We all know that hosting a pageant has its own share of benefits. Here are the few benefits of hosting a pageant:
1.) It is for promotional purposes for your country’s tourist attractions.
2.) It can robustly boost up your country’s local tourism industry.
3.) Numerous companies can endorse their brands through beauty pageants.
4.) There is a likelihood that your own representative will penetrate the roster of semi-finalists or even win the ultimate title.
Unfortunately, hosting a pageant can't guarantee a sure placement for the host country. There had been several occasions that the host delegates were not called in the final night of their respective competitions. It is just ONE of the factors! Remember that don't count your chickens before they hatch!
Here are some of the familiar reactions of the pageant fanatics when the host delegate did not get a call in the final night of the contest.
There were fifteen editions of Miss Universe pageant wherein the host delegates were not able to enter the list of semi-finalists.
1957 - Mary Leona Gage (USA-Disqualified)
Venue: Long Beach, California, USA
Mary Leona Gage represented Maryland at the Miss USA 1957 pageant in July. The moment she won the title, gossips started to emerge. She lied to correspondents when they interrogated her; however a day later, she professed the truth. She had been married two times. Leona Gage was a mother of two young children. In point of fact, she was 18 years old and not 21. Her mother and mother-in-law confirmed to correspondents that the gossips were factual. Leona Gage violated the rules and regulations that the winner must remain unmarried and never gave a single birth. She was disqualified for being a wife and a mother of two children. Leona Gage was stripped of her Miss USA crown. Her first runner-up, Charlotte Sheffield, who represented Utah, assumed the Miss USA title and got hold of the prizes. By the moment the veracity was exposed, it was too late for Miss Utah to take the place of her at the Miss Universe 1957 pageant since Leona Gage had already competed in the Miss Universe preliminary contest and been pronounced as one of the top 15 semi-finalists. Argentina’s Monica Lamas, who placed 16th overall, replaced Leona Gage as a semi-finalist. Leona Cage became the first Miss USA who was officially removed in the list of semi-finalists in Miss Universe pageant. This was the first instance that the host delegate was not called formally in the Miss Universe finals.
1972 - Barbara Torres (Puerto Rico)
Venue: Dorado, Puerto Rico
Miss Universe 1972 was the first edition of Miss Universe pageant that was held outside the continental U.S. Puerto Rico hosted the pageant for the first time, and inopportunely, its own delegate did not make it in the list of semi-finalists. According to the numerous pageant devotees that time, it was expected not to see her in the top 12. Barbara Torres became the first host delegate of Miss Universe not to enter wholly in the roster of semi-finalists.
1979 - Kerry Dunderdale (Australia)
Venue: Perth, Australia
Australia became the first and so far the only nation from Oceania to host a Miss Universe pageant. Kerry Dunderdale was the first host delegate not to represent the United States or any U.S. territories, who was not called in the semi-finals of Miss Universe.
1986 - Gilda Garcia Lopez (Panama)
Venue: Panama City, Panama
Gilda Garcia Lopez was never considered as a favorite during the pageant, not even for the local press. Her failure to advance in the semi-finals was expected by various pageant followers. On the contrary, she was able to grab the award for the Best in National Costume. She became the first Panamanian to acquire this accolade.
1988 - Jade Hu Fei-Tsui (Taiwan)
Venue: Taipei, Taiwan
Jade Hu Fei-Tsui holds the record for being the first Asian who competed in her home soil and not to be named as one of the official semi-finalists of Miss Universe in 1988. On the other hand, an Asian domination occurred in this edition of Miss Universe. Four out of the five finalists were all Asians with Thailand’s Porntip Nakhirunkanok winning the coveted crown of Miss Universe.
1992 - Ornanong Panyawong (Thailand)
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
Ornanong Panyawong was not able to make it in the list of semi-finalists eventhough the pageant was held in Thailand for the first time in history, just four years after Porntip Nakhirunkanok captured Thailand's second Miss Universe title in 1988. Ornanong Panyawong’s consolation was her Best in National Costume second place award.
1993 - Angelina Gonzalez (Mexico)
Venue: Mexico City
The local girl, Angelina Gonzalez, was one of the "preferred above all others" contestants in this year's competition. One of her major advantages was being a host delegate. Being a host nation plays a significant function in choosing the final list of semi-finalists. Dejectedly, she was not included in the final top 10 of Miss Universe 1993. Countless of her supporters believed that her bizarre and horrid evening gown obliterated her chances big time!
1995 - Patricia Burt (Namibia)
Venue: Windhoek, Namibia
Namibia made history as the first African country to host the Miss Universe pageant. Nonetheless, its host delegate was not able to create history in the pageant. Interestingly, the ultimate victor that year, Chelsie Smith of the United States of America, has an African ancestry.
1999 - Nicole Simone Dyer (Trinidad & Tobago)
Venue: Chaguaramas, Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad & Tobago hosted the Miss Universe pageant for the first time following the victory of Wendy Fitzwilliam last year. A number of pageant enthusiasts could not believe that Nicole Simone Dyer didn't make it in the semi-finals because according to a few people who watched her competing in the preliminaries, she had the confidence on the stage in both swimsuit and evening gown segments.
2000 - Christy Groutidou (Cyprus)
Venue: Nicosia, Cyprus
The first edition of Miss Universe pageant in the new millennium was held in Cyprus, the mythological birthplace of Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of beauty, love, pleasure, and procreation. Being the mythological birthplace of Aphrodite didn’t help Christy Groutidou to break in the list of semi-finalists.
2002 - Isis Casalduc (Puerto Rico)
Venue: San Juan, Puerto Rico
For Puerto Rico, the anticipation of having a back-to-back victory in Miss Universe pageant was shattered after Isis Casalduc failed to penetrate the roster of semi-finalists. In spite of this, she did not go home empty-handed because she was able to receive the Miss Photogenic award.
2005 - Chananporn Rosjan (Thailand)
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand hosted the Miss Universe pageant for the second time in 2005. The first time was in 1992. This made Thailand as the only nation to host the pageant more than once, but its host delegates were not able to be part of the semi-finals.
2009 - Kiara Sherman (Bahamas)
Venue: Nassau, Bahamas
Bahamas has never made it as a semi-finalist in the history of Miss Universe pageant. Making the cut in Miss Universe pageant is an aspiration for many Bahamians. In 2009, various pageant aficionados presumed that Bahamas would finally turn this dream a reality since it would host the pageant, but that dream was put into oblivion when Kiara Sherman unsuccessfully obtained a spot in the semi-finals.
2010 - Rima Fakih (USA)
Venue: Nevada, USA
Rima Fakih is generally believed to be the first Arab American and the first Muslim to achieve the Miss USA title; however, pageant officers stated their records are not in depth enough to confirm these assertions. She made history as the first Miss USA not to place completely in Miss Universe pageant when the pageant was held in her motherland. Mary Leona Gage was able to make the cut, but was disqualified after her disreputable revelation that she was already a mother.
2013 - Elmira Abdrazakova (Russia)
Venue: Moscow Oblast, Russia
Russia hosted the 62nd edition of Miss Universe pageant, and Elmira Abdrazakova was assigned to represent her home county. She was expected to make it in the final list of semi-finalists, but failed to make the cut. Elmira previously represented her mother country at the Miss World 2013 pageant that was held in Bali, Indonesia on September 28, 2013. Unluckily, she also failed to gain a position in the top 20.
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the owners of these pictures.