Miss NZ out of universe competition – Stuff.co.nz
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Miss Angola Leila Lopes is crowned by Miss Universe 2010 Ximena Navarrete of Mexico after being named Miss Universe 2011 in Sao Paulo
Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup waves after finishing as third runner-up in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo
Miss China Luo Zilin in the evening gown segment of the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo
The final contestants of the Miss Universe 2011 pageant stand on stage after the swimsuit segment in Sao Paulo
Misses Angola, Ukraine and Brazil await the judges’ final decision during the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo
Miss France Laury Thilleman walks on stage as she is chosen as a finalist in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo
Miss Universe New Zealand 2011 Priyani Puketapu introduces herself during a presentation show in Sao Paulo
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Miss Universe New Zealand Priyani Puketapu has failed to make the top 16 in this year’s 2011 Miss Universe pageant.
Miss Angola Leila Lopes, a business student from the town of Benguela in her home country, was crowned Miss Universe on Monday after dazzling a panel of judges with her beauty and impressing them with her brain.
Ms Puketapu, 20, who is also Miss Wellington, has been with the other 88 contestants in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the past two weeks leading up to the final.
Ms Puketapu, who was crowned Miss New Zealand in May, put her communication studies at Massey University on hold while she worked part-time with her father at Levin’s Alliance Group processing plant packing meat.
Her mother Cindy Puketapu earlier said the meatworks job helped her daughter earn money during her reign and gave her spending money for the Miss Universe pageant in Brazil.
The pageant paid for flights and accommodation for the international competition, but Ms Puketapu did not get an allowance. She told TV show Marae Investigates this week that getting paid to be queen would be a bonus as it was hard to juggle a job and her Miss Universe New Zealand duties.
“She is a girl that doesn’t expect handouts. She is happy to go out there and work hard. She comes from a family of six children,” Mrs Puketapu said.
Lopes takes her place as the winner of the 60th annual Miss Universe pageant.
The 25-year-old laughed and smiled as she hugged runner-up Miss Ukraine Olesia Stefanko, as the crown was placed on her head at the pageant held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Earlier in the contest, Lopes had been asked what she might change about her physical characteristics if she could, but Lopes said she was satisfied with who she was.
”I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty,” she told the judges and the audience. ”I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family, and I plan to follow those through the rest of my life.”
On Friday, Ms Puketapu posed in her national costume, as well as in a swimsuit and evening gown for the preliminary competition.
Lopes had worn a bright bikini, then paraded around the stage with poise in a form-fitting evening gown colored in gold and silver sequins and feathers.
The panelists, who ranged from race car driver Helio Castroneves to actress Vivica Fox and journalist Connie Chung, scored the women on each contest, narrowing from a group of 16 down to a final five that included women from China, the Philippines and the home country, Brazil. In all, 89 women competed for the title.
The top 16 candidates were: Philippines, France, Kosovo, Colombia, China, Angola, Australia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Netherlands, USA, Ukraine, Panama, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Venezuela, as reported by the Philippines Sun Star.
- Shabnam Dastgheib, The Dominion Post and Reuters