Miami, Jan 14 (EFE).- Miss United States, R’Bonney Gabriel, was crowned this Saturday as Miss Universe in New Orleans (southern US), with the mission of being the face of the new stage of the organization focused on defending gender equality and women’s rights.
The first and second runner-up were chosen as Miss Venezuela Amanda Dudamel and Miss Dominican Republic Andreína Martínez, respectively. The three beauty queens will have to dedicate a year to the pageant and move to Thailand, where the pageant will be located starting this year.
Before announcing the winner, the Miss Universe Organization revealed that the next edition, corresponding to 2023, will be held in El Salvador, through a video of the president of that country Nayb Bukele.
The new Miss Universe, 28, is the ninth winner of the pageant for her country. Venezuela has won the crown seven times and the Dominican Republic once, in 2003.
Gabriel, was crowned by her predecessor, Indian Harnaaz Sandhu, with the new Force for Good crown, which has 993 precious stones and a 45.14-carat sapphire.
Valued at 5.3 million dollars, it is the most expensive crown in the 71-year history of the contest, who also gave it the first band made with recyclable materials.
FILIPINO AMERICAN
The new universal beauty queen is the first woman of Filipino origin to have achieved the title of Miss United States. Her father Remigio Bonzon «R. Bon» Gabriel, is a Filipino who came to the country to study psychology at the University of Southern California. Her mother, Dana walker, is American.
The model and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo and the American host Jeannie Mai were the hosts of the gala, which took place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
The rapper and Hip-Hop singer Big Freedia, the band Big Sam’s Funky Nation, the violinist Amanda Shaw, the group Tank and The Bangas and the singer Yolanda Adams were in charge of the musical part of the ceremony, which marked the Afro-French culture of the city and the typical American country.
Big Freedia was also part of the jury, completed by the Cuban journalist and presenter Myrka Dellanos, Miss Universe 2010, the Mexican Ximena Navarrete, the Roku company executive Sweta Patel, Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam, the actress and journalist Emily Austin and the CEO and founder of O Skin Med Spa Olivia Quido.
PARADES AND QUESTIONS TO DECIDE
Although this Miss Universe gala took place in 2023, the winner will hold the title of Miss Universe 2022, as the contest was postponed so as not to compete with the Soccer World Cup in Qatar.
The new Miss Universe and the finalists stood out in a preliminary group of 16 semifinalists, among which were also the candidates from Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Spain, Haiti, Australia, Laos, South Africa, Portugal, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, India and Columbia.
This group was selected based on the scores obtained during parades in gala and bathing suits and individual interviews with the jury that had been carried out previously.
Before the parade of the semifinalists, the new owner of the Miss Universe Organization, the Thai billionaire Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, assured that this Saturday began “a new stage of Miss Universe, made by women for women” and recounted how she had “transformed pain ” of being rejected as a transgender woman on hits.
Under this new administration, the pageant has accelerated the process towards feminism and equity issues. For Miss Universe number 72, it has already been revealed that married candidates with children will be accepted, something vetoed until now.
Gabriel said in his question and answer session that he would advocate raising the age limit for female candidates as well. EFE
