Miss Universe is back — and it’s headed to South Florida. Here’s what we know so far
It’s baaaack.
The 69th Miss Universe ceremony will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on May 16. The pageant was last in South Florida in 2015, at Florida International University.
The last Miss Universe contest was held on Dec. 8, 2019, at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. The winner, South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi, is still wearing the crown.
The 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic.
Paula M. Shugart, the president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced this week that the event in South Broward will adhere to CDC guidelines. Shugart says organizers have spent months planning how to keep the pageant safe, but are still working out details.
“Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions,” according to the statement.
It could follow similar guidelines as the Miss USA sister competition in Memphis in November 2020. Before that event, contestants were tested for COVID-19 and quarantined until their tests cleared. Tickets were limited to 300 guests who were socially distanced. Judges were separated by plexiglass.
Steve Harvey has been the host since 2015 but it’s not known whether the comedian will participate again this year.
In the U.S., you can watch the show on Telemundo. There’s no word yet on an English-language broadcast.
The pageant, which was first televised in 1955 on CBS, was bought by former president Donald Trump in 1996. Six years later, the businessman entered into a joint venture for the TV rights with NBC, where it lived until 2014.
After the real estate mogul made derisive statements about illegal immigrants the following year during a presidential campaign speech, NBC severed ties with the Miss Universe Organization. Trump soon sold the company to WME/IMG, and in October 2015, Fox became the official broadcaster.
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 1:24 PM.
