Miss Universe 2020

File:Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood 2 (June 2019).jpg in Hollywood, Florida, the venue of Miss Universe 2020.]]

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.Denying rumors that the pageant would be canceled or that the first runner-up in the previous pageant Madison Anderson from Puerto Rico would be crowned Miss Universe 2020.{{Cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/miss-universe-air-live-florida-may-d6441947f6c7ff8d9d430155ab975b8b |title=Miss Universe competition to air live from Florida in May |work=Associated Press |date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210304043804/https://apnews.com/article/miss-universe-air-live-florida-may-d6441947f6c7ff8d9d430155ab975b8b |archive-date=March 4, 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.{{cite news |url=http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/11/03/16/final-date-venue-of-next-miss-universe-pageant-announced |title=Final date, venue of next Miss Universe pageant announced |work=ABS-CBN News |date=November 3, 2016 |access-date=November 3, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512164426/https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/11/03/16/final-date-venue-of-next-miss-universe-pageant-announced |archive-date=May 12, 2019}}{{cite news |url=http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/242701/its-official-miss-universe-in-ph-will-push-through-dot/ |title=It's official: Miss Universe in PH will push through—DOT |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=November 3, 2016 |access-date=November 3, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512165937/https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/242701/its-official-miss-universe-in-ph-will-push-through-dot/ |archive-date=May 12, 2019}} 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.{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2021/03/03/miss-universe-competition-set-return-may-live-florida/6903053002/ |title=Miss Universe competition will return in May after a year-and-a-half delay |website=USA Today |date=March 3, 2021 |access-date=March 4, 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309160740/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2021/03/03/miss-universe-competition-set-return-may-live-florida/6903053002/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/miss-universe-competition-air-live-florida-76226217 |title=Miss Universe competition to air live from Florida in May |work=ABC News |date=March 3, 2021 |access-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-date=11 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311105510/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/miss-universe-competition-air-live-florida-76226217 |url-status=live }}

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 or participants from previous national pageants being appointed or casting processes taking place instead. Twenty-eight of the delegates were in this condition and they were: 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.

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.{{cite web |date=February 1, 2021 |title=Dhenia Covens doet gooi naar kroontje van Miss Universe 2020 |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210201_94428378 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |language=nl |newspaper=Het Nieuwsblad |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209121821/https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210201_94428378 |url-status=live }} Amandine Petit, Miss France 2021, was appointed to represent France instead of Clémence Botino, Miss France 2020. The switch happened due to a potential dates conflict between Miss Universe 2021 and Miss France 2022 in December 2021. Botino competed in the 2021 edition of the pageant.{{cite web |date=March 15, 2021 |title=La Caennaise Amandine Petit, Miss France 2021, concourra au titre de Miss Univers |url=https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/medias-people/la-caennaise-amandine-petit-miss-france-2021-concourra-au-titre-de-miss-univers-1615833393 |access-date=March 15, 2021 |website=France Bleu |language=fr |archive-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005221652/https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/medias-people/la-caennaise-amandine-petit-miss-france-2021-concourra-au-titre-de-miss-univers-1615833393 |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2021 |title=Piękna Polka doznała niebezpiecznego urazu. To koniec marzeń o Miss Universe. Wiadomo, kto zastąpi Miss Polski 2019 |url=https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/gwiazdy/piekna-polka-magdalena-kasiborska-doznala-niebezpiecznego-urazu-to-koniec-marzen-o-miss-universe-wiadomo-kto-zastapi-miss-polski-2019-to-natalia-pigula-aa-t3MH-Xwsi-tEXe.html |access-date=March 27, 2021 |language=pl |newspaper=Super Express }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=June 3, 2020 |title=María Fernanda Aristizábal ya no representará a Colombia en Miss Universo |url=https://noticias.caracoltv.com/entretenimiento/maria-fernanda-aristizabal-ya-no-representara-a-colombia-en-miss-universo |access-date=May 5, 2022 |website=Noticias Caracol |language=spanish |archive-date=26 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026144100/https://noticias.caracoltv.com/entretenimiento/maria-fernanda-aristizabal-ya-no-representara-a-colombia-en-miss-universo |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=November 16, 2020 |title=Laura Olascuaga, from Bolívar, new Miss Universe Colombia |url=https://www.eluniversal.com.co/farandula/laura-olascuaga-de-bolivar-nueva-miss-universe-colombia-FL3805340 |access-date=November 16, 2020 |language=es |newspaper=El Universal |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131003938/https://www.eluniversal.com.co/farandula/laura-olascuaga-de-bolivar-nueva-miss-universe-colombia-FL3805340 |url-status=live }} On April 6, 2022, due to a change in the Miss Universe rules, Aristizábal was appointed Miss Universe Colombia 2022 and represented Colombia at Miss Universe 2022.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-04-06 |title=María Fernanda Aristizábal representará a Colombia en el Miss Universo 2022 |url=https://www.elheraldo.co/sociedad/maria-fernanda-aristizabal-ira-miss-universo-2022-899913 |access-date=May 5, 2022 |website=El Heraldo |language=es |archive-date=14 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414010119/https://www.elheraldo.co/sociedad/maria-fernanda-aristizabal-ira-miss-universo-2022-899913 |url-status=live }}

This edition marked the debut of Cameroon and the returns of Ghana and Russia, both of which had not competed since 2018. The only voluntary withdrawal of a candidate was from 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.{{cite web |date=20 April 2021 |title=Tangia Zaman Methila will not participate in Miss Universe 2020 |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/showtime/2021/04/20/tangia-zaman-methila-will-not-participate-in-miss-universe-2020 |work=Dhaka Tribune |access-date=20 April 2021 |archive-date=22 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522011321/https://www.dhakatribune.com/showtime/2021/04/20/tangia-zaman-methila-will-not-participate-in-miss-universe-2020 |url-status=live }} In addition to Bangladesh, a record of eighteen other countries and territories withdrew due to the franchise owners change or the restrictions caused by the pandemics including Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Germany, Guam, Kenya, Lithuania, Mongolia, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, and the United States Virgin Islands. The withdrawal of Germany marked the first time it had not competed in the competition since its debut in 1952.{{cite web |last=Requintina |first=Robert |date=April 24, 2021 |title=19 countries back out of 69th Miss Universe pageant due to COVID-19 |url=https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/24/19-countries-back-out-of-69th-miss-universe-pageant-due-to-covid-19/ |work=Manila Bulletin |access-date=27 April 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428030707/https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/24/19-countries-back-out-of-69th-miss-universe-pageant-due-to-covid-19/ |url-status=live }}

File:Miss Universe 2020 map.png

§ – Voted into the Top 21 by viewers

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.{{Cite web |date=May 14, 2021 |title=Only 1 Q&A? Format of 69th Miss Universe revealed |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/14/21/only-1-qampa-format-of-69th-miss-universe-revealed |access-date=May 3, 2022 |website=ABS-CBN News |archive-date=13 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613073945/https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/14/21/only-1-qampa-format-of-69th-miss-universe-revealed |url-status=live }}

• Sheryl Adkins-Green – American marketing executive{{cite tweet|user=MissUniverse |number=1392223293579698179 |title=Girl gang Part 1: Meet our Selection Committee members!}}{{cite tweet|user=MissUniverse |number=1392223375775371265 |title=Girl gang Part 2: Meet our Selection Committee members!}}
• 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

Seventy-four contestants competed for the title.{{cite web|url=https://www.missuniverse.com/vote|title=Delegates|website=Miss Universe|access-date=April 9, 2021|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417173059/https://www.missuniverse.com/vote|url-status=live}}

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{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.missuniverse.com}}

{{Miss Universe}}

{{Miss Universe 2020 delegates}}

{{Miss Universe countries and territories}}

2020

Category:2020 beauty pageants

Category:2021 beauty pageants

Category:2021 in Florida

Category:2021 in the United States

Category:Beauty pageants in the United States

Category:May 2021 in the United States

Category:Events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Miss Universe