FAVORITES: 71st Miss Universe preliminary swimsuit competition

Eighty-four contestants confidently walked the stage wearing their Jacqueline Aguilera swimsuits, personalized capes, and Jojo Bragais shoes during the 71st Miss Universe preliminary competition on Wednesday, January 11 in New Orleans.

Based on their preliminary swimsuit presentations, meet our favorites:


TOP 5

(in alphabetical order)

Aruba - Kiara Arends

Dominican Republic - Andreína Martínez

Puerto Rico - Ashley Cariño

USA - R'Bonney Gabriel

Venezuela - Amanda Dudamel

Top 10 - Australia, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam

Photos: Benjamin Askinas / Miss Universe Organization

RELATED POSTS:


Popular posts from this blog

Mexico's Andrés Briseño wins Mister International 2026

Image
The 18th Mister International pageant wrapped up with an electrifying final show on Saturday, September 26 at MCC Hall Bangkapi in Bangkok, Thailand. Andrés Briseño, a 21-year-old athlete and law student from Mexico, was proclaimed Mister International 2026. This remarkable achievement marks a historic moment as he becomes the first Mexican ever to claim this prestigious title. Ignacio Monclus of Spain was named first runner-up, while Indonesia's Gede Aiswarya Kartika, Turkey's Doğukan Navdar, Vietnam's Nguyen Vu Linh, and Sri Lanka's Ravindu Wijesooriya secured the second, third, fourth, and fifth runner-up positions respectively. Rounding out the Top 10 were impressive competitors from Nigeria (Abure Ebosetale), the Philippines (John Wayne Alba), Korea (Jung Gyu Park), and Thailand (Waranyu Tharasiriwattanakul). The rest of the Top 20 were from Australia (Dylan Mahoney), Canada (Maverick Service), Iraq (Mustafa Bayati), the Netherlands (Yannick Tavernier), Northern Cy...
Read more

Who will win Mister International 2026? Pageant details and where to vote

Image
Mister International 2026, the 18th Mister International pageant, is currently taking place in Thailand with 52 contestants from across the globe competing for the coveted title. Making their inaugural appearances this year are Cabo Verde, Iraq, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Tajikistan. Among the returning countries are Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Honduras, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, and the USA. The much-awaited final competition is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 at MCC Hall in Bangkok. Secure your tickets for the ultimate showdown right here . Reigning Mister International Kirk Bondad of the Philippines will pass on his title following the conclusion of the competition. Fans can vote via Eventista to support their favorite contestants in the categories of Mister Photogenic, Mister Influencer, and Mister People's Choice. Contestants receiving the most votes in each category will advance ...
Read more

Miss Universe Mexico 2026 is María Vargas of Jalisco

Image
María Vargas of Jalisco beat over 30 other contestants to win Miss Universe Mexico 2026 on Saturday, August 29 at Tierra Sagrada in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. The 28-year-old model and businesswoman from Guadalajara will represent Mexico at Miss Universe 2026 in Puerto Rico this November. Mariana Macías of Michoacán finished as first runner-up while Fernanda Abaroa of Guerrero, Génesis Vera of Veracruz, and Ximena Ochoa of Ciudad de México placed second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. The contestants from Colima, María Zepeda, Morelos, Zayda Ríos, Nuevo León, Arisbe Cueto, Oaxaca, Estefany Luna, and Tabasco, Ximena Aranda were the Top 10 finalists. Top 16 semifinalists were from Baja California, Samantha Bastidas, Baja California Sur, Zelene Zazueta, Durango, Isela Hernández, Guanajuato, Cristina Muñoz, Sinaloa, Cristina Guillén, and Yucatán, Carla Osorio. Miss Universe 2025 beauties Lina Luaces from Cuba and Inna Moll from Chile were among the distinguished judges of...
Read more

Mister International titleholders from 2006-2026

Image
The Mister International pageant, a celebrated event in the world of male beauty, was established in 2006 in Singapore by Alan Sim, its original president and founder. After the unfortunate passing of Sim, the pageant relocated its headquarters to Bangkok, Thailand, where it is now guided by the current president, Pradit Pradinunt. In a significant change starting in 2023, the Mister International organization opened its doors to fathers, married men, and divorced men aged 18-33, allowing a broader range of contestants to participate. The annual Mister International competition is recognized as one of the premier male beauty pageants in the world. Meet the titleholders from 2006-2026: 2006: Lebanon - Wissam Hanna 2007: Brazil - Alan Bianco Martini 2008: Vietnam - Ngo Tien Doan 2009: Bolivia - Bruno Kettels 2010: Great Britain - Ryan Terry 2011: Brazil - César Curti 2012: Lebanon - Ali Hammoud (resigned) 2013: Venezuela - José Anmer Paredes 2014: Philippines - Neil Perez 2015: ...
Read more

Miss Universe Hong Kong 2026 is Jennifer Kraft Zhou

Image
Jennifer Kraft Zhou was crowned the winner of the Miss Universe Hong Kong 2026 pageant on Friday, September 18 at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. The 27-year-old content creator surpassed 14 other contestants to secure the title. She received her crown from her predecessor, last year's champion Lizzie Li. Alexis Leung and Angeline Leung earned the positions of first and second runners-up, respectively. Melanie Siu and Kevina Kwong completed the Top 5 finalists. The newly crowned Miss Universe Hong Kong will compete for Hong Kong at the 75th Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2026) competition in Puerto Rico this November. "I won. I'm very thankful for all your support. It's very emotional,," Jennifer expressed on social media, extending her gratitude to her dedicated online community as well as her family and friends for standing by her. Photo: Miss Universe Hong Kong
Read more

Miss Universe Tanzania 2026 is Queen Elizabeth Makune

Image
Queen Elizabeth Makune was crowned Miss Universe Tanzania 2026 last Sunday, September 20 at Haddy Pro Hall, Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam. The 30-year-old public servant and health advocate from Mwanza beat over 20 other contestants to win the national pageant. She succeeds last year's winner Naisae Yona and will now prepare to represent Tanzania at the 75th Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2026) in Puerto Rico this November. The runners-up Merikaii Wavii (first), Sandra Giovinazzo (second), Melinda Enock (third), and Mariam Cosmas (fourth) were respectively awarded the titles Miss Supranational, Miss Charm, Miss Face of Humanity and Miss Aura Tanzania titles. The new Miss Universe Tanzania is not a stranger to beauty pageants. She is a former Miss Tanzania (Miss World Tanzania) winner who participated in Miss World 2018 in Sanya, China. "Sometimes, you only understand the journey when you look back and see how every chapter prepared you for the next. In 2018, I wore the crown as Mis...
Read more

Jordan returns to the Miss Universe pageant after 66 years

Image
Jordan is making an exciting return to Miss Universe after 66 years of absence with Destiny Anbar, a data engineer and esports advocate currently based in Texas, USA. The newly appointed Miss Universe Jordan 2026 will proudly represent Jordan at the Miss Universe 2026 pageant, which will be held in Puerto Rico this November. No stranger to pageantry, Destiny has graced the Miss Texas USA stage before, advancing to the semifinals in both 2023 and 2024. Situated in Southwest Asia in the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula, Jordan is famous for its ancient archaeological sites, especially Petra—the former Nabatean capital built around 300 B.C. The Arab country last participated back in 1960 with Helen Giatanapoulus and hasn't been represented since then. Photo: Miss Universe Jordan / Instagram
Read more

Miss Universe Venezuela 2025 is Clara Vegas of Miranda

Image
Clara Vegas triumphed over 21 other contestants to win the title of Miss Universe Venezuela 2025 on Thursday, December 4 in Caracas. The 23-year-old model and actress from Miranda will represent Venezuela at the Miss Universe 2026 pageant to be held in Puerto Rico. Maria Evangelista Alayon of Amazonas was named first runner-up while Milena Paola Soto of Mérida, Gabriela de la Cruz of Yaracuy, and Gabriela Villegas of Monagas were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Completing the Top 12 were the representatives of  Barinas, Anabelly Ojeda, Bolívar, Yosdanny Navarro, Delta Amacuro, Kelly Maita, Dependencias Federales, Valentina Martínez, Portuguesa, Génesis Mendoza, Sucre, Rosangel Mundaraín, and Táchira, Valeria del Amor. The new Miss Universe Venezuela was crowned by her predecessor Stephany Abasali who placed second runner-up at Miss Universe 2025 last month in Thailand. Clara is the daughter of former Miss Venezuela Andreína Goetz who made the Top 10 at...
Read more

South Carolina's Tess Ferm crowned Miss America's Teen 2026

Image
South Carolina's Tess Ferm bested 51 other contestants to win Miss America's Teen 2026 on Saturday, September 6 at the Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida. The 18-year-old student and food allergy advocate from Charleston succeeds Peyton Bolling of Arkansas. She became me the third winner from South Carolina after Taylor Fitch (2009) and Rachel Wyatt (2013). Sara DeVolld of Sara DeVolld was named first runner-up while Emma Fossum of Texas, Delaney Higgins of New Jersey, and Ashton Blake Hart of District of Columbia were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Reagan Khloe Moore of Georgia, Jasmine Wu of California, Fiona Treiber of Iowa, Allison Payton of Ohio, Mila Pearl of Oregon, and Lynzi Allen of Pennsylvania completed the Top 11 semifinalists. The newly crowned Miss America's Teen is a graduate of Porter-Gaud and is set to begin her freshman year at Furman University. She is dedicated to advocating food alle...
Read more