Markus Castro
Miss Universe 71st edition winners, Miss Universe 2022 special awards, and highlights
Table of Contents
The just-concluded Miss Universe 2022 in New Orleans was the 71st edition of the Miss Universe beauty pageant. This was the first edition of the pageant under the ownership of Thailand-based JKN Global Group, which purchased the Miss Universe Organization from WME/IMG on October 26, 2022.
Filipino-American Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel is Miss Universe 2022.
The 2022 edition of the world’s most-awaited beauty pageant was held on January 14, 2022, at New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, United States.
Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss Universe 2021 from India, crowned her successor at the end of the event.
The Thai-owned Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format. Unlike the previous years of having 20 contestants as part of the semi-finalists, it was reduced to 16 — the same number of semifinalists in 2021.
The results of the preliminary competition — which consisted of the swimsuit competition, the evening gown competition, and the closed-door interview will determine the 16 semifinalists who will advance to the first cut.
Internet voting allowed fans to select another delegate to advance to the semifinals. The top 16 competed in both the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and were narrowed down to the top 5 afterwards. This was the first time in the pageant’s history that a drastic cut would be made from 16 to 5. The top 5 candidates competed in the preliminary question and answer round, and the final three were chosen. The final word portion was returned, after which Miss Universe 2022 winner and her two runners-up were announced.
Miss Universe 2022 Winner
R’Bonney Gabriel of the United States was named Miss Universe 2022 at the pageant’s finals night held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on Saturday, January 14, 2022.
Miss Universe 2022 Runners-up:
- 1st Runner Up – Miss Venezuela – Amanda Dudamel
- 2nd Runner Up – Dominican Republic – Andreína Martínez
Top 3 Finalists
- Miss USA
- Miss Dominican Republic
- Miss Venezuela
Top 5 Finalists
- Miss USA
- Miss Dominican Republic
- Miss Venezuela
- Miss Curacao
- Miss Puerto Rico
Miss Universe 2022 Top 16 Semi-Finalists
- Puerto Rico – Ashley Cariño
- Haiti – Mideline Phelizor
- Australia – Monique Riley
- Dominican Republic – Andreina Martínez
- Laos – Payengxa Lor
- South Africa – Ndavi Nokeri
- Portugal – Telma Madeira
- Canada – Amelia Tu
- Peru – Alessia Rovegno Cayo
- Trinidad and Tobago – Tya Jané Ramey
- Curacao – Gabriëla Dos Santos
- India – Divita Rai
- Venezuela – Amanda Dudamel Newman
- Spain – Alicia Faubel
- USA – R’Bonney Gabriel
- Colombia – Maria Fernanda Aristizabal
Here is the list of Special award winners
- Miss Congeniality – Miss Chile – Sofia Depassier and Miss Malta – Maxine Formosa
- Social Impact Award – Miss Thailand – Anna Sueangam-iam
List of 2022 Miss Universe Contestants:
| NAME | AGE | COUNTRY / TERRITORY |
| Deta Kokomani | 22 | Albania |
| Swelia da Silva Antonio | 25 | Angola |
| Barbara Yasmin Cabrera | 26 | Argentina |
| Kristina Ayanian | 25 | Armenia |
| Kiara Arends | 24 | Aruba |
| Monique Riley | 27 | Australia |
| Evlin Khalifa | 24 | Bahrain |
| Chayenne van Aarle | 23 | Belgium |
| Ashley Lightburn | 26 | Belize |
| Tashi Choden | 23 | Bhutan |
| Camila Sanabria | 28 | Bolivia |
| Mia Mamede | 27 | Brazil |
| Lia Claxton | 18 | British Virgin Islands |
| Kristina Plamenova | 26 | Bulgaria |
| Hang Manita | 24 | Cambodia |
| Monalisa Mouketey | 26 | Cameroon |
| Amelia Tu | 21 | Canada |
| Chloe Powery-Doxey | 25 | Cayman Islands |
| Sofia Depassier | 24 | Chile |
| Jiang Sichen | 26 | China |
| Maria Fernanda Aristizabal | 25 | Colombia |
| Maria Fernanda Rodriguez | 25 | Costa Rica |
| Arijana Podgajski | 20 | Croatia |
| Gabriëla Dos Santos | 20 | Curaçao |
| Sára Mikulenková | 20 | Czech Republic |
| Andreina Martínez | 25 | Dominican Republic |
| Nayelhi Gonzalez Ulloa | 28 | Ecuador |
| Alejandra Guajardo | 26 | El Salvador |
| Alba Isabel Obama Moliko | 21 | Equatorial Guinea |
| Petra Hämäläinen | 26 | Finland |
| Floriane Bascou | 20 | France |
| Soraya Kohlmann | 24 | Germany |
| Engracia Mofuman | 27 | Ghana |
| Noky Simbani | 25 | Great Britain |
| Korina Emmanouilidou | 22 | Greece |
| Ivana Batchelor | 22 | Guatemala |
| Mideline Phelizor | 27 | Haiti |
| Rebeca Rodríguez | 20 | Honduras |
| Hrafnhildur Haraldsdóttir | 18 | Iceland |
| Divita Rai | 25 | India |
| Laksmi De-Neefe Suardana | 26 | Indonesia |
| Virginia Stablum | 24 | Italy |
| Toshami Calvin | 26 | Jamaica |
| Marybelen Sakamoto | 24 | Japan |
| Roksana Ibrahimi | 24 | Kosovo |
| Altynai Botoyarova | 18 | Kyrgyzstan |
| Payengxa Lor | 21 | Laos |
| Yasmina Zaytoun | 20 | Lebanon |
| Cheam Wei Yeng | 26 | Malaysia |
| Maxine Formosa Gruppetta | 22 | Malta |
| Alexandrine Belle-Étoile | 26 | Mauritius |
| Irma Cristina Miranda Valenzuela | 26 | Mexico |
| Zar Li Moe | 21 | Myanmar |
| Cassia Sharpley | 23 | Namibia |
| Sophiya Bhujel | 27 | Nepal |
| Ona Moody | 25 | Netherlands |
| Norma Huembes Salazar | 24 | Nicaragua |
| Hannah Iribhogbe | 21 | Nigeria |
| Ida Anette Hauan | 27 | Norway |
| Solaris Barba | 23 | Panama |
| Leah Ashmore | 27 | Paraguay |
| Alessia Rovegno Cayo | 24 | Peru |
| Silvia Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi | 25 | Philippines |
| Aleksandra Klepaczka | 23 | Poland |
| Telma Madeira | 23 | Portugal |
| Ashley Cariño | 28 | Puerto Rico |
| Anna Linnikova | 22 | Russia |
| Sheris Paul | 27 | Saint Lucia |
| Gabriella Gonthier | 24 | Seychelles |
| Carissa Yap | 22 | Singapore |
| Karolína Michalčíková | 24 | Slovakia |
| Ndavi Nokeri | 23 | South Africa |
| Hanna Kim | 28 | South Korea |
| Alicia Faubel | 26 | Spain |
| Alia Giundi | 19 | Switzerland |
| Anna Sueangam-iam | 24 | Thailand |
| Angel Cartwright | 28 | The Bahamas |
| Tya Jané Ramey | 25 | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Aleyna Şirin | 21 | Turkiye |
| Viktoria Apanasenko | 29 | Ukraine |
| R’Bonney Gabriel | 28 | United States |
| Carla Romero | 25 | Uruguay |
| Amanda Dudamel Newman | 23 | Venezuela |
| Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Châu | 28 | Vietnam |
List of judges for the Miss Universe 2022 coronation night:
- Ximena Navarrete – Miss Universe 2010 from Mexico
- Big Freedia – American rapper and performer credited with helping popularize bounce music
- Mara Martin – American model and co-founder of Vyral Media PR
- Wendy Fitzwilliam – Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago
- Emily Austin – American actress, sports journalist, model, and social media influencer
- Olivia Quido – Filipino-Chinese CEO and founder of O Skin Med Spa
- Myrka Dellanos – American television and radio host, journalist, author, and socialite
- Sweta Patel – Indian author, member of the Forbes Council, and founder of Healveda
This 2022 edition was participated by 84 contestants. The competition was hosted by Jeannie Mai and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo; Culpo last served as the host during Miss Universe 2020, while Mai last served as a backstage correspondent during Miss Universe 2014 in Florida, USA.
Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and Zuri Hall will serve as backstage correspondents. This will mark the first time in a 70-year history to have an all-female presenting panel.
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Read: Miss Universe 2022 Top 15 Final Predictions
