We're all too excited to start the year in the most beautiful way as the holy grail of all pageants will be hosted in the Philippines in over two decades. Not only is the 65th Miss Universe Pageant one of the most anticipated events because we'll host it here in the country, but also because our very own Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is home for her final moments as reigning Miss Universe.
Filipino beauty pageant fans have already been prepping for the road to Miss Universe since last year, counting down the weeks and days until the delegates from around the world arrived in Manila to show everyone their own kind of confidently beautiful. Will we make history in the Philippines this time around and achieve a back-to-back win for the country? Will Pia Wurtzbach pass on the crown to Miss Universe Philippines Maxine Medina? While we wait for January 30th when the gorgeous ladies represent their countries on stage, here are fast facts on Miss U to keep you excited and updated with all the pageantry.
1. The 65th Miss Universe will be hosted by Steve Harvey, with backstage correspondent, plus-size model and body activist Ashley Graham.
Hopefully this time around, Steve Harvey won't mess up the announcement (expecting a lot of jokes about his much-memed mistake in 2015 to pass around on coronation night).
2. The competition will be held at Mall Of Asia Arena and the three-hour event starts at 8am on January 30th. Tickets to watch are still available…
…and they aren't cheap. All tickets for VIP (P50,000), Upper Box (P4,800), and General Admission (P2,000) sections have sold out. If you're a super fan of the pageant and can't miss this event, prepare to shell out P23,800 or P25,800 for Lower Box seats. Buy your tickets online here.
3. Can't afford tickets? Don't worry. Solar Entertainment Corporation (the official broadcast partner of Miss Universe) has partnered with TV5, GMA7, and ABS-CBN to give the complete Miss Universe experience on your television screen. Time to plan your viewing party!
- Miss Universe swimsuit competition – January 27 on TV5
- Miss Universe long gown competition – January 29 on TV5
- Miss Universe 2016 coronation (January 30, 2017):
- LIVE via satellite on ETC – Monday at 8 AM with primetime replay at 8 PM on ETC
- Live telecast on TV5, GMA7 and ABS-CBN
- Weekend replay of Miss Universe coronation – February 5 on GMA7 and ABS-CBN
4. The Philippines had 42 years in between Miss Universe crowns, waiting from 1973 (Margie Moran) until 2015 when Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was crowned.
Now, a back-to-back win possibility is making all Filipinos excited. The only time it happened in the pageant's history was the back to back victories during the 58th Miss Universe pageant, where Stefanía Fernández of Venezuela crowned Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela.
5. There's quite the confusion calling this year's coronation as the Miss Universe 2016 competition when it's already 2017 — it's formally recognized as the "65th Miss Universe" to make things easier.
Pageant fans informally call the upcoming event as Miss Universe 2016, while it never pushed through last year. The previous Miss Universe coronation was in December 2015 when Pia was crowned (she's "Miss Universe 2015"), while her predecessor Paulina Vega from Colombia was crowned January 2015 and is known as "Miss Universe 2014."
6. 86 delegates from all over the world are competing in the 65th Miss Universe Pageant.
Not present in this year's competition but were in competition during Pia's year are El Salvador, Greece, Gabon, Ghana, Ireland, Lebanon, Serbia, and Montenegro. The highest ever lineup of Miss Universe candidates was in 2011 and 2012, with 89 contestants joining. This year, Sierra Leone has its first representative to Miss Universe: 26-year-old model Hawa Kamara.
7. Miss Thailand Namtan Sualita Suansane brought the most suitcases: 17!
She reportedly checked in 300kg worth of luggage, dubbing her the queen of luggage (best in excess baggage?). Packing a candidate's national costume will surely take a lot of space, and maybe some beauty secrets are hidden inside those suitcases, too. Wondering how the ladies packed their things for the competition? Read on some tips here.
8. The National Costume presentation is always the much-anticipated portion of the pageant, and some candidates have already revealed what they'll be wearing.
Miss Universe contestants have already begun sharing their national costumes, eager to wear their country with pride and parade their culture. Philippines' Maxine Medina is still keeping her evening gown and national costume under wraps, though. So far, all we know is that Rhett Eala will be designing her outfits for the competition. The only thing Eala has revealed is that Maxine will wear a headdress by Jewelmer that is adorned with South Sea pearls.
Stay connected with Miss Universe updates and posts:
- Official: www.MissUniverse.com, Miss Universe App (iOS, Android), Youtube (OfficialMissUniverse), Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@missuniverse).
- Local coverage: www.65thmissuniverse.com, Facebook (/MissUniverse65th), Twitter (@MissUniverse_65), and Instagram (@65thMissUniverse)
- ETC Coverage: www.msuonetc.com
- Missosology Coverage: http://www.missosology.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=820751
