Getty Miss Puerto Rico Michelle Colon at the 2021 Miss Universe pageant
UPDATE: The Top 3 were Miss South Africa Lalela Lali Mswane, Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu, and Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira. They finished in this order — the second runner-up was named Miss South Africa Lalela Lali Mswane; the first runner-up was named Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira and that means the winner of the 2021 Miss Universe pageant was Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu. This is the first time India has won the title since 2000.
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Here are the 2021 Miss Universe competition Top 5 finalists. They were selected after a swimsuit competition and an evening gown competition, plus a display of their national costumes (which does not count toward the actual contest). The Top 5 contestants from the Miss Universe 2021 pageant are listed below.
After the question-and-answer portion with the judges, the Top 3 were chosen. They were Miss South Africa Lalela Lali Mswane, Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu, and Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira.
Here is how to watch a live stream online of the pageant.
Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu
This 21-year-old activist draws her inspiration from her mother, who broke generations of patriarchy to become a successful gynecologist and led her family. Driven to support other women the same way, Harnaaz grew up working with her mother at health camps addressing women’s health and menstrual hygiene,” according to her Miss Universe profile.
Miss South Africa Lalela Lali Mswane
This 24-year-old law graduate “attended Pro Arte Alphen Park in Tshwane which combines the arts and business in its curriculum, and studied ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) before graduating from the University of Pretoria,” according to her Miss Universe profile.
Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira
This 22-year-old model is “the CEO of NF (Nadia Ferreira) a family business for women seeking sustainable development as well as who suffer domestic violence. Nadia’s participation in the Miss Universe is widely accepted, being declared by the Chamber of Deputies as a national and cultural interest of the nation. She also is a social activist,” according to her Miss Universe profile.
Miss Colombia Valeria Maria Ayos Bossa
This 27-year-old environmental activist is “an Afro-Colombian woman born in Cartagena de Indias and raised in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. She’s a professional in international relations and has received a diploma in Marketing and Strategy from La Verne University in the United States,” according to her Miss Universe profile.
Miss Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez
This 26-year-old is the first member of the LGBTQIA+ community to win the title of Miss Universe Philippines. She is also “a community development worker, a Philippine Navy Marines Reservist under the 82nd Marine Battalion Reserve of the Naval Reserve Center of Eastern Visayas,” according to her Miss Universe profile.
We got three of the Top 5 correct in our predictions. The ones we missed were Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu and Miss Colombia Valeria Maria Ayos Bossa, though we did have Miss Colombia in our Top 10. The two we predicted would make the Top 5 that did not were Miss Namibia Chelsi Shikongo and Miss Puerto Rico Michelle Marie Colón Ramírez. The woman we predict will win the whole competition is Miss South Africa Lalela Lali Mswane.
After taking a year off from hosting, comedian Steve Harvey was back as the host of Miss Universe 2021. His daughter Lori Harvey was part of the judges’ panel alongside Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, actresses Urvashi Rautela, Marian Rivera, Adamari López, and Rena Sofer, and supermodel Adriana Lima. U.S. artist JoJo (Joanna Levesque) and Israeli artist Noa Kirel were the performers.
READ NEXT: Watch Miss Universe 2021 Competition Live Stream Online