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Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel became the 71st Miss Universe this Saturday, January 14, after defeating 83 competitors. She impressed the judges with her interviews, swimsuit rounds, and choice of evening gown at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in Louisiana, United States.
While she was honored with the Miss Universe crown, Amanda Dudamel from Venezuela became the first runner-up, and Dominican Republic's Andreina Martinez ranked third.
After the three ladies reached the top 3, they were all asked the same question:
"If you win Miss Universe, how will you work to demonstrate this is an empowering and progressive organization?"
R'Bonney Gabriel failed to impress the viewers with her answer. She stated how she wants to use “fashion as a force for good” and explained how she uses recycled materials for sewing clothes. R’Bonney also took the opportunity to mention how she gives away sewing machines to victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. While taking eight more seconds than the time limit, she also said:
“And I say that because it is so important to invest in others invest in our community, and use your unique talent to make a difference.”
On the other hand, Andreina Martinez stated how she will use her "leadership and determination" to communicate and become the ambassador for the Miss Universe Organization. Venezuela's Amanda Dudamel impressed the audience by stating how she will encourage women who "inspire with their messages and transform with their actions."
This is why viewers watching the pageant were shocked after Gabriel was announced as the winner of the crown. They felt that the US authorities "bought" the crown and asked them not to be "Latinophobic," as both Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are Latin American countries.
Fans feel that Venezuela or the Dominican Republic should have won the Miss Universe 2023 title
In the final round, viewers believed Gabriel could not give a proper answer to the question and only explained her career. However, Amanda linked her job and her response very wittingly by saying:
"I'm a fashion designer by profession, but I'm a designer of dreams as a woman."
Andreina also explained:
"I have been working for women's rights for as long as I can remember. It's been my actual day every single day."
Fans were shocked to see Gabriel win the title and felt that Amanda or Andreina should have won the crown based on their answers.
What happened in the 71st Miss Universe competition?
The 71st Miss Universe pageant was earlier supposed to have 84 competitors, but Miss Norway Ida Hauan had to step out at the last moment as she was ill. After the preliminary and swimsuit round on January 11, 16 contestants were sent directly to the semi-finals. These included Australia, Canada, Colombia, Haiti, India, Laos, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Puerto Rico and Curaçao were able to reach the final round with the Dominican Republic and Venezuela but were eliminated after a panel question-answer round. The 10-panel committee, including former pageant winners and founders of companies, were the judges of the Miss Universe 2023 competition.
The event was live-streamed on the Roku channel and the same has been uploaded to the network's website.
