Miss Universe 1969
Miss Universe 1969 was the 18th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, the United States, on 19 July 1969.
At the conclusion of the event, Martha Vasconcellos of Brazil crowned Gloria Diaz of the Philippines as Miss Universe 1969. It was the first win by the Philippines at the pageant.
Contestants from sixty-one countries and territories competed in this edition. The pageant was hosted by Bob Barker, while June Lockhart provided commentary throughout the competition.
Background
Selection of participants
Contestants from sixty-one countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One candidate was appointed to represent her country to replace the original dethroned winner.Replacements
Miss Malaysia 1969, Sabrina Loo, chose not to compete due to personal reasons and was replaced by her first runner-up, Rosemary Wan. However, following the announcement of the Far East Beauty Congress that Wan would be sent to Miami instead of Loo, Loo expressed her dissatisfaction and protested the decision. The congress stated that it was too late for Loo to change her mind, resulting in Wan representing Malaysia at Miss Universe.Debuts, returns, and withdrawals
This edition saw the return of Suriname which last competed in 1966. Miss Lebanon 1968, Lily Bissar, was disqualified for being underage. Haiti, Okinawa, South Africa, and the United States Virgin Islands withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.Pageant
Format
Same with 1966, fifteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the fifteen semi-finalists were individually interviewed by Bob Barker. Following the interviews, the fifteen semi-finalists participated in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. From fifteen, five contestants were shortlisted to advance to the final interview.Selection committee
- Sara Lou Harris Carter – African-American model
- Peter de Maerek – Director of the Belgian Tourist Bureau
- Gino di Grandi – Owner of an international public relations organization
- Eileen Ford – American model and founder of Ford Models
- Yousuf Karsh – Armenian-Canadian photographer
- Dong Kingman – Chinese-American painter
- David Merrick – American theatre producer
- Norma Nolan – Miss Universe 1962 from Argentina
- Chiyo Tanaka – Japanese author and fashion designer
- Monique van Vooren – Belgian-American actress
- Edilson Cid Varela – Brazilian journalist
- Earl Wilson – American columnist and journalist
Contestants
Sixty-one contestants competed for the title.| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
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