Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera Puerto Rico

Miss Universe 2006
Date: July 23, 2006 (2006-07-23)
Presenters: Carlos Ponce, Nancy O'Dell
Entertainment: Chelo, Vittorio Grigolo
Venue: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Broadcaster: NBC
Entrants: 86
Debuts: Kazakhstan
Withdraws: Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Vietnam
Returns: Argentina, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, Northern Marianas, St Lucia, Saint Martin, Sweden
Winner: Zuleyka Rivera
Represented: Puerto Rico
Miss Universe 2006, the 55th Miss Universe pageant, took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA. Unlike past events, it was held on Sunday, July 23, 2006 (almost two months later than usual). A live international broadcast was made on NBC.

The 2006 pageant is the first time the United States has been a host since 1998, and the second time for Los Angeles, which last hosted the pageant in 1990. The Republic of Kazakhstan was represented for the first time, while the following countries returned after some years of absence: Iceland (1997), New Zealand (2003), Argentina (2003), Saint Lucia (1977), Saint Martin (2000), Ghana (2004), Estonia (2004), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2004), Sweden (2004) and the Northern Mariana Islands (2002). The 2006 pageant also featured the most delegates in its history, with 86 delegates arriving in Los Angeles.

Natalie Glebova of Canada crowned her successor, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, at the conclusion of the two-hour show. Her reign was the longest ever in Miss Universe history: one year and two months, from the time she was crowned on May 31, 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Results
Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.
Miss Universe 2006: Zuleyka Rivera (Puerto Rico)
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up: Kurara Chibana (Japan)
2nd runner-up: Lauriane Gilliéron (Switzerland)
3rd runner-up: Lourdes Arévalos (Paraguay)
4th runner-up: Tara Conner (USA)
The Top 10 (alphabetic order after competing in swimsuit and evening gown): Desiree Durán Morales (Bolivia), Alice Panikian (Canada), Valerie Dominguez Tarud (Colombia), Priscila Perales (Mexico), Kenisha Thom (Trinidad & Tobago)
The Top 20 (alphabetic order after competing in swimsuit): Magali Romitelli (Argentina), Rafaela Zanella (Brazil), Betina Faurbiye (Denmark), Dina Fekadu (Ethiopia), Adrienn Bende (Hungary) , Neha Kapur (India), Anna Litvinova (Russia), Josephine Alhanko (Sweden), Charm Onwarin Osathanond (Thailand), Inna Tsymbalyuk (Ukraine)

Special awards
Congeniality: Angela Asare (Ghana)
Photogenic: Lia Andrea Ramos (Philippines)
National costume: Kurara Chibana (Japan)

Countries that placed for the first time are: Ukraine, Hungary and Ethiopia.
Countries that got called out to the semi-finals after a long period without placement are: Denmark (39 years), Argentina (27 years), Thailand (18 years), Bolivia (16 years) and Sweden (9 years).
Lauriane Gilliéron, 2nd runner-up became Switzerland's highest placement in Miss Universe, surpassing their 1983 record of 3rd runner-up.
Venezuela did not place for only the second time in the past 24 years.
Puerto Rico, with their fifth win, became the second most successful territory/state to compete at Miss Universe, after the USA.
Philippines won the Miss Photogenic award for the second consecutive year (and its sixth).
Japan won the Best National Costume award for the first time.
Contestants
Albania - Eralda Itaj
Angola - Isménia Júnior
Antigua and Barbuda - Shari McEwan
Argentina - Magalí Romitelli
Aruba - Melissa Vanessa Laclé
Australia - Erin McNaught
Bahamas - Samantha Carter
Belgium - Tatiana Silva
Bolivia - Desiree Durán Morales
Brazil - Rafaela Zanella
Bulgaria - Galena Dimova
Canada - Alice Panikian
Cayman Islands - Ambuyah Ebanks
Chile - Belén Montilla
China - Ying-Hui Gao
Colombia - Valerie Domínguez
Costa Rica - Fabriella Quesada
Croatia - Biljana Mancic
Cyprus - Eleni Ierodiakonoy
Czech Republic - Renata Langmannova
Denmark - Betina Faurbye
Dominican Republic - Mía Taveras
Ecuador - Katty Lopez
Egypt - Fawzia Mohamed
El Salvador - Rebeca Iraheta
Estonia - Kirke Klemmer
Ethiopia - Dina Fekadu
Finland - Ninni Laaksonen
France - Alexandra Rosenfeld
Georgia - Ekaterine Buadze
Germany - Natalie Ackermann
Ghana - Angela Asare
Greece - Olympia Hopsonidou
Guatemala - Jackelinne Piccinini
Guyana - Alana Ernest
Hungary - Adrienn Bende
Iceland - Sif Aradóttir
India - Neha Kapur
Indonesia - Nadine Chandrawinata
Ireland - Melanie Boreham
Israel - Anastacia Entin
Jamaica - Cindy Wright
Japan - Kurara Chibana
Kazakhstan - Dina Nuraliyeva
South Korea - Joo Hee Kim
Latvia - Sanita Kublina
Lebanon - Gabrielle Bou Rached
Malaysia - Melissa Ann Tan
Mauritius - Isabelle Antoo
Mexico - Priscila Perales
Namibia - Anna Nashandi
New Zealand - Elizabeth Gray
Nicaragua - Cristiana Frixione Mendoza
Nigeria - Tienepre Oki
Northern Mariana Islands - Shequita Bennett
Norway - Martine Jonassen
Panama - Alessandra Mezquita
Paraguay - Lourdes Arevalos
Peru - Fiorella Viñas
Philippines - Lia Andrea Ramos
Poland - Francys Sudnicka
Puerto Rico - Zuleyka Rivera
Russia - Anna Litvinova
Serbia and Montenegro - Nada Milinic
Singapore - Carol Cheong Yim Foon
Slovakia - Judita Hrubyova
Slovenia - Natasa Pinoza
South Africa - Thuli Sithole
Spain - Elisabeth Reyes
Sri Lanka - Jacqueline Fernandez
Saint Lucia - Sascha Andrew-Rose
Saint Martin - Gisella Hilliman
St. Vincent & the Grenadines - Shivern Peters
Sweden - Josephine Alhanko
Switzerland - Lauriane Gilliéron
Thailand - Charm Onwarin Osathanond
Trinidad and Tobago - Kenisha Thom
Turkey - Ceyla Kirazli
Turks & Caicos - Shaveena Been
Ukraine - Inna Tsymbalyuk
United Kingdom - Julie Doherty
Uruguay - Fatimih Davila
United States - Tara Conner
US Virgin Islands - Cassie Portam
Venezuela - Jictzad Viña
Zambia - Mofya Chisenga

Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006
Kurara Chibana, Miss Universe Japan 2006 and first runner-up
Thuli Sithole, Miss South Africa 2005The two tallest delegates are from West Africa: Miss Ghana (6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and Miss Nigeria (6 ft 1 in (1.85 m))
Four delegates have previously competed in the Miss World pageant. Trinidad and Tobago's Kenisha Thom represented her nation at Miss World 2004, and placed in the top 15. St. Lucia's Sascha Andrew-Rose also represented her nation at Miss World 2004, but failed to place. Lauriane Gilliéron of Switzerland and Tatiana Silva Braga Tavares of Belgium both competed at Miss World 2005 but failed to place as well.
Miss Indonesia, Nadine Chandrawinata, is half German.
The final competition evening gown for Miss USA Tara Conner was designed during a competition held on the reality television show Project Runway.
Miss Colombia's cousin was Miss Colombia 2005 (who failed to make the cut at Miss Universe 2005). Another cousin of hers is pop singer Shakira.
Miss Mauritius, Isabelle Antoo, is the sister of Miss Mauritius 2004, Magalie Antoo, who participated in the Miss Universe 2005 pageant in Thailand.
Miss Mexico, Priscila Perales went on to compete in the Miss International 2007 pageant and win the title. She is the first ever Miss Mexico international to win the title.
This year features the most delegates in the history of the pageant - 86.
Countries that sent delegates the previous year, but failed to send a delegate to this year's competition include: Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, and Vietnam.
Although selecting delegates, the British Virgin Islands and Portugal ultimately did not end up participating. The British Virgin Islands selected Deria Joseph, while Portugal was slated to be represented by Marina Rodrigues.
This is the first time Russia made the semifinals after the dethroning of Oxana Fedorova in 2002.
Nada Milinic, is the last contestant to represent Serbia & Montenegro at Miss Universe. In 2007, Serbia and Montenegro would send separate contestants because of the countries' division.
Zuleyka Rivera, the winner of Miss Universe 2006, had one of the shortest reigns of all, just about 10 months, since Miss Universe 2005, Miss Canada, won in May 2005.
Miss Puerto Rico Universe had been the 2nd-runner up in Miss Universe 2004, first runner-up in Miss Universe 2005, and winner in Miss Universe 2006.
Fabriella Quesada, Miss Costa Rica, would go on and win Miss Reina Internacional del Cafe 2007/Miss International Queen of Coffee 2007. The pageant was in Colombia. She also was Miss Teen International 2002.
Mia Taveras, Miss Dominican Republic, would go on and win Miss Continente Americano 2006/Miss American Continent 2006. The pageant was in Ecuador.
Cristiana Frixione, Miss Nicaragua, would go on and win World Miss University 2006 in South Korea