After being postponed last year, the "Miss Universe" 2014 coronation night is now approaching. But before the pageant's conclusion, the ladies from 88 countries all over the world are prepping up for the contest's preliminary, which will be held on Jan. 21 in the City of Doral, Miami.
The "Miss Universe" 2014 preliminary will be streamed live on the organization's official Web site on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET (12 a.m. GMT) while live feeds will be posted on its official Facebook and Twitter accounts. Latin Times revealed that reigning "Miss Universe" titleholder Gabriella Isler of Venezuela and television presenter Roxanne Vargas will be the hosts of the said event.
During the "Miss Universe" 2014 preliminary round, the candidates will compete in the swimwear and evening gown categories. According to Zeibiz, the presentations will be judged by Azucena Cierco, Corinne Nicolas, Jeneine Doucette-White, Jimmy Nguyen, Lloyd Boston, Michelle McLean and Tyler Tixier. The preliminaries will also determine the top 15 finalists for the pageant's live finale on Jan. 25 at Florida International University's US Century Arena in Miami, Florida, as we initially reported.
Meanwhile, the 63rd Annual "Miss Universe" pageant has been both very challenging and dramatic. The beautiful ladies of the competition did not only captivate the world positively but also stirred in some controversies. During the early stages of the contest, we reported about the contentions sparked by Grace Levy of Great Britain over her national costume, which was criticized for being the cheap and tacky version of the official uniform of the Buckingham Palace's Royal Guards.
And just days before the preliminary round and the "Miss Universe" 2014 conclusion, another issue ensued. We shared last Jan. 19 that Israel's Doron Matalon and Lebanon's Saly Greige faced major global backlash over their group selfie with Miss Japan and Miss Slovenia. The highly-criticized image was posted on Instagram and as Lebanon and Israel faced the reproaches, both have already expressed their sentiments over the controversy.
The Israel-Lebanon controversy this year was not the first for both nations. The New York Post reported that in 1993, the same incident transpired where Lebanese candidate Ghada al-Turk was photographed with an Israeli representative. And because of the incident, al-Turk was stripped of her title by Lebanon.
As the "Miss Universe" 2014 pageant comes to an end, the competition also intensifies. Among the strong contenders we mentioned before were candidates from USA, India, Philippines, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa and Ecuador. But will they still be on top after the preliminaries?
The "Miss Universe" 2014 winner, who will wear a crown made by Diamonds International Corporation (DIC), will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 25. It will be televised on NBC at 8 p.m. ET or on Jan. 26 at 1 a.m. GMT.
