Miss Universe 1978 was the 27th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Centro de Convenciones de Acapulco in Acapulco, Mexico, on 24 July 1978.
At the conclusion of the event, Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago crowned Margaret Gardiner of South Africa as Miss Universe 1978. This is first victory of South Africa in the pageant's history.
Contestants from seventy-five countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Barker in his twelfth consecutive year, while Helen O'Connell provided commentary and analysis throughout the event.
Background
Location and date In a statement by Griff O'Neill of the Miss Universe Inc. in October 1976, it was stated that Singapore was one of the locations being considered for the Miss Universe pageant in 1978. According to the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, although they were interested in hosting the Miss Universe pageant for Singapore's publicity, they were also considering whether the expense was proportionate to the promotional impact they would get, and its importance.
Two months after announcing that Miss Universe 1977 would be held in the Dominican Republic, Mexican Minister of Tourism Guillermo Rosell de La Lama announced on 11 March 1977 that the Miss Universe 1978 pageant would be held in Acapulco, Mexico on 24 July 1978 after Miss Universe accepted Mexico's invitation.
Selection of participants Contestants from seventy-five countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Two candidates were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements Miss Canada 1977 runner-up Andrea Eng was appointed to represent Canada after Catherine Swing stepped down as Miss Canada 1977 to get married. Miss France 1978 first runner-up Brigitte Konjovic was appointed to represent France after Miss France 1978 Pascale Taurua chose to return to her hometown of New Caledonia instead of living in France.
Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals This edition saw the debuts of Lesotho and New Hebrides, and the returns of Saint Vincent which last competed in 1964; Bonaire which last competed in 1969; Morocco which last competed in 1975; and Guatemala and Turkey which last competed in 1976.
Nadine Defraites of Antigua, Mlue Debor of Guadeloupe, and Ingrid Desmarais of Mauritius withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 1978 – Margaret Gardiner 1st Runner-Up – Judi Andersen 2nd Runner-Up – Guillermina Ruiz 3rd Runner-Up – Shirley Saenz 4th Runner-Up – Cécilia Rodhe Top 12 – Françoise Moens – Marianne Müller – Karen Gustafsson – Lorraine Enriquez – Dorit Jellinek – Alba Margarita Cervera – Olga Zumaran
Pageant
Format Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. The twelve semi-finalists participated in the casual interview, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions. From twelve, five finalists were shortlisted to advance to the final interview. This edition also marks the first time that the scores given by the judges are broadcast on television.
Judges The following celebrities judged the final competition: Christiane Martel – Miss Universe 1953 from France Dewi Sukarno – Japanese socialite and former first lady of Indonesia David Merrick – Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer Line Renaud – French singer and actress Miloš Forman – Film director from Czechoslovakia Ursula Andress – Swiss actress and sex symbol of the 1960s Melba Moore – American singer Roberto Cavalli – Italian fashion designer Wilhelmina Cooper – Founder of Wilhelmina Models Anna Moffo – American opera singer Mario Moreno – Mexican comedian and stage and film actor
Contestants Seventy-five contestants competed for the title. Country/TerritoryContestantAgeHometown American SamoaPalepa Sio Tauliili21Pago Pago ArgentinaDelia Muñoz17Buenos Aires ArubaMargarita Tromp26Oranjestad AustraliaBeverley Pinder23Melbourne AustriaDoris Anwander18Bregenz BahamasDulcie Millings18Nassau BarbadosJudy Miller20Saint Michael BelgiumFrançoise Moens18Brussels BelizeChristina Ysaguirre20Belmopan BermudaMadeline Joell19Smith's Parish BoliviaRaquel Roca18Guayaramerín BonaireCorinne Hernandez19Kralendijk BrazilSuzana Araújo20Dionísio CanadaAndrea Eng22Vancouver ChileMarianne Müller18Santiago ColombiaShirley Sáenz18Bogotá Costa RicaMaribel Fernández19San José CuraçaoSolange de Castro20Willemstad DenmarkAnita Heske20Copenhagen Dominican RepublicRaquel Josefina Jacobo17San Cristóbal EcuadorMabel Ceballos18Guayaquil El SalvadorIris Mazorra18San Salvador EnglandBeverly Isherwood19Bolton FinlandSeija Paakkola19Oulu FranceBrigitte Konjovic18Paris French PolynesiaPascaline Tumia Teriireoo19Papeete GreeceMarieta Kountouraki21Thessaloniki GuamMary Lois Sampson22Mangilao GuatemalaClaudia María Iriarte20Guatemala City HollandKaren Gustafsson21Rotterdam HondurasOlimpia Velásquez20Tegucigalpa Hong KongWinnie Chan22Kowloon IcelandAnna Björk Edwards19Reykjavík IndiaAlamjeet Kaur Chauhan23New Delhi IrelandLorraine Enriquez19Dublin IsraelDorit Jellinek19Haifa ItalyAndreina Mazzoti21Brescia JapanHisako Manda20Osaka LebanonReine Antoine Semaan17Beirut LesothoJoan Libuseng Khoali21Maseru MalaysiaYasmin Yusuff22Kuala Lumpur MaltaPauline Farrugia22Żebbuġ MexicoAlba Margarita Cervera19Yucatan MoroccoMajida Tazi18RabatChristine Spooner18Luganville New ZealandJane Simmonds21Auckland NicaraguaClaudia Herrera19Masaya Northern Mariana IslandsJulias Salas Concepción17Saipan NorwayJeanette Aarum19Oslo PanamaDiana Leticia Conte20Panama City Papua New GuineaAngelyn Muta Tukana21Bougainville ParaguayRosa María Duarte26Asunción PeruOlga Zumarán19Lima PhilippinesJennifer Cortes17Manila Puerto RicoAda Perkins18San Juan RéunionEvelyn Pongerand19La Possession Saint VincentGailene Collin22Kingstown ScotlandAngela McLeod20Fife SingaporeAnnie Lee20Singapore South AfricaMargaret Gardiner18Cape Town South KoreaJung-eun Shon23Seoul SpainGuillermina Ruiz21Barcelona Sri LankaDlirukshi Wimalasooriya27Colombo SurinameGarrance Rustwijk18Paramaribo SwedenCécilia Rodhe17Gothenburg SwitzerlandSylvia von Arx20Appenzell Innerrhoden ThailandPornpit Sakornvijit23Bangkok Trinidad and TobagoSophia Titus18Port of Spain TurkeyBillur Lutfiye Bingol19Istanbul United StatesJudi Andersen20Honolulu United States Virgin IslandsBarbara Henderson23Christiansted UruguayMaría del Carmen da Rosa21Salto VenezuelaMarisol Alfonzo21Caracas WalesElizabeth Ann Jones20Welshpool West GermanyEva Marie Gabrielle Gottschalk26Berlin
Notes
References
External links Miss Universe official website