At the end of the event,
Natalie Glebova of
Canada crowned
Zuleyka Rivera of
Puerto Rico as Miss Universe 2006.[2][3] It is Puerto Rico's fifth victory in the pageant's history. After the show, Rivera passed out due to the weight of her dress but quickly recovered.[4][5][6]
Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, venue for Miss Universe 2006
Location and date
Due to the lack of interest of several cities from hosting the pageant, the Miss Universe Organization decided to hold the pageant in July instead of May. The Miss Universe Organization confirmed that the 2006 edition will be held at the
Shrine Auditorium in
Los Angeles,
California on July 23, 2006. It is the first time in eight years that pageant took place in the
United States. The last time that the United States hosted the pageant was in
1998 in
Honolulu,
Hawaii.[9][10]
Selection of participants
Contestants from eighty-six countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Three contestants were appointed to their position after being a runner-up of their national pageant, or to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements
Suada Sherfi, Miss Albania 2005, was supposed to represent her country at Miss Universe. However, Sherfi withdrew after declining the request of photographer Fadil Berisha to reduce the size of her nose. Sherfi was replaced by Eralda Hitaj.[11] Gao Ying Hui, the first runner-up of Miss Universe China 2006, was appointed to represent
China at Miss Universe after Qi Fang, Miss Universe China 2006, was dethroned after violating the rules in her contract.[12]
Debuts, returns and withdrawals
This edition marked the debut of Kazakhstan, and the returns of Argentina, the Cayman Islands, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, the Northern Mariana Islands, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, and Sweden. Saint Lucia last competed in
1977; Iceland last competed in
1997; Sint Maarten last competed in
2000; the Northern Mariana Islands last competed in
2002; Argentina and New Zealand last competed in
2003; while the others last competed in
2004. Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Vietnam withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Silva Shahakian of
Iraq was set to compete at Miss Universe. However, Shahakian withdrew after hiding from Islamic militants who reportedly threatened to kill her along with other contestants who competed in the Miss Iraq pageant.[13]
Results
Miss Universe 2006 participating countries and territories.
The Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition. The number of semifinalists was increased to 20 instead of the traditional 15.[20] This is due to the host city not paying for the promotion, which spared the telecast by seven minutes. 20 semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The top 20 competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to the top 10 afterward. The top 10 competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to the top 5 afterward.[21][22]
^On 3 June 2006, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro dissolved, with Serbia and Montenegro becoming separate countries. However, they still competed as a single country.
^Tezel, Cenker; Kizginyurek, Mustafa (3 May 2006).
"Taç dalgıç güzelin oldu". Hürriyet (in Turkish).
Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
At the end of the event,
Natalie Glebova of
Canada crowned
Zuleyka Rivera of
Puerto Rico as Miss Universe 2006.[2][3] It is Puerto Rico's fifth victory in the pageant's history. After the show, Rivera passed out due to the weight of her dress but quickly recovered.[4][5][6]
Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, venue for Miss Universe 2006
Location and date
Due to the lack of interest of several cities from hosting the pageant, the Miss Universe Organization decided to hold the pageant in July instead of May. The Miss Universe Organization confirmed that the 2006 edition will be held at the
Shrine Auditorium in
Los Angeles,
California on July 23, 2006. It is the first time in eight years that pageant took place in the
United States. The last time that the United States hosted the pageant was in
1998 in
Honolulu,
Hawaii.[9][10]
Selection of participants
Contestants from eighty-six countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Three contestants were appointed to their position after being a runner-up of their national pageant, or to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements
Suada Sherfi, Miss Albania 2005, was supposed to represent her country at Miss Universe. However, Sherfi withdrew after declining the request of photographer Fadil Berisha to reduce the size of her nose. Sherfi was replaced by Eralda Hitaj.[11] Gao Ying Hui, the first runner-up of Miss Universe China 2006, was appointed to represent
China at Miss Universe after Qi Fang, Miss Universe China 2006, was dethroned after violating the rules in her contract.[12]
Debuts, returns and withdrawals
This edition marked the debut of Kazakhstan, and the returns of Argentina, the Cayman Islands, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, the Northern Mariana Islands, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, and Sweden. Saint Lucia last competed in
1977; Iceland last competed in
1997; Sint Maarten last competed in
2000; the Northern Mariana Islands last competed in
2002; Argentina and New Zealand last competed in
2003; while the others last competed in
2004. Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Vietnam withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Silva Shahakian of
Iraq was set to compete at Miss Universe. However, Shahakian withdrew after hiding from Islamic militants who reportedly threatened to kill her along with other contestants who competed in the Miss Iraq pageant.[13]
Results
Miss Universe 2006 participating countries and territories.
The Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition. The number of semifinalists was increased to 20 instead of the traditional 15.[20] This is due to the host city not paying for the promotion, which spared the telecast by seven minutes. 20 semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The top 20 competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to the top 10 afterward. The top 10 competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to the top 5 afterward.[21][22]
^On 3 June 2006, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro dissolved, with Serbia and Montenegro becoming separate countries. However, they still competed as a single country.
^Tezel, Cenker; Kizginyurek, Mustafa (3 May 2006).
"Taç dalgıç güzelin oldu". Hürriyet (in Turkish).
Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.