Miss Universe 2006
Date: July 23, 2006 (2006-07-23)
Presenters: Carlos Ponce, Nancy O'Dell
Entertainment: Chelo, Vittorio Grigolo
Venue: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Broadcaster: NBC
Entrants: 86
Debuts: Kazakhstan
Withdraws: Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Vietnam
Returns: Argentina, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, Northern Marianas, St Lucia, Saint Martin, Sweden
Winner: Zuleyka Rivera
Represented: Puerto Rico
Miss Universe 2006, the 55th Miss Universe pageant, took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA. Unlike past events, it was held on Sunday, July 23, 2006 (almost two months later than usual). A live international broadcast was made on NBC.
The 2006 pageant is the first time the United States has been a host since 1998, and the second time for Los Angeles, which last hosted the pageant in 1990. The Republic of Kazakhstan was represented for the first time, while the following countries returned after some years of absence: Iceland (1997), New Zealand (2003), Argentina (2003), Saint Lucia (1977), Saint Martin (2000), Ghana (2004), Estonia (2004), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2004), Sweden (2004) and the Northern Mariana Islands (2002). The 2006 pageant also featured the most delegates in its history, with 86 delegates arriving in Los Angeles.
Natalie Glebova of Canada crowned her successor, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, at the conclusion of the two-hour show. Her reign was the longest ever in Miss Universe history: one year and two months, from the time she was crowned on May 31, 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Results
Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.
Miss Universe 2006: Zuleyka Rivera (Puerto Rico)
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up: Kurara Chibana (Japan)
2nd runner-up: Lauriane Gilliéron (Switzerland)
3rd runner-up: Lourdes Arévalos (Paraguay)
4th runner-up: Tara Conner (USA)
The Top 10 (alphabetic order after competing in swimsuit and evening gown): Desiree Durán Morales (Bolivia), Alice Panikian (Canada), Valerie Dominguez Tarud (Colombia), Priscila Perales (Mexico), Kenisha Thom (Trinidad & Tobago)
The Top 20 (alphabetic order after competing in swimsuit): Magali Romitelli (Argentina), Rafaela Zanella (Brazil), Betina Faurbiye (Denmark), Dina Fekadu (Ethiopia), Adrienn Bende (Hungary) , Neha Kapur (India), Anna Litvinova (Russia), Josephine Alhanko (Sweden), Charm Onwarin Osathanond (Thailand), Inna Tsymbalyuk (Ukraine)
Special awards
Congeniality: Angela Asare (Ghana)
Photogenic: Lia Andrea Ramos (Philippines)
National costume: Kurara Chibana (Japan)
Countries that placed for the first time are: Ukraine, Hungary and Ethiopia.
Countries that got called out to the semi-finals after a long period without placement are: Denmark (39 years), Argentina (27 years), Thailand (18 years), Bolivia (16 years) and Sweden (9 years).
Lauriane Gilliéron, 2nd runner-up became Switzerland's highest placement in Miss Universe, surpassing their 1983 record of 3rd runner-up.
Venezuela did not place for only the second time in the past 24 years.
Puerto Rico, with their fifth win, became the second most successful territory/state to compete at Miss Universe, after the USA.
Philippines won the Miss Photogenic award for the second consecutive year (and its sixth).
Japan won the Best National Costume award for the first time.
