NASSAU, Bahamas - Miss Venezuela was the fairest of
them all, again.
Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez won the 2009 Miss Universe pageant
in the Bahamas on Sunday night.
Dressed in a flowing red gown, Fernandez embraced runner up Miss
Dominican Republic as the announcement was made, and received the
crown from last year's winner, Dayana Mendoza, of Venezuela. The
sparkling tiara fell to the floor at one point, as Fernandez danced
in joy.
Venezuela, a beauty-obsessed South American country, has won the
Miss Universe pageant six times.
During a question-and-answer segment with the five top
finalists, Fernandez said she believed women have overcome
obstacles such as hitting the proverbial glass ceiling.
"I feel we have reached the level that men are at," she
said.
The other top-five finalists were runner-up Ada Aimee de la
Cruz, followed by Miss Kosovo, Droga Ganusha; Miss Australia,
Rachael Finch; and Miss Puerto Rico, Mayra Matos Perez.
The top 15 finalists appeared in bathing suits before the final
10 were chosen for the evening gown segment.
Pageant co-owner Donald Trump told reporters, "I think this is
the most beautiful group of women I've ever seen."
The televised event includes musical performances by Flo Rida,
Heidi Montag, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland.
Montag gave her first live performance, singing "Body Language"
from her debut album.
Fans cheered on the blond star of MTV's "The Hills," although
NBC, which is broadcasting the event in the Bahamas live, blocked
out more than half of her performance as they introduced the 15
finalists.
"It's my first performance live and it's in front of a billion
eyes. So I'm very excited to show everyone what I'm coming with,"
said Montag before her performance.
Hosts are Billy Bush, co-anchor of "Access Hollywood," and
Claudia Jordan, a former Miss Rhode Island USA who has appeared on
several TV shows. Judges include actor Dean Cain and supermodel
Valeria Mazza.
Miss China, Wang Jingyao, was named Miss Congeniality and Miss
Thailand, Chutima Durongdej, won Miss Photogenic.
Many contestants have suffered from dehydration in recent weeks,
and Jewel Selver, Miss Turks and Caicos, went home Saturday to
recuperate, said Esther Swan, Miss Universe spokeswoman.
