Miss Universe 2021 winners

India wins 3rd Miss Universe crown

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Harnaaz Sandhu of India won for her country their 3rd Miss Universe title, besting 79 other hopefuls joining the pageant's 70th anniversary. She joins the roster of former Indian queens - Sushmita Sen (1994) and Lara Dutta (2000). In the final question, Harnaaz gave a very sound advice to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today.

Her court is comprised of Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay and Lalela Mswane of South Africa, runners-up in descending order.

The competition began with artiste Noa Kirel doing an upbeat number with the delegates in the opening number. The semifinal round commenced with the Top 16 contestants wearing Gottex swimwear of their choice. And the Top 10 round saw the ladies in their evening finery.

The two other ladies who joined the elite Top 5 finalists were Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Luigi Gomez and Miss Universe Colombia 2021 Valeria Ayos. Bea has continued the country's 12-year semifinal streak, creating a new record in Miss Universe history.

The other lucky ladies who advanced to the Top 10 were:

- Clémence Botino, France

- Elle Smith, USA

- Thessaly Zimmerman, Aruba

- Chantel O'Brian, Bahamas (who achieved this feat for the very first time in the pageant's 70-year history), and

- Michelle Marie Colon, Puerto Rico

The other candidates who made it to the Top 16 were:

- Nandita Banna, Singapore

- Brenda Smith, Panama

- Juri Watanabe, Japan

- Emma Collingridge, Great Britain

- Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen, Vietnam (who qualified through the online poll), and

- Luiseth Materan, Venezuela

This year's selection committee was comprised of Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima, entrepreneur Lori Harvey, Adamari Lopez, Rena Sofer, Miss Universe India 2015 Urvashi Rautela, and Filipino actress Marian Rivera-Dantes.

A poignant moment happened during the Final Look when the gospel anthem "Hallelujah" was sung in English, Hebrew, and Arabic - bringing to the fore the candidates' journey of enlightenment in and around Israel: from the shores of the Dead Sea, the temples of Caesarea, the pilgrims' Western Wall, and the historic Tower of David.

Hosted by Steve Harvey, the three-hour extravaganza was beamed live to a nationwide audience, locally, through the A2Z channel 11 network, and via Fox and Telemundo channels in the Americas.