Miss France 2016 Iris Mittenaere named winner of Miss Universe pageant

January 30, 2017

by Jackie Green

Iris Mittenaere, Miss France 2016, was crowned Miss Universe at the 65th Miss Universe pageant, which was held at Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines on January 29, 2017. Fox had the U.S. telecast of the show, which was once again hosted by Steve Harvey. Model/activist Ashley Graham served as backstage host.  Flo Rida and and Boyz II Men performed at the event.

The first runner-up was Raquel Pelissier from Haiti. The second runner-up was Andrea Tovar from Colombia. The remaining  contestants in the top six were Mary Esther Were from Kenya; Maxine Medina from the Philippines ;  and Chalita Suansane from Thailand.

The judges who helped crown Miss Universe included:

• Cynthia Bailey: Former model and founder of The Bailey Agency School of Fashion, a modeling and fashion school dedicated to helping young women achieve their dreams; current cast member on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
• Mickey Boardman: Editorial Director and advice columnist for Paper magazine.
• Leila Lopes: First Miss Universe from Angola and former United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Desertification; currently working with various charitable organizations in Africa.
• Francine LeFrak: Emmy and Tony Award-winning producer, social entrepreneur, women’s empowerment activist and founder of Same Sky, an initiative that provides training and employment to HIV+ women survivors of the Rwandan genocide.
• Sushmita Sen: Bollywood actress, philanthropist and champion of women’s rights in India; founder of I AM Foundation; and first-ever Miss Universe from India.
• Dayanara Torres: Former UNICEF ambassador, writer, singer, model, actress and former Miss Universe from Puerto Rico.

Here are some photo highlights of the pageant on stage and behind the scenes.