Miss USA 2022 R’Bonney Nola at the 71st Miss Universe. Image: Twitter/@MissUniverse
USA, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic have advanced to the Top 3 at the 71st Miss Universe pageant.
Pageant fans at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center erupted into cheers as the Top 3 candidates were called on Saturday, Jan. 14 (morning of Jan. 15 in the Philippines). The delegates who made it to the next round are:
- Amanda Dudamel, Venezuela
- R’Bonney Gabriel, USA
- Andreína Martínez Founier-Rosado, Dominican Republic
R’Bonney Gabriel made history as the first Filipina-American candidate to be crowned as Miss USA 2022 in October 2022. During the question and answer round, she spoke up about changing the age limit of candidates who want to be part of the Miss Universe pageant.
The Philippines’ own Celeste Cortesi ended her 71st Miss Universe journey early after she failed to advance to the Top 16 semifinals.
Prior to the Top 3, the top 5 candidates Puerto Rico, Curacao, USA, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic have put their wits to the test at the pageant’s question-and-answer round where they talked about the importance of women empowerment. EDV