Miss Universe 1971
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| Miss Universe 1971 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Georgina Rizk | |
| Date | 24 July 1971 |
| Presenters | |
| Venue | Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States |
| Broadcaster | CBS (WTVJ) |
| Entrants | 60 |
| Placements | 12 |
| Withdrawals |
|
| Returns |
|
| Winner | Georgina Rizk Lebanon |
| Congeniality | Magnolia Martinez (Peru) |
| Best National Costume | Maria Luisa Lopez Corzo (Mexico) |
| Photogenic | Vida Valentina Doria (Philippines) |
Miss Universe 1971 was the 20th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, United States, on 24 July 1971.
At the conclusion of the event, Marisol Malaret of Puerto Rico crowned Georgina Rizk of Lebanon as Miss Universe 1971. It is the first victory of Lebanon in the competition.[1]
Contestants from sixty countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Barker in his fifth consecutive year, while June Lockhart provided commentary and analysis throughout the event. The Singing Lettermen performed in this edition.[2]
Selection of participants
Contestants from sixty countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One candidate was selected to replace the original dethroned winner, and another was selected after another national pageant was held to replace the original winner.
Replacements
Miss Virgin Islands 1971, Utha Williams, was disqualified for exceeding the age limit and was replaced by her first runner-up, Cherrie Creque. Williams was 28 years old at the time of the competition.[3]
Miss Italy 1970, Alda Balestra, was supposed to represent her country in this edition. However, Enzo Mirigliani, the organizer of Miss Italia, decided not to send her to the competition, expressing concerns that American judges often overlooked Italian contestants.[4] As a result, a separate competition was quickly arranged by Mario Pedretti to select a new representative for Miss Universe, ultimately won by Mara Palvarini.[4]
Palvarini was shocked to discover that the Miss Universe competition had a policy prohibiting married women from participating. Consequently, on her wedding day, just three days after winning the title of Miss Italia Universo, Palvarini decided to postpone her wedding to compete in Miss Universe in Miami. Her fiancé fully supported her decision to participate in the event.[5][6]
Returns and withdrawals
This edition saw the returns of Trinidad and Tobago which last competed in 1966, the United States Virgin Islands which last competed in 1968, and Thailand which last competed in 1969.
Miroslava Jancíková of Czechoslovakia withdrew after the Czechoslovak government banned beauty pageants in their country.[7][8] Marite Tomassone of Paraguay withdrew after a few days in Miami for undisclosed reasons.[9] Ceylon, Chile, Denmark, and Hong Kong after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 1971 |
|
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up |
|
| 3rd runner-up |
|
| 4th runner-up |
|
| Top 12 |
Special awards
| Award | Contestant(s) |
|---|---|
| Miss Amity |
|
| Miss Photogenic |
|
| Best National Costume |
|
| Top 10 Best in Swimsuit |
|
Pageant
Format
Several changes were implemented in this edition. The number of semi-finalists was reduced to twelve compared to fifteen in previous years. The results of the preliminary competition and the closed-door interview determined the twelve semi-finalists selected. The twelve semi-finalists participated in the casual interview, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions.[10] From twelve, five finalists were shortlisted to advance to the final interview.[14][15]
Selection committee
- Margareta Arvidsson – Miss Universe 1966 from Sweden[16]
- Eileen Ford – American model and founder of Ford Models[16]
- George Fowler – American lawyer; former New York State Commissioner for Human Rights[16]
- Yousuf Karsh – Armenian-Canadian photographer[16]
- Jean-Louis Lindekens – Belgian columnist[16]
- Dong Kingman – Chinese-American painter[16]
- Line Renaud – French actress and singer[16]
- Edilson Cid Varela – Brazilian journalist[16]
- Itsuro Watanabe – President of the Japan-America Association[16]
- Earl Wilson – American columnist and journalist[16]
Contestants
Sixty contestants competed for the title.
