rodríguez 19 Chinandega Nigeria Stephanie Oforka 20 Port Harcourt Norway Mariann Birkedal 21 Stavanger Panama Carolina Dementiev 19 Panama City Paraguay Giannina Rufinelli 22 Luque Peru Karol Castillo 18 Trujillo Philippines Jennifer Barrientos 22 San Mateo Poland Barbara Tatara 24 Łódź Puerto Rico Ingrid Marie Rivera 24 Dorado Russia Vera Krasova 20 Moscow Serbia Bojana Borić 21 Sremska Mitrovica Singapore Shenise Wong 26 Singapore Slovakia Sandra Manáková 20 Bratislava Slovenia Anamarija Avbelj 20 Lukovica South Africa Tansey Coetzee 23 Johannesburg South KoreaSun Lee25Seoul Spain Claudia Moro 22 Madrid Sri Lanka Aruni Rajapaksha 24 Kandy Switzerland Amanda Ammann 21 Abtwil Tanzania Amanda Ole Sululu 21 Arusha Thailand Gavintra Photijak 21 Nongkhai Trinidad and Tobago Anya Ayoung-Chee 26 Maraval Turkey Sinem Sülün 19 Istanbul Turks and Caicos Islands Angelica Lightbourne 19 Providenciales Ukraine Eleonora Masalab 19 Kharkiv United Kingdom Lisa Lazarus 20 Swansea United States Crystle Stewart 26 Missouri City Uruguay Paula Díaz 19 Ciudad de la Costa Venezuela Dayana Mendoza 22 Caracas Vietnam N E T L I F E – phong cach song – song phong cach 20 Thái Bình
Notes
References
External links
Miss Universe official website