Miss Universe pageant is in its 65th edition and is going great with the 2016 edition being held in the Philippines. Last year, the rights of Miss Universe were sold to the world's biggest talent and entertainment agency, WME/IMG. While we couldn’t see much changes in the pageant, as there wasn’t much time, this year we might get to see few changes on floor.

Previously, the Miss Universe followed the routine of announcing the Top 15 finalists, while the winner of “Fan Vote” used to earn the 16th spot. However, this year the first cut-off slot has been narrowed down to Top 12, instead of a Top 15. The coronation night will start with the Top 12 pre-determined by the judges during the preliminary round, which will then compete through the Swimsuit Competition.

After the Top 12, the pageant will move ahead with the announcement of Top 9, which will be determined by averaging the scores of the judges and the fans’ votes after the swimsuit segment. The Top 9 will then battle it out in the evening gown competition, which will led to the announcement of the Top 6 finalists. Also, this year, there will only be one Q&A round.

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The Top 6 finalists will go through the Q&A round, based on which the Top 3 will be announced. The Top 3 will only get a "Final Look" from the judges and fans. The format of 12-9-6-3 will remove the pressure of having to undergo a second round of Q&A. This will definitely mean that the Top 6 will have to shine out to come up with the best answers to secure their Top 3 placement. The new owner believes that this format will help produce the type of winner who would best represent the brand.