CNN
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Shenice Palacios from Nicaragua was crowned Miss Universe 2023 at the culmination of the annual beauty pageant, which was held on Saturday evening in the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador. Antonia Porsild from Thailand took second place.
National pageant winners from 84 countries competed in this year’s Miss Universe pageant, which was judged by a panel that included supermodel Halima Aden, “Queer Eye” star Carson Kressley, TikTok influencer Avani Gregg, and two former Miss Universe winners, Janelle COMIG from Trinidad and Tobago. (Miss Universe 1977) and Iris Mittenaere from France (Miss Universe 2016).
Twenty semi-finalists were announced at the start of Saturday night’s proceedings following the results of the preliminary competition (and global fan voting). After the swimsuit round, the field was narrowed to 10 – seeing elimination The first contestant, “The Zigzag”. To reach the semi-finals of the competition, Miss Nepal, as well as the first contestant to choose the burkini as a swimsuit, Miss Pakistan. The evening gown round has halved the number of contestants once again.
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Shenise Palacios, Miss Nicaragua, competes in the evening gown round. Her look was characterized by ornate beading and an extravagant floor-length cape.
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For the swimsuit round, Palacios wore a two-piece with delicate pink ruffles.
Then, two rounds of questions and answers on a hot topic left only three women in the competition: Palacios, Porsild and second runner-up Murraya Wilson of Australia.
When asked in the final round who she would choose to spend the day in her life, Palacios chose 18th-century British philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who she said broke boundaries and “gave a chance to so many women.”
“There are no restrictions on women today,” she added through a translator.
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Newly crowned Palacios waves to the crowd at the Miss Universe final.
Miss Colombia, Camila Avila, and Miss Puerto Rico, Carla Guelfo, occupied the top five places, while another member of the top ten, the Spanish Athena Perez, was crowned Miss Manners.
Palacios succeeds Miss Universe 2022Rabboni Gabriel from USA.