USA TODAY US Edition

What you missed at Miss Universe

All the big moments and small spills.

- 2D

Miss Universe 2018 brought women from across 94 nations together for the biggest pageant in the world.

The contestant­s gathered in Bangkok Sunday night for a live, three-hour special that featured everything from a swimsuit competitio­n to the infamous final question.

If you didn’t tune in, don’t worry. Here’s what you may have missed:

The joke’s on Harvey

Steve Harvey returned to host Miss Universe, but it appears he will never live down his infamous gaffe of crowning the wrong contestant in 2015.

While introducin­g the top 20, Harvey asked Miss Costa Rica Natalia Carvajal (who is a TV host in her country) for any tips for the night.

Carvajal teased: “If they give you a really important envelope, try to read carefully.” As the crowd laughed, Harvey replied: “You just can’t let it go.”

History is made

Miss Spain Angela Ponce made history as the first transgende­r woman in the competitio­n. Although she did not make the top 20, Ponce said she already was a winner.

“I don’t need to win Miss Universe,” she said during an emotional video about her journey to finding her authentic self. “I only need to be here.”

Ponce took the stage, receiving special recognitio­n and a standing ovation from the studio audience.

Forgotten words

Giving an opening statement about yourself is nerve-wracking in any setting. Doing so in front of the Miss Universe audience proved to be too much for Miss Jamaica Emily Maddison.

While onstage speaking about overcoming insecuriti­es, Maddison stumbled over her words. It appeared she could not see the teleprompt­er as she squinted while struggling to find what came next.

She paused momentaril­y to let out an “awh,” while the crowd cheered her through the rest of her message to the world. She did not make it to the top 10.

Near-falls

Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green and Miss Nepal Manita Devkota both were tripped up during the evening gown competitio­n. First up was Green, who wore a fitted silver dress with a thigh-high split. Green tried to walk slowly down the runway, but her heels ended up getting caught in her gown, prompting her to stop and adjust.

Devkota wore a white and orange asymmetric­al ombre gown that flowed effortless­ly. She stumbled toward the end of runway but maintained her composure.

Who won?

Miss Philippine­s Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the fourth Philippine native to win the crown.

Gray was a front-runner the entire competitio­n.

 ??  ?? Catriona Gray of the Philippine­s is crowned Miss Universe 2018.
Catriona Gray of the Philippine­s is crowned Miss Universe 2018.

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