Miss Universe 1994

## List of contestants

Template:Div col

* **Template:ARG** — Solange Magnano †
* **Template:ARU** — Alexandra Ochoa
* **Template:AUS** — Michelle van Eimeren
* **Template:BAH** — Meka Knowles
* **Template:BEL** — Christelle Roelandts —(Ivory Ultra Mild beauty care & soap award)
* **Template:BOL** — Cecilia O'Connor-d'Arlach
* **Template:BRA** — Valeria Melo Peris
* **Template:IVB** — Delia Jon Baptiste
* **Template:BUL** — Nevena Marinova
* **Template:CAN** — Susanne Rothfos
* **Template:Flag** — Audrey Elizabeth Ebanks
* **Template:CHL** — Constanza Barbieri
* **Template:COL** — Carolina Gómez Correa
* **Template:COK** — Leilani Brown
* **Template:CRC** — Yasmin Camacho
* **Template:CUR** — Jasmin Clifton
* **Template:CYP** — Maria Vasiliou
* **Template:DEN** — Gitte Andersen
* **Template:DOM** — Vielka Valenzuela
* **Template:ECU** — Mafalda Arboleda
* **Template:EGY** — Ghada El-Salem
* **Template:ELS** — Claudia Méndez
* **Template:EST** — Eva-Maria Laan
* **Template:FIN** — Henna Merilainen
* **Template:FRA** — Valerie Claisse
* **Template:GER** — Tanja Wild
* **Template:Flag** - Michaela Pyke
* **Template:GRE** — Rea Toutounzi
* **Template:GUM** — Christina Perez
* **Template:GUA** — Katya Schoenstedt
* **Template:HON** — Jem Haylock
* **Template:Flag** — Mok Hoi-Yan
* **Template:HUN** - — Szilvia Forian
* **Template:ISL** - — Svala Björk Arnardóttir
* **Template:IND** - — **Sushmita Sen**
* **Template:IRL** - — Pamela Flood
* **Template:ISR** - — Ravit Yarkoni
* **Template:ITA** - — Arianna David
* **Template:JAM** - — Angelie Martin
* **Template:Flag** - — Chiaki Kawahito
* **Template:Flag** - — Goong Sun-young
* **Template:LUX** - — Sandy Wagner
* **Template:MAS** - — Liza Koh
* **Template:Flag** - — Paola Camilleri
* **Template:MUS** - — Viveka Babajee †
* **Template:MEX** - — Fabiola Pérez Rovirosa — (2nd Runner up for Best in Philippine Terno gown)
* **Template:NAM** - — Barbara Kahatjipara
* **Template:NLD** - — Irene van der Laar
* **Template:NZL** - — Nicola Brighty
* **Template:NGA** - — Suzan Hart
* **Template:Flag** - — Elizabeth Tomokane
* **Template:NOR** - — Caroline Saetre
* **Template:PAN** - María Sofía Velásquez
* **Template:Flag** - — Liliana González
* **Template:PER** - — Karina Calmet
* **Template:Flag** — Charlene Mae Bonnin Gonzales —(Ivory Ultra Mild beauty care & soap award)
* **Template:POL** — Joanna Brykczynska
* **Template:POR** — Monica Pereira
* **Template:Flag** — Brenda Robles
* **Template:ROM** — Mihaela Ciolacu
* **Template:RUS** — Inna Zobova
* **Template:SIN** — Alien Sun
* **Template:Flag** — Silvia Lakatošová (1st Runner up for Best in Philippine Terno gown)
* **Template:SPA** — Raquel Rodríguez
* **Template:SRI** — Nushara Pramali
* **Template:SWZ** — Nicola Smith
* **Template:SWE** — Domenique Forsberg
* **Template:SUI** — Patricia Fässler
* **Template:Flag** — Joanne Wu
* **Template:THA** — Areeya Chumsai
* **Template:Flag** — Lorca Gatcliffe
* **Template:TUR** — Banu Usluer
* **Template:Flag** — Eulease Walkin
* **Template:URU** — Leonora Dibueno
* **Template:Flag** — Lu Parker
* **Template:Flag** — Minorka Mercado —  (Winner for Best in Philippine Terno gown)
* **Template:ZIM** - Yvette D'Almeida-Chakras

Template:Div col end

## Notes

### Debuts

* **Template:RUS** competed before as "USSR", "Soviet Union" and as "Commonwealth of Independent States".
* **Template:Flag** attended for the first time, after separating from Czech Republic, the former Czechoslovakia. Czech Republic did not participate in Miss Universe 1994.
* **Template:ZIM**

### Returns

* **Template:COK**
* **Template:EGY**
* **Template:Flag**

### Withdrawals

Template:Colbegin

* **Template:AUT** — Bianca Engel
* **Template:CZE** — Lenka Belickova
* **Template:LIB** — Lara Badawi
* **Template:LIT** — Loreta Brusokaitė
* **Template:NIC** — Karen Celebertti
* **Template:Flag** — Jessalyn Pearsall

Template:Colend

## Host country

Manila was announced as host city for the pageant in October 1993. It was the second time the pageant was held in the Philippines, after it was staged in Manila in 1974. It was staged at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, at approximately 8:00 in the morning (Philippine local time), to allow CBS in the United States to televise the pageant live in prime time.

## Areas of competition

The delegates started arriving in Manila by mid-April and were involved in nearly four weeks of events and competitions. They also visited different locations and attractions throughout the Philippines.

Prior to the final telecast, all contestants competed in swimsuit and evening gown during the preliminary competition. They also participated in interviews with the judges.

During the final competition, the top 10 contestants (based on their preliminary scores) competed in the swimsuit, evening gown and interview. The top six contestants participated in a final round of on-stage interviews, and cut to the final top three before the runners-up were announced and the new Miss Universe named.

## Notable controversies

* The country expected to make 10 million PHP ($357,000 USD) profit out of the pageant, as well as the accompanying media exposure. The 150 million pesos ($5.3 million) spent on hosting the pageant was funded from the private sectors, with sponsors such as Nestlé, Kodak and Hertz. Some of the expected sponsorship money did not eventuate, leading the shortfall to be covered by the government. By mid May, as the contestants were already in Manila, organizers confirmed that they were short of money and were unsure whether a profit would be made from the event.
* In the midst of power shortages around the time of the pageant, the Philippine government promised to ensure that the weekend of the pageant's coronation night would be "blackout-free".
* The pageant came under public attack from the Nationalist Movement of New Women, a branch of the National Democratic Front, which claimed that it was being used to promote sex tourism. The cost of the event was also criticised by the Philippine Congress, despite it being endorsed by President Fidel Ramos. A social function attended by the delegates held prior to the final broadcast was picketed by the women's group, who opposed the nature of the pageant and the lavish spending.
* During rehearsal on the day prior to the pageant, a small homemade bomb exploded outside the pageant venue where the contestants had earlier been rehearsing, though it caused minimal damage and there were no injuries were taken. As a result, more than 3000 Filipino police officers were involved in protecting the delegates, as well as dozens of policewomen assigned as personal or group bodyguards.
* During May there was also a probe by the Commission on Human Rights as to whether a police round-up of street children was intended to improve Manila's international image during the pageant events. This was also criticised by Miss Thailand, Areeya Sirisopha Chumsai, even though the same incident occurred in Thailand in the Miss Universe 1992 pageant.
* Miss Russia Inna Zobova was detained for 15 hours in a windowless room at an airport in Bangkok, Thailand en route to Manila due to a lack of transit visa.
* Miss Malaysia, Liza Koh, made a public apology on behalf of her country about the arrest of 1200 Filipina domestic helpers in Kuala Lumpur. As a result, the Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi admonished her not to make any further political remarks.
* Miss Mauritius Viveka Babajee became a controversial figure due to her involvement in the 1994 Metro Manila Film Festival scandal where she was a presenter for the Best Actress award together with actress Gretchen Barretto, an award which was highly disputed among the Philippine media.
* Miss Indonesia Venna Melinda was not allowed to compete in the pageant because of her country's conservative Islamic prejudice towards the swimsuit competition, though she eventually traveled to Manila to watch the pageant as an observer.
* Miss Philippines Charlene Gonzales gained criticism for winning the Best National Costume award as the judges were also criticized for allegedly favouring the host nation's delegate. Miss British Virgin Islands, Delia Jon Baptiste publicly declared that Gonzales won the award because of Filipino favouritism and that the other delegates disagreed with the choice. Miss Venezuela Minorka Mercado won the Philippine costume *Terno* award, followed by Slovakia who was celebrating her birthday, and Miss Mexico by their respective placements.

## References

1. ↑ Came with sash and trophy, $200.00 USD cash prize and 10,000.00PHP worth value of Philippine products)
2. ↑ Came with, sash with trophy, $300.00 USD cash prize and 10,000.00PHP worth value of Philippine products)
3. ↑ Came with sash and trophy, $500.00 USD cash prize and 10,000.00PHP worth value of Philippine products)
4. ↑ http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?
t=325916&page=147
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Template:Cite news
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Template:Cite news
7. ↑ Template:Cite news
8. ↑ Template:Cite news
9. ↑ Template:Cite news
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Template:Cite news
11. ↑ Template:Cite news
12. ↑ Template:Cite news
13. ↑ Template:Cite news
14. ↑ Template:Cite news
15. ↑ Template:Cite news
16. ↑ Template:Cite news
17. ↑ Template:Cite news
18. ↑ Template:Cite news
19. ↑ Template:Cite news
20. ↑ Template:Cite news
**Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".**

## External links

* Miss Universe official website

Template:Miss Universe