Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel crowned Miss Universe 2022: Details here
The world's most popular beauty pageant Miss Universe has concluded, and R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States has been crowned the winner! The 28-year-old diva is active in multiple fields; she is a model, fashion designer, sewing instructor, and an active contributor to environmental preservation too. Earlier, she also had the honor of being the first Filipino-American to win the Miss USA title. Congratulations!
Take a look at the winning moment here
The new Miss Universe is USA!!! #MISSUNIVERSE pic.twitter.com/7vryvLV92Y
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) January 15, 2023
India's Divita Rai missed the top 5 mark
To note, this was the 71st edition of the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Dominican Republic Andreína Martínez and Miss Venezuela Amanda Dudamel were also in the top three. Divita Rai, a 25-year-old architect and model, has represented India though she could not make it to the top five. She was, however, in the final 16. Rai was crowned Miss Diva Universe 2022 last August.
Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu crowned new Miss Universe
Keeping up with the age-old tradition, India's Harnaaz Sandhu—who brought glory to the country after winning the prestigious accolade in 2021—handed over the crown to Miss USA and the newly chosen Miss Universe, Gabriel. A visibly emotional Sandhu held back her tears while taking up the stage one last time and thanked the Miss Universe Organization for "helping [her] to make her voice heard."
A heavily emotional Harnaaz Sandhu took the stage
Hold back tears as @HarnaazKaur takes the stage one last time as Miss Universe! #MISSUNIVERSE pic.twitter.com/L0PrH0rzYw
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) January 15, 2023
This was the question that eventually decided results
Naturally, the beauty pageant is more than just glitz and glamor, as contestants are also tested on their ability to come up with impressive, confident answers. This time, the final question was, "If you win Miss Universe, how will you work to demonstrate this is an empowering and progressive organization?" Separately, they were also asked the ways to handle pressure.
Know more about Miss Universe 2022
Reportedly, Gabriel was born in Texas to a Filipino father and an American mother. In 2020, she participated in the Miss Kemah contest, where she ended up in the top five. She subsequently participated in the Miss Texas USA 2021 and 2022 and finally won it in 2022! She is followed by 189K people on Instagram and often posts about sustainable clothing.
Event was postponed to avoid major clash
The extravagant event was supposed to be held in December 2022, but it was postponed to avoid a clash with the hugely popular FIFA World Cup, which took place between November 20, 2022, and December 18, 2022, in Qatar. A total of 86 beauty queens battled it out this year. The event was held in New Orleans and telecasted live on The Roku Channel.
