South African Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters crowned the Miss Universe 2017 Sunday night beating 92 competitors at The Axis auditorium in Las Vegas. The 22-year-old beauty says she wants to use her reign to champion HIV/AIDS and self-defense causes.
Peters has collected a yearlong salary, a luxury apartment in New York City (until her reigning period) and many more prizes. She beat Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez (first runner-up) on claiming the title where Miss Jamaica Davin Bennett came second runner-up.
After the closure of the event, Peters said,
HIV/AIDS is a very big problem in my country South Africa, so I hope to stand as an advocate for that
The 66th edition of the Miss Universe had the most competitors ever (92), including the first-ever representatives from Laos, Cambodia, and Nepal.
Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters crowned Miss Universe 2017
Steve Harvey, the pageant presenter who mis-announced the winner in 2015 edition, made his come back in this edition. Organizers were scared he might mess up it again, but luckily, he did it well last night. But there used to be a man who messes up more things than Harvey; you know who he is? He is none other than the President Donald Trump!
Trump used to own the Miss Universe pageant, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA as well, so there arose a curiosity whether the President is still involved in the pageant, but he doesn't. He sold The Miss Universe Organization to WME/IMG in 2015 which he originally bought in 1996 from ITT Corp.
Here are 11 things you need to know about the new Miss Universe
1. Peters was born in Sedgefield, Western Cape, South Africa on June 28, 1995.
2. Peters has received a degree in Business Management from North-West University
3. She is well-skilled in both English and Afrikaans
4. Peters has a differently able half-sister, and she says her sister has been the most significant motivator in her life.
5. She is fond of making handmade cards and also loves scrapbooking.
6. Both Peters' father and mother were remarried, and she has always been proud of the fact that she has ''four parents.''
7. She says, her favorite saying is by Albert Einstein, "The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no-one else has ever been before.
8. Before winning Miss South Africa, she won Miss Varsity Cup 2015 and was a Top 5 finalist in Miss Teen SA in 2010.
9. She is pretty determined to make a difference during her tenure.
10. Peters is the only lady to win Miss Universe representing South Africa after Margaret Gardiner who grabbed the title in 1978.
11. She was chosen as the Deputy Junior Mayor of the George City Council while she was attending 11.
