MAIN Pop Culture Miss Universe 2023

Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios is the reigning Miss Universe.

WHEN: Saturday, November 18, 2023
WHERE: Televised live from San Salvador, El Salvador

The most beautiful women in the world took center stage at the 72nd edition of the Miss Universe competition in El Salvador

Like last year, the competition streamed live on the Roku Channel and was televised on the Telemundo Channel nationwide live from El Salvador's capital city, San Salvador.

And the winner is ...

The three-house broadcast ended with R'Bonney Gabriel crowning her successor, Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios as the new reigning Miss Universe 2023

Miss Thailand, Anntonia Porsild; was first runner up. Miss Austalia, Moraya Wilson; was second runner up.

Performing at this year's live show was none other than Grammy and Oscar-winning singer and songwriter John Legend!

Hosting this year's ceremony was an all-female team including former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, TV host  Jeannie Mai and TV presenter  Maria Menounos.

For the Spanish-language telecast, Telemundo featured TV personalities Jacqueline Bracamontes and Danilo Carrera.

Miss Universe 2023

Making headlines worldwide, the Miss Universe organization announced BIG change to the requirements in 2023 -- allowing “women who are married, or who have been married, as well as women who are pregnant, or have children” to enter the Miss Universe competition in 2023.

The radical departure, the organization added, reflected “changing times to better represent and support women globally", although how the Miss Universe title will evolve with the rule change is yet to be seen!

Also new this year? There were TWO transgender contestants competing for Miss Universe this year -- as Rikkie Kollé of the Netherlands and Miss Portugal, Marina Machete make Miss Universe history. They now become the second and third transgender women to compete at Miss Universe after Ángela Ponce in 2018.

All about Miss Universe

Usually featuring more than 80 delegates from around the world, Miss Universe remains one of the world's most watched and most popular beauty pageants.

What began in 1952 - as a local bathing beauty competition in Long Beach, CA - has since grown to be a showcase that puts the spotlight on the world's most beautiful and most accomplished women.

South Carolina-born Miss Universe winner, Miriam Stevenson, stops for a publicity photo in 1954.

Following the evening gown competition, judges pick the Top 10 who go on to show off their best assets in the traditional and very popular swimsuit competition, from which the Top 5 are chosen... culminating in the crowning of Miss Universe.

The Miss Universe competition is traditionally televised In the U.S. on Fox and in Spanish on Telemundo, and airs in more than 160 territories and countries across the globe.

also see -> Miss USA | Miss America

DID YOU KNOW? Miss Universe fun facts

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• It was the mistake heard 'round the world in 2015 when host Steve Harvey misread his cue card and crowned the wrong winner -- Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez Arévalo. The mix-up was corrected when the crown was given to the rightful winner, Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

• Another uproar in 2015 saw Miss Lebanon Saly Greige and Miss Israel Doron Matalon posing and smiling for a selfie together during the preliminaries, setting off a firestorm of controversy in Lebanon where citizens are forbidden any contact with Israelis.

• The USA leads the world in Miss Universe crowns with eight. Venezuela follows with seven titles, Puerto Rico with five, and the Philippines and Sweden with three apiece.

• Venezuela is the only country to win back-to-back Miss Universe pageants when Stefanía Fernández was crowned in 2009 by the previous winner, Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza.

More about Miss Universe around The Web

Check out more information on the universe's most famous beauty pageant in video clips, pictures, interviews and contestant profiles, along with past winners, judges, and bit of related history and trivia at top sites devoted to Miss Universe ...

Miss Universe.com - Check out the pageant's official site with videos, photos, close-up interviews and profiles of all the contestants.

Miss Universe - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia offering extensive information on the selection process, pageant history, a complete list of winners from 1952 to the present, related links.