Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach from Philippines was crowned as the first Miss Universe under WME and IMG on the scintillating night of December 20, 2015 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA by the outgoing queen Paulina Vega from Colombia. Ariadna Maria Gutierrez Arevalo from Colombia was adjudged as the First runner up, while Olivia Jordan was announced as the Second runner up.
The 64th edition of Miss Universe pageant witnessed the battle of eighty contestants. The marvelous gala finale took place at the AXIS at Planet Hollywood, in Nevada, Las Vegas. The show was hosted by Steve Harvey and Roselyn Sanchez. The judging panel included few notable figures like Emmitt Smith, Niecy Nash, Olivia Culpo and Perez Hilton.
As the show started, the much anticipated lists of semifinalists were introduced amongst the booming audience, which included: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, France, USA, Curacao, Belgium, Japan, Venezuela, South Africa, Colombia, Mexico and Thailand.
After rocking the runway in the swimsuit competition, which was musically groomed by Golden Globe and Grammy Award Nominated Charlie Puth, the list of finalists was trimmed down to Top 10 finalists which comprised: USA, Colombia, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Dominican Republic, France, Curacao, Philippines and Venezuela.
The best moment was when Miss Universe Slovenia 2015 Ana Halozan walked the stage donning her evening gown, after she had to leave the competition due to an unfortunate accident. She slipped in the bathroom in their hotel and she could no longer compete as she suffers concussion and injury. She has been given a special tribute by Miss Universe and received a standing ovation from the audience.
The Top 10 finalists thereafter competed for the Evening Gown Segment with melodious music by Grammy Award winning sibling trio The Band Perry. Subsequent to the Evening Gown Competition, the results for the final five were announced which brought France, Colombia, Philippines, Australia and USA in spotlight.
As the show progressed towards the conclusion, the enthrallment to witness the new Miss Universe was becoming even more nail biting. After the Question and Answer segment the hosts announced the name of the Top 3 finalists who move ahead in the finals – USA, Colombia and Philippines. The common question was – Why should you be the next Miss Universe? To which the Miss USA said that she is passionate and driven towards her goal to inspire people to believe in themselves. And that she would like to empower all the women in the world being a Miss Universe.
Miss Colombia shared that she has all the attributes that is required to be the next Miss Universe. And Lastly, the crowd’s favourite Miss Philippines said that to be a Miss Universe is both an honour and responsibility. And she can use her title and voice to inspire the youth and spread awreness about important issues.
After the common question and answer session, the final three for the last time walked the stage. Grammy Award winning, multi-Platinum singer and songwriter Seal spelled magic with his voice as he sung alongside. Finally, it was time to announce the new winner before the jovial audiences, and the world went crazy with joy after witnessing the newly crowned beauty queen. The show was a spectacular musical burlesque, featuring striking performances by Seal, The Band Perry and Charlie Puth. The coronation gala continued for three hours and was totally breathtaking. Congratulations to all the winners!