Leila Lopes, a 25-year old dusky beauty from Angola won the coveted Miss Universe 2011 title, beating the contestants from Ukraine (23-year-old Olesia Stefanko, 1st Runner-up) and Brazil (Priscila Machado, 2nd Runner-up). The 3rd Runner-up was Miss Philippines and 4th Runner-up was Miss China.
"Thank God I'm very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn't change a thing," Lopes said when asked her interview question. "I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life," Lopes said after she won the crown.
The 60th anniversary of the Miss Universe beauty pageant was held at the Credicard Hall, in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday, September 12, 2011.
After a month of activities, on Monday tonight, contestants from 89 countries around the world showed off their beauty and talent and competed on the basis of three rounds - swimsuit, evening gown and interview, respectively.
Miss Universe 2011 were judged by celebrities from many fields including sports, media and fashion. There are two types of judges - Telecast Judges and Preliminary Judges.
The name of the judges as below :
Telecast Judges: Halio Castroneves, Connie Chung, Isabeli Fontana, Vivica A. Fox, Adrienne Maloof-Nassif, Lea Salonga, Farouk Shami, Amelia Vega (Miss Universe 2003) and Italo Zanzi.
Telecast Judges: Halio Castroneves, Connie Chung, Isabeli Fontana, Vivica A. Fox, Adrienne Maloof-Nassif, Lea Salonga, Farouk Shami, Amelia Vega (Miss Universe 2003) and Italo Zanzi.
Preliminary Judges: BJ Coleman, Francesca Romana Diana, Ana Paula Junqueira, Scott Lazerson, Matheus Mazzafera, Jimmy Nguyen, Lara Spotts.
Incidentally, Norway and Zambia withdrew from the contest this year. However, there are 8 countries that returned to the contest: Cayman Islands, Chile, Estonia, Montenegro, Portugal, St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos, Vietnam.
SHORT BIOGRAPHY:
Birth Name: Leila Lopes
Birth Date: 1986 (age 23–24)
Birth Place: Benguela, Angola
Height: 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Hair color: Dark brown
Eye color: Dark brown
Title(s): Miss Angola UK 2011, Miss Angola 2011
Major Competition(s): Miss Angola 2011(Winner)(Miss Photogenic), Miss Universe 2011
Birth Date: 1986 (age 23–24)
Birth Place: Benguela, Angola
Height: 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Hair color: Dark brown
Eye color: Dark brown
Title(s): Miss Angola UK 2011, Miss Angola 2011
Major Competition(s): Miss Angola 2011(Winner)(Miss Photogenic), Miss Universe 2011
Born to Cape Verdean immigrants in Benguela, Angola, Lopes is a business management student in Great Britain, where she was crowned Miss Angola UK on October 8, 2010, the official representative of the Angolan community in the United Kingdom to the 2011 Miss Angola pageant.
Lopes beat out 88 other competitors to win the title during the 60th anniversary of Miss Universe. She replaces last year’s winner, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.
“Thank God I’m very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lopes said when asked her interview question. “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principals from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life.”
The first runner-up was 23-year-old Olesia Stefanko of Ukraine and the second runner-up was Priscila Machado of Brazil. The third was Miss Philippines, and the fourth Miss China.
In the top 10, were the representatives of Australia, France, Costa Rica, Panama, and Portugal.
Completing the group of 15 quarter-finalists, we had the candidates of Puerto Rico, USA, Kosovo, Netherlands, Colombia and Venezuela.
Miss Panama was the winner of the Best National Costume Award; Miss Montenegro was voted Miss Congeniality; and Miss Sweden was elected Miss Photogenic.
The biggest shock of the night was the early elimination of Miss Malaysia, Deborah Henry, considered by many one of the top favorites for the crown. Other favorites left out, were Misses Greece, Trinidad & Tobago, Nicaragua, Spain, and Aruba.
Among those who made it, the main surprises were Misses Panama and Portugal. It was the first time in 60 years of history that Portugal advances to Miss Universe’s semi-finals.
The pageant was hosted by NBC “Today” anchor Natalie Morales and the Bravo network’s Andy Cohen. Among the celebrities in the jury, Connie Chung, supermodel Isabeli Fontana and Indy race car driver Helio Castroneves.
Brazilian pop stars Claudia Leitte and Bebel Gilberto performed during the event.
Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, was a favorite since she arrived in Brazil. She was actually prepared for the pageant in Brazil. It’s a well-deserved title for Angola and the African continent!
Lopes, who stands 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in) tall, competed as one of 21 finalists in her country's national beauty pageant and earned the spot of representing her country in Miss Earth Peagent
