Miss Universe 2006

Miss Universe 2006
Miss Universe 2006, Zuleyka Rivera from Puerto Rico
Date	23 July 2006
Presenters	Nancy O'Dell, Carlos Ponce, Carson Kressley, Shandi Finnessey
Entertainment	Chelo, Vittorio Grigolo
Venue	Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Broadcaster	NBC, Telemundo
Entrants	86
Placements	20
Debuts	Kazakhstan
Withdrawals	Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Vietnam
Returns	Argentina, Cayman Islands, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, Northern Marianas, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sweden
Winner	Zuleyka Rivera Puerto Rico
Congeniality	Angela Asare Ghana
Best National Costume	Kurara Chibana Japan
Photogenic	Lia Andrea Ramos Philippines

Miss Universe 2006, the 55th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 23 July 2006 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico crowned by Natalie Glebova of Canada. 86 contestants competed in this year.

Results

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results

Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles

Top 5 at Miss Universe 2006

Placements

Final results	Contestant
Miss Universe 2006	Puerto Rico – Zuleyka Rivera
1st runner-up	Japan – Kurara Chibana
2nd runner-up	Switzerland – Lauriane Gilliéron
3rd runner-up	Paraguay – Lourdes Arévalos
4th runner-up	USA – Tara Conner
Top 10	Bolivia – Desiree Durán Canada – Alice Panikian Colombia – Valerie Domínguez Mexico – Priscila Perales Trinidad & Tobago – Kenisha Thom
Top 20	Argentina – Magalí Romitelli Brazil – Rafaela Zanella Denmark – Betina Faurbye Ethiopia – Dina Fekadu Hungary – Adrienn Bende India – Neha Kapur Russia – Anna Litvinova † Sweden – Josephine Alhanko Thailand – Charm Osathanond Ukraine – Inna Tsymbalyuk

Special awards

Awards	Contestant
Best National Costume	Japan – Kurara Chibana Indonesia – Nadine Chandrawinata Ecuador – Catalina Lopez
Miss Congeniality	Ghana – Angela Asare
Miss Photogenic	Philippines – Lia Ramos

Order of announcements

Top 20

1. Puerto Rico
2. Denmark
3. Switzerland
4. Colombia
5. Ethiopia
6. Russia
7. Canada
8. Japan
9. Brazil
10. Sweden
11. Trinidad & Tobago
12. Thailand
13. Bolivia
14. Hungary
15. USA
16. Paraguay
17. India
18. Argentina
19. Ukraine
20. Mexico

Top 10

1. Canada
2. Trinidad & Tobago
3. Bolivia
4. Japan
5. Puerto Rico
6. USA
7. Switzerland
8. Mexico
9. Colombia
10. Paraguay

Top 5

1. Switzerland
2. Paraguay
3. Japan
4. USA
5. Puerto Rico

Background music

• Swimsuit Competition: "Cha Cha" by Chelo (Live Performance)
• Evening Gown Competition: "Bedshaped (Cosi)" by Vittorio Grigolo (Live Performance)

Judges

Final telecast

The following celebrities judged the final competition.

• James Lesure – Actor from NBC's Las Vegas
• Claudia Jordan – Model for Deal or No Deal; former Miss Rhode Island USA (1997) and Miss Rhode Island Teen USA (1990)
• Sean Yazbeck – Winner of season 5 of The Apprentice
• Amelia Vega – Miss Universe 2003 from Dominican Republic
• Emmitt Smith – Former Dallas Cowboys player and Dancing with the Stars winner
• Marc Cherry – American writer and producer
• Tom Green – Actor and comedian
• María Celeste Arrarás – Telemundo host
• Patrick McMullan – Fashion photographer
• Bridgette Wilson – Miss Teen USA 1990 from Oregon
• Santino Rice – Project Runway finalist

Note: Actress Bo Derek was scheduled to be a judge but was later replaced.

Contestants

• Albania – Eralda Hitaj
• Angola – Isménia Júnior
• Antigua & Barbuda – Shari McEwan
• Argentina – Magalí Romitelli
• Aruba – Melissa Laclé
• Australia – Erin McNaught
• Bahamas – Samantha Carter
• Belgium – Tatiana Silva
• Bolivia – Desiree Durán
• Brazil – Rafaela Zanella
• Bulgaria – Galena Dimova
• Canada – Alice Panikian
• Cayman Islands – Ambuyah Ebanks
• Chile – Belén Montilla
• China – Gao Yinghui
• Colombia – Valerie Domínguez
• Costa Rica – Fabriella Quesada
• Croatia – Biljana Mančić
• Cyprus – Elena Ierodiakonou
• Czech Republic – Renata Langmannová
• Denmark – Betina Faurbye
• Dominican Republic – Mía Taveras
• Ecuador – Catalina "Katty" López
• Egypt – Fawzia Mohamed
• El Salvador – Rebeca Iraheta
• Estonia – Kirke Klemmer
• Ethiopia – Dina Fekadu
• Finland – Ninni Laaksonen
• France – Alexandra Rosenfeld
• Georgia – Ekaterine Buadze
• Germany – Natalie Ackermann
• Ghana – Angela Asare
• Greece – Olympia Hopsonidou
• Guatemala – Jackelinne Piccinini
• Guyana – Alana Ernest
• Hungary – Adrienn Bende
• Iceland – Sif Aradóttir
• India – Neha Kapur
• Indonesia – Nadine Chandrawinata
• Ireland – Melanie Boreham
• Israel – Anastacia Entin
• Jamaica – Cindy Wright
• Japan – Kurara Chibana

• Kazakhstan – Dina Nuraliyeva
• Korea – Kim Joo-hee
• Latvia – Sanita Kubliņa
• Lebanon – Gabrielle Bou Rached
• Malaysia – Melissa Ann Tan
• Mauritius – Isabelle Antoo
• Mexico – Priscila Perales
• Namibia – Anna Nashandi
• New Zealand – Elizabeth Gray
• Nicaragua – Cristiana Frixione
• Nigeria – Tienepre Oki
• Northern Marianas – Shequita Bennett
• Norway – Martine Jonassen
• Panama – María Alessandra Mezquita
• Paraguay – Lourdes Arévalos
• Peru – Fiorella Viñas
• Philippines – Lia Ramos
• Poland – Francys Sudnicka
• Puerto Rico – Zuleyka Rivera
• Russia – Anna Litvinova †
• Serbia & Montenegro – Nada Milinić
• Singapore – Carol Cheong
• Slovak Republic – Judita Hrubyová
• Slovenia – Nataša Pinoza
• South Africa – Thuli Sithole
• Spain – Elisabeth Reyes
• Sri Lanka – Jacqueline Fernandez
• St. Lucia – Sascha Andrew-Rose
• St. Martin – Gisella Hilliman
• St. Vincent & Grenadines – Shivern Peters
• Sweden – Josephine Alhanko
• Switzerland – Lauriane Gilliéron
• Thailand – Charm Osathanond
• Trinidad & Tobago – Kenisha Thom
• Turkey – Ceyla Kirazlı
• Turks & Caicos – Shaveena Been
• Ukraine – Inna Tsymbalyuk
• United Kingdom – Julie Doherty
• Uruguay – Fatimih Dávila
• USA – Tara Conner
• US Virgin Islands – JeT'aime Cerge
• Venezuela – Jictzad Viña
• Zambia – Mofya Chisenga †

Notes

Debuts

• Kazakhstan

Returns

Last competed in 1977:

• St. Lucia

Last competed in 2000:

• St. Martin

Last competed in 2002:

• Northern Marianas

Last competed in 2003:

• Argentina
• Iceland
• New Zealand

Last competed in 2004:

• Cayman Islands
• Estonia
• Ghana
• St. Vincent & Grenadines
• Sweden

Withdrawals

• Barbados
• Belize
• Curaçao
• Italy
• Kenya
• Netherlands
• Vietnam

Crossovers

Miss World

• 2004: Trinidad & Tobago – Kenisha Thom (Semi-finalist)
• 2004: St. Lucia – Sascha Andrew-Rose
• 2005: Switzerland – Lauriane Gilliéron
• 2005: Belgium – Tatiana Silva
• 2006: Cayman Islands – Ambuyah Ebanks
• 2006: Guatemala – Jackelinne Piccinini
• 2006: Namibia – Anna Nashandi (Semi-finalist)
• 2006: South Africa – Thuli Sithole
• 2008: Uruguay – Fatimih Dávila
• 2009: Kazakhstan – Dina Nuraliyeva (Semi-finalist)

Miss International

• 2005: Ethiopia – Dina Fekadu
• 2006: Northern Marianas – Shequita Bennett
• 2007: Mexico – Priscila Perales (Winner)

Miss Earth

• 2006: Ethiopia – Dina Fekadu
• 2006: Ireland – Melanie Boreham
• 2006: Poland – Francys Sudnicka (Semi-finalist)
• 2006: Slovak Republic – Judita Hrubyová (Semi-finalist)
• 2007: US Virgin Islands – JeT'aime Cerge
• 2011: Aruba – Melissa Laclé

Miss Intercontinental

• 2006: Germany – Natalie Ackermann (4th runner-up)
• 2006: Bahamas – Samantha Carter (Semi-finalist)

Miss Tourism Metropolitan International

• 2007: Czech Republic – Renata Langmannová

Miss Tourism Queen Intercontinental

• 2007: Zambia – Mofya Chisenga (4th runner-up)

Miss Tourism World

• 2005: Zambia – Mofya Chisenga

Miss Tourism Intercontinental

• 2005: Ethiopia – Dina Fekadu (Miss Goodwill)

World Miss University

• 2006: Nicaragua – Cristiana Frixione (Winner)

Beauty of the World

• 2009: Zambia – Mofya Chisenga (Semi-finalist, Beauty of Africa)

Miss Teen International

• 2002: Costa Rica – Fabriella Quesada (Winner)

Miss Continente Americano

• 2006: Dominican Republic – Mía Taveras (Winner)
• 2006: Uruguay – Fatimih Dávila (1st runner-up)
• 2006: Ecuador – Catalina López (Semi-finalist, Miss Photogenic, Most Beautiful Face)
• 2006: El Salvador – Rebeca Iraheta (Miss Congeniality)
• 2006: Costa Rica – Fabriella Quesada
• 2006: Nicaragua – Cristiana Frixione

Miss América Latina

• 2002: Guatemala – Jackelinne Piccinini

Reina Hispanoamericana (Reina Sudamericana)

• 2005: Venezuela – Jictzad Viña (2nd runner-up)
• 2006: Paraguay – Lourdes Arévalos (2nd runner-up)
• 2006: Uruguay – Fatimih Dávila (Semi-finalist)
• 2007: Chile – Belén Montilla

Miss Caraïbes Hibiscus

• 2005: Peru – Fiorella Viñas (Winner)

Reinado Internacional del Café

• 2006: Canada – Alice Panikian (Winner)
• 2007: Costa Rica – Fabriella Quesada (Winner)
• 2007: Guatemala – Jackelinne Piccinini

Nuestra Belleza Latina

• 2009: Ecuador – Catalina López (2nd runner-up)

Miss Europe

• 2005: Belgium – Tatiana Silva
• 2006: France – Alexandra Rosenfeld (Winner)
• 2006: Greece – Olympia Hopsonidou

Miss Baltic Sea & Scandinavia

• 2007: Estonia – Kirke Klemmer
• 2007: Finland – Ninni Laaksonen
• 2007: Iceland – Sif Aradóttir (2nd runner-up, Miss Press)

Miss Italia nel Mondo

• 2007: Nicaragua – Cristiana Frixione (1st runner-up)

Miss Model of the World

• 2006: Uruguay – Fatimih Dávila (Semi-finalist)

International broadcasting

These are some of the networks outside the United States (telecasted on NBC and Telemundo) that showed the 2006 Miss Universe pageant live (or recorded earlier) in their respective countries and territories:

• Argentina: TNT
• Brazil: Rede Bandeirantes, TNT
• Chile: TNT
• Colombia: Caracol, TNT
• Dominican Republic: TNT
• Ecuador: Gamavision, TNT
• France: Paris Première
• Indonesia: Indosiar
• Mexico: Televisa, TNT

• Nicaragua: Telemundo
• Panama: Telemetro, TNT
• Peru: ATV
• Philippines: RPN-9
• Puerto Rico: Telemundo
• Thailand: Channel 7
• USA: NBC, Telemundo
• Venezuela: Venevisión, TNT

External links

• Miss Universe official website