Getty A rundown of the top 10 winners to emerge from the 2021 Miss Universe Competition, hosted by Steve Harvey. Pictured: Miss USA Elle Smith
The top 10 winners to emerge from the 2021 Miss Universe Competition — hosted by Steve Harvey and taking place live from Eilat, Israel, on Sunday, December 12, 202 — were revealed.
After the top 10 were announced, presenter Carson Kressley was joined by former Miss Universe Rina Mor-Goder, who hails from Israel and won the competition in 1976.
“I’m so happy that the miss universe organization chose to celebrate 70th anniversary in Israel, my hometown, so we could show you all our beautiful country,” she said.
Here are the winners of Miss Universe 2021:
Top 10 Winners of Miss Universe 2021
Following the swimsuit competition, the top 10 finalists were revealed. Here is the list, in the order they were announced by host Steve Harvey:
- Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira
- Miss Puerto Rico Michelle Marie Colon
- Miss USA Elle Smith
- Miss India Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu
- Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane
- Miss Bahamas Chantel O’Brian
- Miss Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez
- Miss France Clémence Botino
- Miss Colombia Valeria Ayos
- Miss Aruba Thessaly Zimmerman
Before the next round of winners were announced, the top 10 finalists competed in the evening gown category.
The second runner-up was Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane. Harvey then announced Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira was the first runner-up and Miss India Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu was the winner of the 2021 Miss Universe competition.
Who Is Miss USA 2021?
Although she made it into the top 10, Miss USA Elle Smith was not a top-five finalist.
Smith, who hails from Kentucky, wrote on Instagram that she was “thrilled and honored” to take home the crown when she won the 2021 Miss USA pageant.
“I can’t say thank you enough to every single person who has supported me on this journey,” she wrote. “Every single comment, every single message and prayer did not go unnoticed.”
“To the great state of Kentucky, you will forever have my heart,” she continued. “You believed and loved on me since I was crowned in May and there is no other state I would have wanted to represent on the Miss USA stage.”
The day after she took home the title, Smith was on a plane to Israel, where she had to quarantine.
Since its inception, eight Miss USAs have gone on to win Miss Universe. Most recently, Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo took home the title of Miss Universe for USA in 2013.
The Miss 2021 Universe Competitors Explored Israel
The Miss Universe Organization had been eyeing Israel as a potential location for the competition for years. The three-hour event, which was broadcast live on Fox in the U.S. and 160 countries and territories around the world, will end with 2020’s Miss Universe, Mexico’s Andrea Meza, handing over her crown to her successor.
“Israel has been on our shortlist of host countries for a number of years due to its rich history, beautiful landscapes, myriad of cultures and appeal as a global tourist destination,” said Paula M. Shugart, the president of the Miss Universe Organization, in a press release.
“As we sought an impressive location for our 70th anniversary celebration, it became clear through our conversations with acting Mayor Lankri and the Israeli Ministry that Israel has the resources and demonstrated the commitment to host Miss Universe in December,” she continued. “We look forward to deepening our commitment and creating meaningful cultural conversation, connection and understanding through this partnership.”
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