# Miss Universe 2017

Miss Universe 2017 was the 66th Miss Universe pageant, held at The AXIS in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on 26 November 2017.
At the end of the event, Iris Mittenaere of France crowned Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa as Miss Universe 2017. It was South Africa's first victory in almost four decades, and the second victory of the country in the pageant's history.
Contestants from ninety-two countries and territories competed in this year's pageant, surpassing the previous record of eighty-nine contestants in 2011 and 2012. The pageant was hosted by Steve Harvey in his third consecutive year, and supermodel Ashley Graham. Television personality Carson Kressley and runway coach Lu Sierra provided commentary and analysis throughout the event. American singer-songwriters Fergie and Rachel Platten performed in this year's pageant.
The competition also featured the return of the Phoenix Mikimoto crown, which was last used in 2007, after WME/IMG reportedly sued the Diamond International Company due to a breach of contract in August 2017. After failing to make payments, IMG canceled the contract with DIC.

## Background
### Location and date

Miss Universe Australia organization's Troy Barbagallo, Australian businessman, informed the Herald Sun that he submitted an offer to IMG for Australia to host the 2017 edition, with Sydney or Melbourne as viable host cities.
The Department of Tourism of the Philippines announced on 25 May 2017, that the Miss Universe Organization had proposed to hold the contest again in the Philippines. The Miss Universe 2016 pageant took place in the nation. The Miss Universe Organization was pleased with the previous pageant's hosting in the Philippines, stating it dominated the pre-events of Super Bowl LI. On 22 June 2017, the Department of Tourism decided that they will not host the pageant this year and instead consider hosting the following edition.
On 28 September 2017, the Miss Universe Organization confirmed the date and location of the contest through Instagram. The pageant will take place in The AXIS theatre of Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada on 26 November 2017. The last time that The AXIS theatre was used by the pageant was in 2015.

### Selection of participants

Contestants from ninety-two countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Fourteen of these delegates were appointees to their titles after being a runner-up of their national pageant or an audition process or other internal selection, while three were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Liesbeth Claus, the third runner-up of Miss Belgium 2017, was appointed to represent Belgium after Romanie Schotte, Miss Belgium 2017, chose to compete at Miss World 2017 due to conflicting schedules of the two pageants. Kseniya Alexandrova, the first runner-up of Miss Russia 2017, was also appointed to represent Russia after Polina Popova, Miss Russia 2017, chose to compete at Miss World 2017. Katarzyna Włodarek, the second runner-up of Miss Polonia 2016, was appointed to represent Poland after the Miss Polonia pageant was postponed to late November following the Miss Universe pageant.
Mira Simeonova, Miss Universe Bulgaria 2017, originally was supposed to represent Bulgaria at Miss Universe. However, Simeonova did not meet the minimum age requirements of the pageant. Due to this, Nikoleta Todorova, a finalist at Miss Universe Bulgaria 2017, replaced Simeonova as Miss Universe Bulgaria 2017. Vian Sulaimani was supposed to represent Iraq at Miss Universe. However, Sulaimani was dethroned after it was discovered that she was married. Following Sulaimani's dethronement, the Miss Iraq Organization held a casting call to select the new representative of Iraq to Miss Universe. Sarah Idan emerged as the new Miss Iraq 2017. Pınar Tartan, Miss Turkey Supranational 2017, replaced Aslı Sümen as Miss Universe 2017 after Sümen replaced Itır Esen as Miss Turkey World 2017 hours after her crowning because of a tweet about the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.
The 2017 edition saw the debuts of Cambodia, Laos, and Nepal and the returns of Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Ireland, Lebanon, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zambia. Iraq last competed in 1972, which makes the country's first time to compete after four decades of withdrawing from Miss Universe. Zambia last competed in 2010, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago last competed in 2014, while the others last competed in 2015. Belize, Denmark, Hungary, Kenya, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Switzerland withdrew. Sierra Leone withdrew from the competition after Adama Kargbo was unable to secure a visa in time for the competition in the United States. Belize, Denmark, Hungary, Kenya, Kosovo, and Switzerland withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss Universe 2017 | South Africa – Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters |
| 1st runner-up | Colombia – Laura González |
| 2nd runner-up | Jamaica – Davina Bennett |
| Top 5 | Thailand – Maria Poonlertlarp  Venezuela – Keysi Sayago |
| Top 10 | Brazil – Monalysa Alcântara  Canada – Lauren Howe  Philippines – Rachel Peters  Spain – Sofía del Prado  United States – Kára McCullough |
| Top 16 | China – Roxette Qiu  Croatia – Shanaelle Petty  Ghana – Ruth Quarshie  Great Britain – Anna Burdzy  Ireland – Cailín Toibín  Sri Lanka – Christina Peiris |

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Best National Costume | Japan – Momoko Abe |
| Miss Congeniality | Egypt – Farah Sedky  Panama – Laura de Sanctis |

## Pageant
### Format

The number of semifinalists was increased from thirteen in 2016 to sixteen. For the first time in this edition, contestants were divided into three geographical regions: The Americas, Europe, and Africa & Asia-Pacific. The judges chose the top four contestants from each of the three regions, as well as four other contestants from any region to complete the sixteen semifinalists. The sixteen semifinalists participated in the swimsuit competition, with ten advancing in the competition for the evening gown competition. Five finalists advanced to compete in the question and answer portion, while three finalists advanced to compete in the final question and the final walk.

### Selection committee
#### Preliminary competition

* Cecilio Asuncion – Slay Models director and founder
* Morgan Deane – TAO restaurant group marketing director
* Wendy Fitzwilliam – Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago
* Isabelle Lindblom – IMG Models scout
* Megan Olivi – Fox Sports 1 host and reporter
* Bill Pereira – CEO, president, and co-chairman of IDT Telecom

#### Final telecast

* Wendy Fitzwilliam – Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago
* Jay Manuel – television host, creative director, and makeup artist
* Farouk Shami - businessman, owner of Farouk Systems
* Ross Mathews – television personality
* Megan Olivi – Fox Sports 1 host and reporter
* Lele Pons – Vine and YouTube personality
* Pia Wurtzbach – Miss Universe 2015 from the Philippines

## Contestants

Ninety-two contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Candidate | Age | Hometown | Continental Group |
| Albania | Blerta Leka | 19 | Tirana | Europe |
| Angola | Lauriela Martins | 19 | Cabinda | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Argentina | Stefanía Incandela | 23 | Buenos Aires | Americas |
| Aruba | Alina Mansur | 26 | Malmok | Americas |
| Australia | Olivia Rogers | 25 | Adelaide | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Austria | Celine Schrenk | 19 | Gänserndorf | Europe |
| Bahamas | Yasmine Cooke | 25 | Nassau | Americas |
| Barbados | Lesley Chapman | 26 | Bridgetown | Americas |
| Belgium | Liesbeth Claus | 20 | Assenede | Europe |
| Bolivia | Gleisy Noguer | 21 | Cobija | Americas |
| Brazil | Monalysa Alcântara | 18 | Teresina | Americas |
| British Virgin Islands | Khephra Sylvester | 25 | Tortola | Americas |
| Bulgaria | Nikoleta Todorova | 19 | Vratsa | Europe |
| Cambodia | Sotheary By | 19 | Phnom Penh | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Canada | Lauren Howe | 24 | Toronto | Americas |
| Cayman Islands | Anika Conolly | 27 | West Bay | Americas |
| Chile | Natividad Leiva | 25 | Santiago | Americas |
| China | Roxette Qiu | 27 | Chengdu | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Colombia | Laura González | 22 | Cartagena | Americas |
| Costa Rica | Elena Correa | 27 | Heredia | Americas |
| Croatia | Shanaelle Petty | 19 | Slavonski Brod | Europe |
| Curaçao | Nashaira Balentien | 20 | Willemstad | Americas |
| Czech Republic | Michaela Habáňová | 21 | Zlín | Europe |
| Dominican Republic | Carmen Muñoz Guzmán | 24 | Licey al Medio | Americas |
| Ecuador | Daniela Cepeda | 22 | Guayaquil | Americas |
| Egypt | Farah Sedky | 23 | Cairo | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| El Salvador | Alisson Abarca | 21 | San Salvador | Americas |
| Ethiopia | Akinahom Zergaw | 22 | Addis Ababa | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Finland | Michaela Söderholm | 25 | Helsinki | Europe |
| France | Alicia Aylies | 19 | Paris | Europe |
| Georgia | Marita Gogodze | 21 | Rustavi | Europe |
| Germany | Sophia Koch | 20 | Halle | Europe |
| Ghana | Ruth Quarshie | 23 | Ajumako | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Great Britain | Anna Burdzy | 25 | Leicester | Europe |
| Guam | Myana Welch | 27 | Tamuning | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Guatemala | Isel Suñiga | 23 | Ayutla | Americas |
| Guyana | Rafieya Husain | 25 | Anna Regina | Americas |
| Haiti | Cassandra Chéry | 22 | Port-au-Prince | Americas |
| Honduras | April Tobie | 18 | Roatán | Americas |
| Iceland | Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir | 22 | Kópavogur | Europe |
| India | Shraddha Shashidhar | 21 | Chennai | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Indonesia | Bunga Jelitha | 26 | Jakarta | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Iraq | Sarah Idan | 27 | Baghdad | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Ireland | Cailín Toíbín | 23 | Cobh | Europe |
| Israel | Adar Gandelsman | 19 | Ashkelon | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Italy | Maria Polverino | 25 | Naples | Europe |
| Jamaica | Davina Bennett | 21 | Clarendon | Americas |
| Japan | Momoko Abe | 23 | Chiba | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Kazakhstan | Kamilla Asylova | 19 | Almaty | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Laos | Souphaphone Somvichith | 20 | Champasak | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Lebanon | Jana Sader | 20 | Sidon | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Malaysia | Samantha Katie James | 23 | Kuala Lumpur | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Malta | Tiffany Pisani | 25 | Attard | Europe |
| Mauritius | Angie Callychurn | 27 | Curepipe | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Mexico | Denisse Franco | 19 | Culiacán | Americas |
| Myanmar | Zun Than Sin | 22 | Yangon | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Namibia | Suné January | 23 | Rehoboth | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Nepal | Nagma Shrestha | 26 | Kathmandu | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Netherlands | Nicky Opheij | 22 | Handel | Europe |
| New Zealand | Harlem-Cruz Atarangi Ihaia | 19 | Napier | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Nicaragua | Berenice Quezada | 24 | El Rama | Americas |
| Nigeria | Stephanie Agbasi | 22 | Neni | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Norway | Kaja Kojan | 20 | Kongsvinger | Europe |
| Panama | Laura de Sanctis | 21 | Panama City | Americas |
| Paraguay | Ariela Machado | 25 | Asunción | Americas |
| Peru | Prissila Howard | 26 | Piura | Americas |
| Philippines | Rachel Peters | 26 | Canaman | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Poland | Katarzyna Włodarek | 26 | Wrocław | Europe |
| Portugal | Matilde Lima | 18 | Setúbal | Europe |
| Puerto Rico | Danna Hernández | 21 | San Juan | Americas |
| Romania | Ioana Mihalache | 26 | Constanța | Europe |
| Russia | Kseniya Alexandrova | 22 | Moscow | Europe |
| Saint Lucia | Louise Victor | 26 | Micoud | Americas |
| Singapore | Manuela Bruntraeger | 24 | Singapore | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Slovakia | Vanessa Bottánová | 19 | Bratislava | Europe |
| Slovenia | Emina Ekić | 22 | Ptuj | Europe |
| South Africa | Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters | 22 | Sedgefield | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| South Korea | Sewhee Cho | 26 | Seoul | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Spain | Sofía del Prado | 22 | Albacete | Europe |
| Sri Lanka | Christina Peiris | 23 | Colombo | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Sweden | Frida Fornander | 22 | Gothenburg | Europe |
| Tanzania | Lilian Maraule | 22 | Dar es Salaam | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Thailand | Maria Poonlertlarp | 25 | Bangkok | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Yvonne Clarke | 27 | San Fernando | Americas |
| Turkey | Pınar Tartan | 20 | İzmir | Europe |
| Ukraine | Yana Krasnikova | 18 | Kyiv | Europe |
| United States | Kára McCullough | 26 | Washington, D.C. | Americas |
| United States Virgin Islands | Esonica Veira | 27 | Charlotte Amalie | Americas |
| Uruguay | Marisol Acosta | 20 | Canelones | Americas |
| Venezuela | Keysi Sayago | 24 | Caracas | Americas |
| Vietnam | Nguyễn Thị Loan | 27 | Thái Bình | Africa & Asia Pacific |
| Zambia | Isabel Chikoti | 26 | Chingola | Africa & Asia Pacific |