Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is hailed as the Miss Universe 2015. (Photo : Twitter/@ohteenquotes)
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, 26, was crowned as the Miss Universe 2015 at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino, following the announcement of wrong winner on Dec. 20.
Wutzbach emerged as the winner among 80 contestants across the globe and got the crown and title as Miss Universe, which was previously heald by Miss Colombia Paulina Vega, as per US News.
Hosted by Steve Harvey and Roselyn Sanchez, the former erroneously announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as Miss Universe 2015, putting Miss Philippines to second place. However, Harvey admitted minutes after that there was a mistake in his announcement. Miss United States Olivia Jordan landed as second runner-up in the 2015 pageant.
"It was my mistake," Harvey apologized.
The 80 contestants were trimmed down to 15 semi-finalists. They included Miss Thailand (Aniporn Chlerburanawong), Miss Mexico (Wendy Esparza), Miss Japan (Ariana Miyamoto), Miss Belgium (Annelies Toros), Miss Curacao (Kanisha Sluis), Miss France (Flora Coquerel), Miss Dominican Republic (Clarissa Molina), and Miss Indonesia (Anindya Kusuma Putri).
The other seven included Miss South Africa (Refilwe Mthimunye), Miss Venezuela (Mariana Jimenez), Miss Australia (Monika Radulovic), Miss Brazil (Marthina Brandt), Miss USA (Jordan), Miss Colombia (Gutierrez), and Miss Philippines (Wurtzbach).
Emmitt Smith, Niece Nash, and Miss USA 2012 Olivia Culpo served as judges in the pageant. They evaluated the 80 Miss Universe 2015 contestants across the globe in the swimsuit, evening gown, and interview competition.
The contestants were narrowed down to ten contestants, after the swimsuit competition. They included Miss USA, Miss Japan, Miss Australia, Miss France, Miss Philippines, Miss Venezuela, Miss Curacao, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Thailand, and Miss Colombia.
Following the evening gown competition, the contestant pool narrowed down to five - Miss France, Miss USA, Miss Philippines, Miss Australia, and Miss Philippines.
During the question and answer portion, the top five got a question each and had one chance to answer it.
Miss Australia was asked about legalizing Marijuana in Australia. She said that legalization had been proven to be beneficial in helping people in certain circumstances, such as in treating cancer, but the government should weigh up both sides.
When Miss France was asked on how to fight terrorism in line with Paris attacks, she said they had to know where the problems originate and find the problem at its heart.
Miss Colombia was asked for her view on ways to handle drug abuse and she said that education begins at home.
Miss USA almost ran out of time when asked about gun control. According to Miss USA, individuals had the right to protect themselves, but the United States needed stronger regulations.
Miss Philippines was asked if the U.S. should have a military presence in the Philippines. She said that the U.S. and the Philippines had a good relationship with each other. She added that they had been colonized by the Americans and they had their culture. For Miss Philippines, the country was very welcoming with the Americans and she did not see any problem with that at all.
After the question and answer portion, Miss USA, Miss Colombia, and Miss Philippines emerged as the top three. The ladies answered one single question: "Why should you be the next Miss Universe?"
Miss USA was first asked why she would be the next one to be crowned as Miss Universe. She said that she was passionate and driven. For Miss USA, she wanted to believe in themselves and be themselves. She also wanted equality for men and women and to empower women all over the world, according to Las Vegas Sun.
When it was Miss Colombia's turn, she said that she should be the next Miss Universe, since she had all the attributes that a Latin woman and a Colombian woman had, a woman that was full of feeling, and a Miss Universe should have for all of her events.
Miss Philippines was the last one to voice her thoughts on the reason why she should be the next Miss Universe. She said that the title was an honor with responsibilities. She added that she would shine the light on youth and should raise awareness to causes like the spread of HIV. For Miss Philippines, she was confidently beautiful with a heart.
During the pageant, Charlie Puth, The Band Perry, and Seal performed. The pageant concluded with tears and shock, with Miss Colombia as the first runner-up and Miss Philippines as Miss Universe 2015.
