Most popular answers of Miss Universe winners

It is quite a nerve-wracking experience for beauty queens from across the globe once they qualify to the question and answer round at world pageants. The flair and confidence with which a contestant answers a question determine how worthy she is of living upto the reputation of the title. While there are some who face the challenge like a smooth ride, there are others who stumble a little at first but take it in their stride later.

We share some of the most popular answers given by beauty queens at world pageants over the years:

Miriam Quiambao's Long Gown Inspired Lara Dutta's

Philippine representatives to the Miss Universe pageant usually wear 80-ish gowns since the start of this new millennium. Binibining Pilipinas Organization is obviously not working out in this issue. Many pageant fans who are mostly Filipinos believe that the lack of support from the pageant organizer to dress their candidates in stunning long gowns is what causing the Philippines their failure to crack to the semis.

But in 1999, ten years ago in Trinidad and Tobago, Miriam Quiambao impressed the universe when she paraded in a breathtaking Halston evening gown which helped her claimed that year's First Runner-Up to Miss Botswana Mpule Kweglagobe.

The said gown is also the same long gown that caused Miriam's infamous fall on stage during the preliminary competition. She slipped and fell when the heel of one of her shoes got caught in the trail of her dress.

Maybe Miriam's gown was one of the best gowns ever wore by a Miss Philippines to the Miss Universe. I said this because I have observed that the following Miss Universe pageant in Nicosia, Cyprus in 2000, some of the candidates had gowns that is so similar with Miriam's.

Have you observed this? If not, take a look on these pictures.

This is Miriam's gown.

 

Now, take a look on the gowns of the Top 3 finisher that year.

Lara Dutta of India, the new Miss Universe and Helen Lindes of Spain, First Runner-Up wore gowns that was obviously inspired by the gown of Miriam.

A Gallery of Black Beauty Queens

Black is beautiful. With the election of Barack Obama as the (44th) first Afro-American President of the United States, black will be the brightest color not only in the (still) Land of Milk and Honey but beyond.

Inspired by Obama’s landmark victory, Funfare asked its “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas (now working in Saudi Arabia) to make a list of Black Beauty Queens.

Here they are:

• Oprah Gail Winfrey — As 1971 Miss Black Tennessee, Oprah represented the state in the 1972 Miss Black America pageant. She was also 1971 Miss Fire Prevention of Nashville. An Emmy award winning television host/producer, Oscar and Golden Globe nominated best supporting actress, media mogul and philanthropist; Oprah received the highly coveted Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1998. She was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century and the only person to be listed five times in its annual list of 100 Most Influential People (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

• Vanessa Lynn Williams — Representing New York, Vanessa was the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America (1984, 63 years after Miss America pageant’s inception), only to resign after Penthouse magazine published her nude photos taken before the pageant. Vanessa kept her bejeweled crown, scholarship money and is officially recognized by the Miss America Organization as Miss America 1984. Her successor, Suzette Charles of New Jersey, is also black. Vanessa became an award-winning singer-songwriter, film and stage actress.

• Halle Maria Berry — She was Miss Teen-All American in 1985, Miss Ohio USA in 1986, first runner-up to Miss USA Christy Fichtner in 1986 and among the Top 6 finalists in 1986 Miss World (the first African-American entrant from USA). Halle made history as the first and only black woman to win the Oscar Best Actress (Monster’s Ball, 2002). She’s Esquire magazine’s 2008 Sexiest Woman Alive.

• Misses Universe — Janelle Penny Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago (1977, also Miss Photogenic), Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith of USA (1995, also Best In Swimsuit; she was Miss Congeniality in 1995 Miss USA), Wendy Rachelle Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago (1998, also Best National Costume) and Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe of Botswana (1999).

Chelsi was also the 1994 Miss South East Texas, a semi-finalist in the 1994 Miss Texas pageant, 1995 Miss Galveston County and 1995 Miss USA. Janelle, Wendy and Mpule were honored on commemorative stamps by their respective countries. Wendy recorded a jazz album and was admitted to the bar in 2000.

• Misses World — Jennifer Josephine Hosten of Grenada (1970), Giselle Jean-Marie LaRonde of Trinidad & Tobago (1986, also Queen of Americas), Lisa Hanna of Jamaica (1993, also Queen of Caribbean Isles) and Ibiagbanidokibubo “Agbani” Asenite Darego of Nigeria (2000, also Queen of Africa).

Lisa appeared in How Stella Got Her Groove Back and hosted a talk show called Our Voices. Agbani was a semi-finalist in the 2001 Miss Universe pageant, named 2001 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria and joined the Face of Africa. Except for Lisa,all were honored on commemorative stamps by their respective countries.

• Miss International — Jeymmy Paola Vargas of Colombia won in 2004, the first and only black winner of this pageant. Jeymmy was also 2004 Reina Internacional del Café.

• Miss Earth — Winfred Adah Omwakwe of Kenya originally won as 2002 Miss Earth–Air (first runner-up). She ascended to the throne when 2002 Miss Earth winner, Dzejla Glavovic of Bosnia & Herzogovinia, was stripped of her title for failing to fulfill her duties.

• Miss Asia Quest — Eva Regina Arni of Papua New Guinea won in 1975, the first and only black to ever wear the crown in Miss Asia’s 40-year history. Then, she represented her country in the 1976 Miss Universe (won by Rina Messinger of Israel). In 1976, Eva did a movie with Joseph Estrada and Rita Gomez, titled Alas Singko ng Hapon Gising na Ang Mga Anghel.

• Misses USA — Carole Anne Marie Gist of Michigan (1990), Kenya Summer Moore, also of Michigan (1993), Lynnette Cole of Tennessee (2000), Rachel Renee Smith, also of Tennessee (2007) and Crystle Danae Stewart of Texas (2008).

Carole was first runner-up to 1990 Miss Universe Mona Grudt of Norway. She is a professional singer based in Midland and co-hosts a gospel show for the WORD network.

Kenya placed fifth runner-up to 1993 Miss Universe Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico. She’s now an actress (film and television), model and author.

Lynnette placed fifth in the 2000 Miss Universe pageant (won by Lara Dutta of India). She was also 1995 Miss Tennessee Teen USA, third runner-up and Miss Photogenic at 1995 Miss Teen USA. She’s now a successful television host for NBC, CMT, ESPN, MTV, VH-1 and directs a preliminary for Miss Tennessee Teen pageant.

Rachel was fourth runner-up to 2007 Miss Universe Riyo Mori of Japan. She also won as third runner-up in the 2001 Miss Tennessee Teen USA before capturing the title in 2002. She was one of the semi-finalists and Miss Photogenic in the 2002 Miss Teen USA.

Crystle was one of the 10 semi-finalists in this year’s Miss Universe pageant won by Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela. She joined the Miss Texas USA pageant four times before she finally bagged the crown (semi-finalist in 2003, third runner-up in 2005, and first runner-up in 2006 and 2007).

• Misses America — Aside from Vanessa Williams and Suzette Charles, other black women who won as Miss America were Miss Missouri Debbye Lynn Turner (1990); Miss Illinois Marjorie Judith Vincent (1991), and Miss South Carolina Kimberly Clarice Aiken (1994).

Suzette became a singer, recording artist and television actress. Debbye hosted and produced television shows and is a national correspondent for CBS-TV’s The Early Show. Marjorie became a television news anchor.(philstar.com)

Get free website for your blog

1999 Miss Universe in Trinidad and Tobago

1999 was one of my my favorite years for Miss Universe for the last 10 years. The pageant in Trinidad and Tobago was so fantastic and colourful. There is no doubt it was one of the best Miss Universe production in the history.

Aside from that some of my favourites were in this batch. Miriam Quiambao of the Philippines is defintely elegant, poised and so confident. She glowed onstage and she practically wowed the international crowd.

Gul Panag of India was a favourite when it comes to the brain department and Brenda Liz Lopez of Puerto Rico was photogenic. Mpule Kweglagobe of Botswana is definitely so charming and Carolina Indriago was so exotic. Spain's Diana Noguiera was so hot and sexy.

They were my favourites along with Miss South Africa, Sonia Raciti

In my love for this year of the pageant, I came across with a site that has a very good review of the pageant. It was written by a pageant expert. The article is published at Tom Page of Miss Universe Mania - http://www.tpmum.com/uni99th.html. I am copying the whole text here. The article was copied as it is except that I opted not to include the author's (Tom) comparison of his prediction to the actual winners. He got 3 out of 10. Not bad in a batch full of competitive women.

Here is the article (If you happen to red this, Tom, please contact me immediately and I will do the needful)

History was definitely made this year! The first black African to win the crown. The first set of "black-to-black" winners. USA didn't make the semifinals, nor did the home town girl, Miss TNT. The most contestants (84) that the Miss Universe pageant has ever had! What a year!

That opening number was sensational and Wendy also looked sensational in her national costume to introduce the show! At the beginning, Wendy removed a rather spooky mask to reveal her gorgeous face as she said, "Welcome to Trinidad & Tobago and the biggest party in the Universe. Tonight, one of 84 will walk away with MY CROWN!" I loved how she suddenly said, "my crown" loudly and the entire world was swept up in a frenzy of color and magic as the stage lit up with dazzling creatures and even more dazzling were the 84 contestants who I was glad to see wearing their native costumes again!! They fit right in the spectacular opening number. My only complaint was that I really wanted to see the preliminary scores this year more than ever since many girls that I was expecting to make the top ten didn't!

As you can see, I got 3 out of 10 semifinalists which is an all time low for me and Mexico, Botswana, and Philippines were in my suspicions list. South Africa, was an early press favorite. When the delegates first arrived, Sonia was in practically every picture. Spain was talked about by a few people but, boy, did she wow us! Jamaica and Ghana were both the total surprises (especially Ghana) but clearly the ladies excelled in their interviews to get into the top ten. I just could not believe that Miss Trinidad & Tobago didn't make the top ten because I watched her competing in the preliminaries and she had the MOST confidence on that stage in swimsuit and evening gown competitions. I have no idea what happened. As for Miss USA, she will join Barbara Peterson, Miss USA 1976 as the only two Miss USAs who didn't make the semifinals to Miss Universe. What was good about Miss USA and TNT not making it was that the judges could actually make this a FAIR competition considering that a significant portion of the judges for Miss Universe are always American and the inevitable cheers for Miss TNT.

I was pleased with this top ten because it shows that Miss Universe is FINALLY becoming less predictable and other countries are starting to get their deserved recognition.

Coincidentally, the 3 ladies I guessed correctly were my top 3. The odd thing about Spain and Philippines was they were not the actual winners of their pageants. Diana Nogueira didn't even make top 3 for Miss Spain but the winner, Lorena Pascual dropped the title for personal reasons and the rest refused the crown. The original Miss Philippines, Janelle Bautista, was dethroned since she was American and therefore was not eligible to be Miss Philippines. Janelle was dethroned and Miriam took the crown. As everybody knows now, Miss Philippines fell during the preliminary evening gown competition but when she got back up, the audience gave her a huge round of applause. I didn't think the judges were going to play that fall even though the audience liked it but Miriam sure did use it to her advantage. Way to go Miriam! It was also interesting that Puerto Rico's Brenda Lopez who was first runner up to Ana Rosa Brito in 1997 finished in 8th place at Miss Universe just like Ana Rosa Brito!! Talk about a match!

The announcement of the top ten is always an exciting moment and I loved the reactions that the girls had. Did you notice how Philippines strutted out on that stage and Miss Ghana's genuinely shocked expression. Miss Botswana went nuts and of course, I did expect a loud cheer for Miss India since Trinidad has a huge Indian community. Miss India was also called the usual host country spot which is usually the 9th spot. The guys in the audience holding the Jamaica flag also went nuts when Jamaica was called in.

As for the hosts, they were excellent. Jack Wagner interviewed everyone well and was just a terrific host. I love the special commentators and Ali Landry and Julie Moran were good examples of why. I loved some of their hilarious comments like: Julie: "They are hot to trot!", Ali: "What's that, Julie?". Jack: "Which gown would you like to wear?" Ali: "Julio! Just kidding!". or how about when Julie said great brunettes think alike! They were fun but when they said USA hadn't made it in 15 years, they were wrong. It was 23 years but the public got the idea. It was a long time.

As for the judges, there was hardly any diversity and yes, they were mostly American but they judged somewhat fairly but some scores were questionable. Ali said the judges are right on the money. Although, I have reviewed some of their scores. Maccioni gave Philippines a 2.00 for her interview score and I know that was supposed to be an 8 but he let his mind slip and looked at the keypad the wrong way. Poor Marcus Schenkenberg obviously had a broken score panel because he didn't score the first 5 delegates for interviews but they fixed it before the next 5.

On to the world tour. This was a great idea and I'm glad they continued this competition this year. Miss Spain only showed us how they do ribbon dancing in Taiwan but how could the judges score that? They definitely should have asked her more questions but it didn't matter because her body pulled her into the top 3. Miss Mexico was quite the classic. She was partnered with Miss India but Silvia struggled. First she mixes up the foods. She was supposed to compare roti to a tortilla and curry to the sauce but she accidentally said tortilla was the curry and roti was the sauce (the other way around) WHOOPS!! Just to clarify, when Silvia did her little schpiel in Hindi what she said was, "How are you? My name is Silvia. I'm fine." And the Indians in the crowd cheered but Silvia seemed to have this repelling attitude so it wasn't a surprise that she placed last in this portion. Miss Jamaica was fun. Her little scenario of how she would ask an Italian guy out was cute and she handled her interview very well. Miss Puerto Rico was great. First she comes out and says in a really sexy voice, "Hello, good evening" and she said she would take a coat, ski, and a big bag to fill with chocolate if she went to Switzerland. The big bag was funny. She also proved that she's her own woman with standards and even if it was okay to kiss on the first date in Switzerland, she will never do such a thing and will only consider it for the next date given that she receives a big bag of chocolate. I liked this interview. Miss Philippines was next and I would have like to hear her sing as Jack seemed to be implying but Guatemalan music is instrumental. I appreciated how she expanded on her answer to teach us that the Marimba is an instrument and a dance. She was just so sweet and she held this interview together very nicely.

Miss Ghana was next and she seemed to be getting Aruba's Irina Croes in a bit of trouble! Arubans are very open minded and Irina's is a real go-getter and Irina prefers the two piece swimsuits while discrete Ghanians tend to go for the one piece. Strangely enough, Akuba wore a two piece swimsuit! That Irina's been a bad influence, I'm telling you! Miss Botswana (our eventual winner) was so cute and genuine. She talked about Brazil's "last Eden" being the Amazon and told us that everyone in Botswana has a cattle post and they hang out with the cattle for fun. I would hardly consider cattle fun, I'll take my dogs, thank you très. South Africa delivered her answers well but Sonia didn't sound very natural but she did well. I think anybody who has watched Miss Universe for several years now has picked quite a bit of Spanish, including me, so everyone knows Hola and Gracias. The language barrier was clearly a problem so Jack went a little easier on Sonia. Ah, Miss India, brilliance at its best. She was very in control, poised, and was very mature. Notice how quick she was when she said she would get in trouble driving on the right hand side of the road in India. Her debate about where the social revolution of women occurred first was interesting and she considered defeat but it didn't come to blows. But Evander Holyfield was there but Gul can fight her own battles! Finally, Miss Venezuela, who was my prediction to win so I have to say that I absolutely adored her. You probably know that one of my favorite Miss Venezuelas ever was the perfect Minorka Mercado of 1994 and Carolina was almost like a Minorka-clone with darker skin and slightly younger. Her answers were spontaneous and still excellent. She ain't gonna change her clothes for no one and she focuses on positives rather than negatives in discussing Ireland.

I just want to mention the music for this pageant because it was excellent. The video for "Stand Up and be Counted" was excellent. I also enjoyed the "Island Beat" segments and talking about Trinidad & Tobago.

The swimsuit segment with a little bit of "Limbo Fire" was again very energetic and exciting. The delegates themselves really didn't do much though. Spain had sensational form and she broke the hex that the delegate who was called first recently had for some time. Mexico's stance could have used some work but she did look shapely. Jamaica needed more bust but she was fit. She was cute when she turned away from the audience and suddenly turned back. Puerto Rico looked fantastic and I must admit I was surprised at her low score as I was with Ana Rosa Brito! I did noticed Brenda's ribs poking out on occasion but she looked good. Miss Philippines had excellent form. I think the judges knew about Miriam's notorious fall so this may have helped her to get high scores. Did you notice how she placed her hands to make her shoulders look broader? Out comes Miss Ghana and I could think of at least 30 delegates who had better bodies than her because her form was not very appealing and her legs were not exactly ideal. I wasn't surprised at this score but I was surprised that she beat Miss India by a hundredth. Botswana had a figure similar to Wendy Fitzwilliam. She looked great as any Miss Universe should. South Africa also had an excellent form. Sonia definitely has the look of an American celebrity. To me, she looks like Mariah Carey with darker hair but some other people say she looks like Jennifer Love Hewitt. She definitely has a look though. Here comes Miss India complete with her ENORMOUS BREASTS! I couldn't believe I never noticed the size of her breasts before. They were huge! As Oprah Winfrey's best friend Gail said to Oprah, "I have a black eye...One of your boobs hit me in the face!" Gul could have used some toning. Carolina Indriago look so striking and I thought her score was way too low. Venezuela never ever hits 6th place!! What happened?! Julie also mentioned that there wasn't much focus on breasts this year but Miss India had enough breasts for everybody so that was fine. The final limbo was freaky but she did it and they must have put something in her hair to keep it from catching fire.

The evening gown competition was excellent. I think Miss Colombia really stood out here in her striking gown. You couldn't miss her. Julio's song "One More Chance" was an excellent choice. It wasn't too slow and it kept the competition moving. Spain had a rather plain gown but the low-low cut on the back certainly grabbed some attention! Mexico had a stunning white gown and her hair was done up nicely. Jamaica's navy blue gown wasn't really a great choice. Nicole could have gone with something better. Miss Puerto Rico's dress was designed by Tommy Hilfiger and although many people didn't seem to like it, I thought Brenda looked vivacious and she wore that gown very well. It was just like Chelsi Smith's gown only it had straps and sparkles. Miss Philippines stepped out in a glistening sky blue gown and you could feel this beautiful aura about her as she walked around the circle. Miriam wasn't going to fall this time. It was almost as if the fall had boosted her confidence but Miriam was glowing during the evening gown competition. Miss Ghana's gown didn't really look that great. That shawl thing looked okay, but just okay. You could the stitch marks on it though. Miss Botswana's gold gown was great and she looked very sophisticated and elegant when she held her hands in front like (was it Audrey Hepburn?) or some movie star is noted for doing that I forget who. Miss South Africa's gown was nice. It was an interesting design. Miss India had an excellent spot in the music. I liked how she smiled at the man who was escorting her and she looked radiant in this striking gown and the gloves were also a nice touch. Next was the sensational Carolina Indriago. This gown seemed to have brought some mixed reactions and others said it was Titanic-like but I thought this gown was fair. I'll admit I didn't like the strands or those things sticking out on the skirt but she looked elegant. The "all-covered up but still very sexy" look seems to be in.

The top 5, South Africa, Venezuela, Botswana, Spain, and Philippines were all good choices. Even though, Miss India was in 6th place, had she made the top 5, she probably could have taken it all which her outstanding personality. I was disappointed not to see her and Puerto Rico in there as were Julie and Ali. Julie mentioned Puerto Rico and Ali goes, "And my India!!! I loved her from the beginning. What happened?!" South Africa's little "thank you" at the end one of her answers did make her sound less natural and although she handled the questions well, she didn't come through. Miss Venezuela was excellent and could easily have made top 3. The race issue is always a hot topic but it didn't really seem to work for Carolina just like Denny Mendez. The race issue is getting a bit tiresome I suppose. Miss Botswana was so cute, Julie called her "adorable" and that's just the right word for her with her facial expressions and all. She was simultaneously very intelligent and her speech on making education compulsory was great. Spain's little butt wiggle when Jack turned her around was what got her in. Sure, she wants to find the cure for AIDS and cancer but that little motion in saying the front of the dress was more important since you must look at people face on got her in. Miss Philippines talked about her fall and she milked it for all it was worth. She just started laughing and provoked the audience to start laughing giving her a little more time to think and turn this fall into something political. She claims that she stood up for all the people who have ever fallen and she feels she was a good example since she got up. Now, I must admit that I thought this was a little corny. She got up and continued and that was that. I highly doubt that she was going to run off stage crying after coming this far. Nonetheless, here was Miriam a potential Miss Universe.

Notice how Julie and Ali both picked, Spain, Philippines, and VENEZUELA as their top 3 but Spain won that portion with Botswana in 2nd and Philippines in 3rd. Carolina probably could have taken the crown seeing how this was a no-win situation and I'll get to that in a second. Notice how Miss Philippines was called in the middle? This was a sign that they wanted her to win because all the recent winners have been called in the middle. The final question was a turning point. They were asked if Miss Universe should continue her reign if she was to get pregnant. I know this question was indirectly related to the disqualification of Miss Guam, Trisha Heflin, after it was discovered that she was pregnant. All three surprisingly said yes but Botswana gave the best delivery OF THE 3. Had Venezuela or India made the top 3, I think the situation would have been different. Miss Spain didn't really finish her answer. Miss Philippines seemed to lack a little confidence and composure. She said Miss Universe should continue if she has been a good example and set goals but a pregnant Miss Universe obviously hasn't been a good example and this pregnancy could not have been intentional had it occurred during her reign since it was not planned. This is why Julie and Ali said she choked. Miss Botswana answered well but she thinks that a baby would not affect her reign and that it is an expression of her femininity (or feminity, as Mpule would say) but since Mpule answered the best, she won. Notice also how she quieted down the audience in saying, "thank you" showed that she was very in control. Of the 3, Botswana had the most confidence. Mpule also gave quite a reaction to winning the crown! Wendy looked sensational in this gown as she did her farewell walk to her song "Kiss of Life". The hair looked somewhat plastic but she was still a true Miss Universe.

Mpule's appearance on Regis & Kathie Lee was great. Mpule came out with her hair in a pony tail wearing a long blue jacket and white skirt and her sash. Both Regis & Kathie butchered her name but Mpule said, "You tried." She also said that she was a former Miss Teen Kwelagobe and she likes New York and got to see the Statue of Liberty. Kathie Lee also made Mpule reveal where she is staying. It was a joke but Kathie goes, "Are you staying at trump's apartment on 5th Avenue" and Mpule says "180 Riverside" but then Regis & Kathie go, "Don't tell everyone!" But what do you expect from innocent Mpule? Kathie gets double smacks for that one! As Miss Universe, Mpule said her platform is creating AIDS awareness and education since AIDS has hit Botswana hard. On the humorous tip, Mpule, in her native tongue, Setswana, said, "I love you, Regis and you are so handsome." The audience gasped in amazement as they revealed the crown and they also showed when Mpule won it all. Just some interesting facts: "Mpule" means "one who comes with the rain" since she was born on a rainy day but no one could ever rain on Mpule's parade!

What a pageant! Is all I can say about 1999. A year of wonderful and shocking surprises but overall Trinidad gave a memorable show and graced us with Mpule. Now it's on to Miss Universe 2000 which will likely have the most contestants ever but that title is going to be really appealing! Some countries I would like to see win Miss Universe 2000 are Italy since they are the highest ranking country in the list of the most miss universes without a winner. India since it is the most populated country who participates in the pageant. Philippines since Filipinos are avid pageant fans. Venezuela since they have been stiffed several times over and Osmel is going to bring out the big guns next year as will every country most likely!

Thank you to the author, Tom, of this good review. You can check his site at www.tpmum.com and you will read his yearly reviews of Miss Universe.

Classic Reactions During Beauty Pageants

The final announcement of winners in a beauty in pageant is one of my favourite portions of the competition since you see here real or genuine reactions from the contenders - though not all but at least most of them. This is the part which I call the unguarded moment of the winners. Though they know cameras are all eyes on them, they simply decide to show their real feeling unconsciously.

One of the best moments I have witnessed on television was in 1999 when Miss Botswana was announced the new Miss Universe. Definitely, she wasn't expecting to win the title - I'm sure of it - and she was thinking Miss Philippines as the winner. After all, Miss Philippines was clearly what the Miss Universe Organization would have like to win. At the announcement of the final three, Miriam Quiambao was positioned at the center which is a tradition for the pageant. Did you know that? In fairness, Miriam was the best at that time to win the title.

Here is another classic example of an unguarded reaction by the current Miss Bolivia-Universe 2008 who is going for the Miss Universe 2009 pageant. Look at how happy she was.

India's Sushmita Sen, like1999 Miss Universe Mpule Kweglagobe of Botswana, was not expecting the title in 1994 in Manila, Philippines. Her reaction clearly says it all. Her runner up Miss Colombia, Carolina Gomez Correa, was highly touted to bring home the crown. Incidentally, Sushmita was my favourite that year and I actually predicted her to win the crown basing from a magazine where she stood out in group picture by the pool.