Rina Chibany Competes Tonight for the Title of Miss Universe
Miss Lebanon 2012 Rina Chibany will compete on Thursday in the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas.
Chibany, who reserved her spot in the pageant after beating 15 contestants in the national competition, among them her twin sister first runner-up Romy, will join 88 women from around the world who are preparing to don evening gowns, show their interview skills and strut in swimsuits in hopes of becoming the next Miss Universe.
Miss Universe 2011 Leila Lopes of Angola will crown her successor during the competition featuring 89 contestants at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
The panel of 10 judges includes singer Cee Lo Green, Pablo Sandoval of the World Series champion Giants, "Iron Chef" star Masaharu Morimoto, and U.S. Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
The 61st annual Miss Universe show will also feature performances by the band Train and Australian singer Timomatic.
The Miss Universe Organization is co-owned by NBC and Donald Trump. The pageant is returning to Las Vegas after being held in Sao Paulo last year.
Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic are returning to host.
The group of contestants from six continents was expected to be cut to 16 soon after the start of the show based on preliminary competitions.
Organizers had considered holding the contest in the popular Dominican Republic tourist city of Punta Cana, but Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart said that country's financial crisis proved to be too much of an obstacle.
The diverse group of contestants spent the past two weeks in Las Vegas, where they posed in hardhats at a hotel ground-breaking, took a painting lesson, and pranked hotel guests by hiding in their rooms.
Contestants cannot have been married or have children. They must be younger than 27 and older than 18 by Feb. 1 of the competition year.
The pageant started as a local revue in Long Beach, California, organized by Catalina Swimwear. It is not affiliated with the Miss America pageant.
Source: Associated Press
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