Miss Universe 2020
At the end of the event, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa crowned Andrea Meza of Mexico as Miss Universe 2020. It was Mexico’s first victory in ten years and the third victory for the country in the pageant’s history.
Contestants from seventy-four countries and territories competed in this year's pageant, featuring the smallest number of candidates at the pageant since 2003. The competition was hosted by Mario Lopez and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo. Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vega and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow served as expert analysts, while Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst served as a backstage correspondent. Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi performed in this year's pageant.
This edition, to date, is the only time the pageant has been broadcast on FYI after Fox, its regular broadcaster, backed out due to uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
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Location and date
On 3 March 2021, the Miss Universe Organization announced that the competition would be at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, United States, on 16 May 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was postponed three times between November 2020 and May 2021. This edition was the third time in the pageant's history that the event was held after the calendar year ended; this previously occurred during Miss Universe 2014 and Miss Universe 2016, when both took place in January of the following year. The 2020 edition in May of the following year makes it the latest edition in the competition's history. Due to the pandemic, this edition only allowed 1,750 spectators, around a quarter of the venue's seating capacity.
Selection of participants
Contestants from seventy-four countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Due to the pandemic, numerous national pageants were postponed or canceled entirely, resulting in multiple former runners-up from previous national pageants being appointed or casting processes taking place instead. Twenty-eight of the delegates were appointees, including Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mauritius, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, and Ukraine.
Replacements
Three contestants were designated after the withdrawal of the original contestant. Céline Van Ouytsel, Miss Belgium 2020, was expected to represent Belgium but was replaced by Dhenia Covens, the second runner-up of Miss Belgium 2018, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Amandine Petit, Miss France 2021, was appointed to represent France instead of Clémence Botino, Miss France 2020. The switch happened due to a potential date conflict between Miss Universe 2021 and Miss France 2022 in December 2021. Botino competed in the 2021 edition of the pageant. Magdalena Kasiborska, Miss Polski 2019, was expected to represent Poland but was forced to withdraw after suffering from a spinal disc herniation. Natalia Piguła, the first runner-up of Miss Polski 2019, replaced her.
María Fernanda Aristizábal, Miss Colombia 2019, was originally scheduled to participate in this edition, but she was replaced as the Miss Colombia Organization lost the franchise to Miss Universe in June 2020. A new organization called Miss Universe Colombia, led by Natalie Ackermann, became in charge of selecting the representative for Miss Universe. Laura Olascuaga was the winner of the first edition of the pageant and represented Colombia in Miss Universe. On April 6, 2022, Aristizábal was appointed Miss Universe Colombia 2022 and represented Colombia at Miss Universe 2022.
Debuts, returns, and withdrawals
This edition marked the debut of Cameroon and the returns of Ghana and Russia, both of which had not competed since 2018. Tangia Zaman Methila of Bangladesh was set to compete but withdrew from the competition less than a month prior due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh and the imposition of additional lockdowns and travel restrictions. In addition to Bangladesh, eighteen other countries and territories withdrew due to the pandemic, including Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Germany, Guam, Kenya, Lithuania, Mongolia, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, and the US Virgin Islands. The withdrawal of Germany marked the first time it had not competed in the competition since its debut in 1952.
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 2020 | |
| 1st runner-up | |
| 2nd runner-up | |
| 3rd runner-up | |
| 4th runner-up | |
| Top 10 |
|
| Top 21 |
|
§ – Voted into the Top 21 by viewers
Special awards
| Award | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Best National Costume | |
| Fan Vote Winner | |
| Social Impact Award |
|
| Spirit of Carnival Award |
Pageant
Format
Due to restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miss Universe Organization implemented specific changes to the format of this edition. The number of semi-finalists was increased to twenty-one—the biggest since the pageant's inception in 1952. The results of the preliminary competition and closed-door interviews determined the twenty semi-finalists. The semi-finalists were selected in a round-robin system instead of the continental format used between 2017 and 2019. Internet voting returned, with fans being able to vote for one candidate to advance into the semi-finals, making the number of semi-finalists twenty-one. The twenty-one semi-finalists then competed directly in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to ten afterward. The ten semi-finalists competed in the evening gown competition, and the five finalists were later announced. The five finalists competed in the question-and-answer round and the closing statement.
Selection committee
- Sheryl Adkins-Green – American marketing executive
- Arden Cho – American actress
- Christine Duffy – American businesswoman
- Keltie Knight – Canadian television host
- Brook Lee – Miss Universe 1997 from the United States
- Deepica Mutyala – American entrepreneur
- Tatyana Orozco – Colombian businesswoman
- Zuleyka Rivera – Miss Universe 2006 from Puerto Rico
Contestants
Seventy-four contestants competed for the title.
