Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe 2019, in a ceremony that took place December 8 at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Fox had the U.S. telecast of the show, which was hosted by Steve Harvey. Former beauty-pageant queens Olivia Culpo and Vanessa Lachey provided commentary, while Ally Brooke (of Fifth Harmony fame) was the show’s musical performer. The annual Miss Universe ceremony (now in its 68th year) is produced by the Miss Universe Organization.
The new Mouawad Power of Unity crown made its debut at the ceremony this year. According to Mouwad, the crown was created with 18-karat gold and handset with more than 1,770 white diamonds and three golden canary diamonds. The crown’s centerpiece is a shield-cut golden canary 62.83 carat diamond.
Contestants from 90 countries and territories were at the pageant, including Swe Zin Htet of Myanmar, who was the first openly lesbian contestant to compete for the Miss Universe title. Ultimately, she did not place in the Top 20. Bangladesh and Equatorial Guinea made their Miss Universe debuts this year.
The all-female panel of Miss Universe 2019 judges were:
Gaby Espino, Venezuelan actress
Sazan Hendrix, American businesswoman and social media personality
Riyo Mori. Miss Universe 2007 from Japan
Cara Mund, Miss America 2018[39]
Bozoma Saint John, American businesswoman and marketing executive
Crystle Stewart, American actress and Miss USA 2008
Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2014 from Colombia
Olivia Jordan (only as preliminary judge). American actress, model, and Miss USA 2015
Internet voting from the public returned after a two-year absence. The public Internet voting was for the contestants who placed in the Top 20.
Here are the Top 20 contestants of the 2018 Miss Universe pageant:
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss South Africa — Winner
Madison Anderson, Miss Puerto Rico — First runner-up
Sofía Aragón, Miss Mexico — Second runner-up
Gabriela Tafur, Miss Colombia — Top 5
Paweensuda Drouin, Miss Thailand— Top 5
Maëva Coucke, Miss France — Top 10
Birta Abiba Þórhallsdóttir, Miss Iceland — Top 10
Frederika Alexis Cull, Miss Indoensia — Top 10
Kelin Rivera, Miss Peru— Top 10
Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA — Top 10
Cindy Marina, Miss Albania — Top 20
Júlia Horta, Miss Brazil — Top 20
Mia Rkman, Miss Croatia — Top 20
Clauvid Dály, Miss Dominican Republic — Top 20
Vartika Singh, Miss India — Top 20
Olutosin Araromi, Miss Nigeria — Top 20
Gazini Ganados, Miss Philippines — Top 20
Sylvie Silva, Miss Portugal — Top 20
Thalía Olvino, Miss Venezuela — Top 20
Hoàng Thùy, Miss Vietnam — Top 20
The following is a press release from the Miss Universe Organization:
Cheslie Kryst from North Carolina was crowned the new Miss USA in front of a worldwide audience at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino’s Grand Theatre in Reno, Nevada. The two-hour special programming event aired live on Fox on May 2, 2019.
Cheslie is a full time complex litigation attorney who is licensed to practice law in two states. She earned both her law degree and MBA from Wake Forest University and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina. The 28-year-old is a former Division I athlete, having competed in the heptathlon, long jump and triple jump on South Carolina’s track and field team. The Charlotte native runs a fashion blog, “White Collar Glam,” that focuses on work wear fashion for women and is an active volunteer for Dress for Success.
The all-women selection committee panel was made up of entrepreneurs, business leaders, industry experts, and former pageant titleholders. They oversaw both the preliminary and final rounds, a new format that has allowed the panel to better understand what each contestant wants to pursue both personally and professionally.
Actress, host and former pageant winner Vanessa Lachey and multi-Platinum recording artist and television personality Nick Lachey returned as hosts for the annual event. Supermodel and pageant expert Lu Sierra provided analysis and commentary throughout the live telecast. Grammy® award winning singer, songwriter and producer T-Pain performed and along with his hosting duties, the show included a very special performance from Nick Lachey.
Throughout the show, contestants participated in swimsuit, evening gown, final question and final word. During the Top 5 final question round, the women were asked questions formed from their fellow contestants.
The event concluded with Miss USA 2018 Sarah Rose Summers crowning Cheslie Kryst her successor, chosen from representatives of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Cheslie will go on to represent the USA in the MISS UNIVERSE® pageant later this year.
Final Results: Miss North Carolina USA Cheslie Kryst crowned Miss USA
First Runner-Up: Miss New Mexico USA Alejandra Gonzalez
Second Runner-Up: Miss Oklahoma USA Triana Browne
Top Three: Miss New Mexico USA Alejandra Gonzalez; Miss North Carolina USA Cheslie Kryst; Miss Oklahoma USA Triana Browne
Top Five: Miss New Mexico USA Alejandra Gonzalez; Miss North Carolina USA Cheslie Kryst; Miss Nevada USA Tianna Tuamoheloa; Miss Oklahoma USA Triana Browne; Miss Arkansas USA Savannah Skidmore
Top Ten: Miss Arkansas USA Savannah Skidmore; Miss Ohio USA Alice Magoto; Miss Kansas USA Alyssa Klinzing; Miss North Carolina USA Cheslie Kryst; Miss District of Columbia USA Cordelia Cranshaw; Miss New Mexico USA Alejandra Gonzalez; Miss Maryland USA Mariela Pepin; Miss Florida USA Nicolette Jennings; Miss Nevada USA Tianna Tuamoheloa; Miss Oklahoma USA Triana Browne
Top Fifteen: Miss Florida USA Nicolette Jennings; Miss New Mexico USA Alejandra Gonzalez; Miss Arkansas USA Savannah Skidmore; Miss Ohio USA Alice Magoto; Miss Oklahoma USA Triana Browne; Miss Iowa USA Baylee Drezek; Miss Minnesota USA Cat Stanley; Miss District of Columbia USA Cordelia Cranshaw; Miss Louisiana USA Victoria Paul; Miss North Carolina USA Cheslie Kryst; Miss Kansas USA Alyssa Klinzing; Miss Pennsylvania USA Kailyn Marie Perez; Miss Maryland USA Mariela Pepin; Miss Hawaii USA Lacie Choy; Miss Nevada USA Tianna Tuamoheloa
MISS USA® was made possible with the support of Reno Tahoe, Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, Nevada Division of Tourism, CHI Haircare, Sherri Hill, Lauren Lorraine, Victoria Duke Beauty, and Sinesia Karol.
The Miss Universe Organization The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is a global community that empowers women to realize their goals through experiences that build self-confidence and create opportunities for success. MUO believes that every woman should be “Confidently Beautiful.” MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® programs provide the 10,000 women who participate annually an international platform to affect positive change through influential humanitarian and professional efforts. The contestants and titleholders are leaders and role models in their communities, develop personal and professional goals, and inspire others to do the same. The Miss Universe Organization is an Endeavor company. To learn more, visit www.missuniverse.com.
About Endeavor Endeavor, is a global leader in sports, entertainment and fashion operating in more than 30 countries. Named one of Fortune’s 25 Most Important Private Companies, Endeavor is the parent of a number of subsidiaries with leadership positions in their respective industries, including WME, IMG and UFC. Collectively, Endeavor specializes in talent representation and management; brand strategy, activation and licensing; media sales and distribution; and event management.
As previously announced, Vanessa and Nick Lachey return to host the event taking place inside Grand Sierra Resort and Casino’s (GSR) Grand Theatre, located in Reno Tahoe. Season One winner of FOX’s THE MASKED SINGER and Cinematic Music Group’s T-Pain will take the Miss USA stage to perform during the two-hour special programming event and, along with his hosting duties, the show will include a very special performance from Nick Lachey. The 2019 MISS USA® airs Thursday, May 2 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.
Supermodel and pageant expert Lu Sierra returns as a competition insider to provide analysis and commentary throughout the live telecast.
Additionally, the MISS USA® selection committee will be comprised of an all-female panel that will help select the winner, while overseeing both the preliminary and final rounds. This new format has allowed the selection committee to understand what each contestant wants to pursue both personally and professionally.
The women who will determine the next Miss USA include:
Hillary Schieve: Entrepreneur and Mayor, City of Reno, NV.
Ukonwa Ojo: Former Chief Marketing Officer of COVERGIRL, recognized with over 50 honors and awards, including Business Insider’s Most Innovative CMOs list, Marketing Magazine’s Power 100 List and Financial Time’s Upstanding Top 100 Ethnic-Minority Executives.
Amy Palmer: Founder and CEO, PowerwomenTV; Emmy-nominated TV host, Chief Content Officer and Executive Producer
Nicole Feld: Executive Vice President of Feld Entertainment, the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live family entertainment experiences.
Kim Kaupe: CEO and co-founder of The Superfan Company, hailed as a Top 30 Startup to Watch by Entrepreneur; named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 and Inc.’s35 Under 35 list.
Pat Smith: Entrepreneur, philanthropist and Miss Virginia USA 1994.
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters: Miss Universe 2017 of South Africa; IMG Model; founder of women’s empowerment program, “Unbreakable.”
Denise Quinones: Miss Universe 2001 of Puerto Rico, actress, singer and pageant expert.
Women representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia will compete for the opportunity of becoming the next Miss USA. The FOX broadcast concludes with Miss USA 2018 Sarah Rose Summers crowning her successor. To learn more about this year’s contestants, please visit: www.missusa.com/contestants.