# Miss Universe 2012

Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 19, 2012.
The contest was won by Olivia Culpo of the United States, who was crowned by Leila Lopes of Angola. It was the United States' first win in fifteen years, and its eighth win at the pageant.
There were contestants from eighty-nine countries and territories, three more than the previous year. It was hosted by Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic, with Jeannie Mai as backstage correspondent. American rock band Train and Australian musician Tim Omaji performed in this year's pageant.

## Background
### Location and date

In March 2012, the Miss Universe Organization announced that the pageant was postponed to mid-December as broadcaster, NBC, was unable to broadcast the pageant at the same time as the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 United States presidential election. In April 2012, it was announced that Bangladesh would host the pageant on December 13, 2012. However, in July, the Bangladeshi president announced that they would not host the pageant because of financial constraints.
In August 2012, the Dominican government received a proposal from the Miss Universe Organization to host the competition on December 11, 2012. The Dominican Republic had previously hosted Miss Universe 1977 in Santo Domingo. The organization was considering hosting the final night at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino in Punta Cana. However, the government said that the country was not able to provide any kind of financial assistance to the pageant, and so was not granted the hosting rights.
The organization moved the pageant to Las Vegas, Nevada in December changing from the customary mid-year scheduling. On September 27, 2012, the organization confirmed that the 2012 pageant would be held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 19, 2012.

### Selection of participants

Contestants from eighty-nine countries and territories were selected to compete in the competition. Seven of these were appointed to their positions after being a runner-up of their national pageant or were selected through a casting process, while nine were selected to replace the original winners.
Adwoa Yamoah, the first runner-up of Miss Universe Canada 2012, was appointed to represent Canada after Sahar Biniaz, Miss Universe Canada 2012, withdrew for personal reasons. Ioánna Yiannakoú, the runner-up of Star Cyprus 2012, was appointed to represent Cyprus after Ntaniella Kefala, Star Cyprus 2012, withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Carola Durán, Miss Dominican Republic 2012, was to compete, but was dethroned after it was discovered that she was previously married and is divorced. She was replaced by, Dulcita Lieggi, the first runner-up. Natalie Korneitsik, the first runner-up of Miss Estonia 2012, was appointed to represent Estonia after the winner Kätlin Valdmets, withdrew due to lack of sponsorship. Marie Payet, the first runner-up of Miss France 2012, was appointed to represent France due to a potential date conflict between Miss Universe 2012 and Miss France 2013, at which Delphine Wespiser, Miss France 2012, was contractually obligated to be present.
Channa Divouvi, the first runner-up of Miss Gabon 2012, was appointed to represent Gabon due to a potential date conflict between Miss Universe 2012 and Miss Gabon 2013, at which winner Marie-Noëlle Ada, was contractually obligated to be present. Shilpa Singh, the first runner-up of I Am She 2012, was appointed to represent India after Urvashi Rautela, Miss Universe India 2012, withdrew due as she was underage and also the reigning Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International at that time. Avianca Böhm, Miss Universe New Zealand 2012, was replaced by her first runner-up, Talia Bennett, due to citizenship issues. Isabella Ayuk, Most Beautigul Girl in Nigeria 2012, switched pageants with Damiete Charles Granville, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Universe 2012, due to being overage at Miss World.
Andrea Huisgen, Miss Spain 2011, was unable to participate as the Miss Spain organization was bankrupt, and the license was awarded to a new organization called Miss Universe Spain. Although the rights had changed, Huisgen was allowed to compete having changed contracts.
This contest saw the debuts of Gabon and Lithuania, and the returns of Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Namibia, and Norway. Bulgaria, Ethiopia, and Namibia last competed in Miss Universe 2009, while Norway last competed in Miss Universe 2010. Egypt, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Slovenia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands withdrew. Aĭnur Tolyeuova of Kazakhstan withdrew as she was underage. Egypt, Portugal, Slovenia, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

#### Transgender women allowed to compete

Beginning with Miss Universe 2013, the Miss Universe Organization allowed transgender women to compete, following the consultation with the GLAAD Organization. The changes in the rules came after Jenna Talackova, a transgender woman competing at Miss Universe Canada 2012, was reinstated, having been removed from the pageant. Her removal was because she "did not meet the requirements to compete". A month after her removal, the organization allowed Talackova to compete provided that "she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions." Talackova reached the top 12, and was one of the four contestants to win the Miss Congeniality award.
Six years after the pageant rules were changed, Ángela Ponce of Spain made history at Miss Universe 2018 as the first transgender contestant to compete at Miss Universe.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss Universe 2012 | United States – Olivia Culpo |
| 1st runner-up | Philippines – Janine Tugonon |
| 2nd runner-up | Venezuela – Irene Esser |
| 3rd runner-up | Australia – Renae Ayris |
| 4th runner-up | Brazil – Gabriela Markus |
| Top 10 | France – Marie Payet  Hungary – Ágnes Konkoly  Mexico – Karina González  Russia – Elizaveta Golovanova  South Africa – Melinda Bam |
| Top 16 | Croatia – Elizabeta Burg  India – Shilpa Singh  Kosovo – Diana Avdiu  Peru – Nicole Faverón  Poland – Marcelina Zawadzka  Turkey – Çağıl Özge Özkul |

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Guatemala – Laura Godoy |
| Miss Photogenic | Kosovo – Diana Avdiu |

#### Best National Costume

| Placement | Contestant |
| Winner | China – Xu Jidan |
| 1st runner-up | Mexico – Karina González |
| 2nd runner-up | Netherlands – Nathalie den Dekker |
| 3rd runner-up | Sri Lanka – Sabrina Herft |
| 4th runner-up | Brazil – Gabriela Markus |
| Top 10 | British Virgin Islands – Abigail Hyndman  Nicaragua – Farah Eslaquit  Indonesia – Maria Selena  Panama – Stephanie Vander Werf  Peru – Nicole Faverón |

## Pageant
### Format

As with Miss Universe 2011, fifteen semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition, that was composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions, and closed-door interviews. Internet voting was still being implemented, with fans being able to vote for another delegate to advance into the semifinals, making the number of semifinalists sixteen. The winner of the fan vote was not revealed during the final telecast. The sixteen semifinalists competed in the swimsuit competition, narrowing them down to ten. The ten then competed in the evening gown competition, and were narrowed down to five. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final look.

### Selection committee
#### Preliminary competition

* Carlos Anaya – Host for My Lifestyle Extra
* Beverly Frank – Executive Vice-president for Business Affairs for 19 Entertainment
* Duane Gazi – International scout with the Trump Model Management
* Michael Greenwald – Vice-President of Talent at Don Buchwald & Associates
* Jimmy Nguyen – Prominent entertainment and new media lawyer
* Corinne Nicolas – President of the Trump Model Management
* Amy Sadowsky – Senior Vice-President of Public Relations for Planet Holywood International
* Crystle Stewart – Miss USA 2008 from Texas

#### Final telecast

* Nigel Barker – Fashion photographer and the host of The Face
* Diego Boneta – Singer, actor and songwriter from Mexico
* Scott Disick – Businessman, entrepreneur and reality star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians
* Brad Goreski – Fashion stylist and reality star of It's a Brad, Brad World
* Masaharu Morimoto – Chef and star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America from Japan
* Ximena Navarrete – Miss Universe 2010 from Mexico
* Pablo Sandoval – Professional baseball player from Venezuela
* Lisa Vanderpump – Reality star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
* Kerri Walsh Jennings – Professional beach volleyball player and triple gold medalist in Summer Olympics

## Contestants

Eighty-nine contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
| Albania | Adrola Dushi | 19 | Rrëshen |
| Angola | Marcelina Vahekeni | 22 | Ondjiva |
| Argentina | Camila Solórzano | 23 | Tucumán |
| Aruba | Liza Helder | 23 | Oranjestad |
| Australia | Renae Ayris | 22 | Perth |
| Bahamas | Celeste Marshall | 20 | Nassau |
| Belgium | Laura Beyne | 20 | Brussels |
| Bolivia | Yéssica Mouton | 24 | Santa Cruz |
| Botswana | Sheillah Molelekwa | 19 | Gaborone |
| Brazil | Gabriela Markus | 24 | Teutônia |
| British Virgin Islands | Abigail Hyndman | 22 | Road Town |
| Bulgaria | Zhana Yaneva | 23 | Sofia |
| Canada | Adwoa Yamoah | 26 | Calgary |
| Cayman Islands | Lindsay Japal | 24 | Georgetown |
| Chile | Ana Luisa König | 22 | Santiago |
| China | Xu Jidan | 22 | Shanghai |
| Colombia | Daniella Álvarez | 24 | Barranquilla |
| Costa Rica | Nazareth Cascante | 22 | Alajuela |
| Croatia | Elizabeta Burg | 19 | Vrbanja |
| Curaçao | Monifa Jansen | 19 | Willemstad |
| Cyprus | Ioanna Yiannakou | 19 | Paphos |
| Czech Republic | Tereza Chlebovská | 22 | Krnov |
| Denmark | Josefine Hewitt | 19 | Esbjerg |
| Dominican Republic | Dulcita Lieggi | 23 | Santo Domingo |
| Ecuador | Carolina Aguirre | 19 | Guayaquil |
| El Salvador | Ana Yancy Clavel | 20 | San Salvador |
| Estonia | Natalie Korneitsik | 23 | Tallinn |
| Ethiopia | Helen Getachew | 22 | Addis Ababa |
| Finland | Sara Chafak | 22 | Helsinki |
| France | Marie Payet | 20 | Saint-Denis |
| Gabon | Channa Divouvi | 21 | Ngounié |
| Georgia | Tamar Shedania | 20 | Zugdidi |
| Germany | Alicia Endemann | 23 | Hamburg |
| Ghana | Gifty Ofori | 24 | Accra |
| Great Britain | Holly Hale | 22 | Llanelli |
| Greece | Vasiliki Tsirogianni | 24 | Thessaloniki |
| Guam | Alyssa Cruz Aguero | 24 | Barrigada |
| Guatemala | Laura Godoy | 24 | Guatemala City |
| Guyana | Ruqayyah Boyer | 22 | Georgetown |
| Haiti | Christela Jacques | 19 | Pétion-Ville |
| Honduras | Jennifer Andrade | 24 | Tegucigalpa |
| Hungary | Ágnes Konkoly | 25 | Budapest |
| India | Shilpa Singh | 23 | Samastipur |
| Indonesia | Maria Selena | 22 | Semarang |
| Ireland | Adrienne Murphy | 22 | Dublin |
| Israel | Lina Makhuli | 19 | Haifa |
| Italy | Grazia Pinto | 24 | Catania |
| Jamaica | Chantal Zaky | 24 | Port Antonio |
| Japan | Ayako Hara | 24 | Sendai |
| Kosovo | Diana Avdiu | 19 | Mitrovica |
| Lebanon | Rina Chibany | 21 | Zahle |
| Lithuania | Greta Mikalauskytė | 19 | Šiauliai |
| Malaysia | Kimberley Leggett | 19 | Penang |
| Mauritius | Ameeksha Dilchand | 26 | Curepipe |
| Mexico | Karina González | 21 | Aguascalientes |
| Montenegro | Andrea Radonjić | 20 | Podgorica |
| Namibia | Tsakana Nkandih | 22 | Windhoek |
| Netherlands | Nathalie den Dekker | 22 | Amstelveen |
| New Zealand | Talia Bennett | 26 | Auckland |
| Nicaragua | Farah Eslaquit | 21 | La Concepción |
| Nigeria | Isabella Ayuk | 26 | Ikom |
| Norway | Sara Nicole Andersen | 20 | Oslo |
| Panama | Stephanie Vander Werf | 26 | Panama City |
| Paraguay | Egni Eckert | 25 | Luque |
| Peru | Nicole Faverón | 24 | Iquitos |
| Philippines | Janine Tugonon | 23 | Orion |
| Poland | Marcelina Zawadzka | 23 | Malbork |
| Puerto Rico | Bodine Koehler | 20 | San Juan |
| Romania | Delia Duca | 26 | Brașov |
| Russia | Elizabeth Golovanova | 19 | Smolensk |
| Saint Lucia | Tara Edward | 25 | Gros Islet |
| Serbia | Branislava Mandić | 21 | Čurug |
| Singapore | Lynn Tan | 24 | Singapore |
| Slovakia | Ľubica Štepanová | 24 | Prievidza |
| South Africa | Melinda Bam | 23 | Pretoria |
| South Korea | Lee Sung-hye | 24 | Seoul |
| Spain | Andrea Huisgen | 22 | Barcelona |
| Sri Lanka | Sabrina Herft | 25 | Colombo |
| Sweden | Hanni Beronius | 22 | Göteborg |
| Switzerland | Alina Buchschacher | 21 | Bern |
| Tanzania | Winfrida Dominic | 19 | Dar es Salaam |
| Thailand | Farida Waller | 19 | Krabi |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Avionne Mark | 23 | Champ Fleurs |
| Turkey | Çağıl Özge Özkul | 24 | Ankara |
| Ukraine | Anastasia Chernova | 19 | Kharkiv |
| United States | Olivia Culpo | 20 | Cranston |
| Uruguay | Camila Vezzoso | 19 | Artigas |
| Venezuela | Irene Esser | 21 | Río Caribe |
| Vietnam | Lưu Thị Diễm Hương | 22 | Ho Chi Minh City |