Miss France is the New Miss Universe
In the most prestigious search for beauty and brain, a 23-year-old dental student from France stood up the best among 86 contestants in the Miss Universe 2016 competition.
Iris Mittenaere from a small town in northern France beat Miss Haiti and Miss Colombia in the last round to clinch the Miss Universe crown.
During the final question, Iris Mittenaere said she would be honored if she just landed among the three finalists. But Mittenaere was obviously stunned and speechless when she was announced the winner among the field of 86 contestants.
First and second runners-up were Miss Haiti (Raquel Pelissier) and Miss Colombia (Andrea Tovar).
The annual pageant was held on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. The ceremony was hosted by American comedian Steve Harvey. As he closed the ceremony, Steve Harvey said: “This is Steve Harvey, I got it right,” referring with humor to his mistaken announcement of Miss Colombia as the winner in the last pageant in Las Vegas that made headlines all over the world.
The Final Question and Answers
Of the three Miss Universe finalists, Miss France Iris Mittenaere, Miss Haiti Raquel Pelissier and Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar, only one could take home the crown.
In the finale part, the top three finalists were asked to cite a failure in their life and explain what they learned from the experience Mittenaere said, “I’ve failed several times in my life. When you fail, you have to be elevated and you have to try again and keep going … I have failed before but for me this is the great first opportunity.
Miss Haiti, Raquel Pelissier, told the audience how surviving the 2010 Haiti earthquake made her a more resilient and positive person.
The Winning Moment
When Mittenaere was announced the new Miss Universe, the 24-year old beauty was speechless and put her hands on her face with disbelief as the outgoing winner from the Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach, crowned her. The crowd’s cheers reverberated at the packed Mall of Asia Arena by Manila Bay.
Mittenaere, 24, is a Parisian native, pursuing a degree in dental surgery. The stunning French beauty is advocating for dental and oral hygiene.
The competition’s top 13 finalists were Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Phillippines, Canada, Brazil, France, Haiti, Thailand and Miss USA Deshauna Barber.
