Ok, here it is a bit late. The 58th Miss World pageant is underway and a winner will be crowned on 13 December at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa. The pageant was originally scheduled for Kiev, Ukraine for October but was moved to South Africa due to the Russia-Georgia conflict. 110 delegates are competing for the crown. The current Miss World is China's Zilin Zhang.

Here are some of the delegates:

Mexico - Ana Gabriela Espinoza


Venezuela - Hannelys Quintero


Ecuador - Marjorie Cevallos


Spain - Patricia Yurena Rodriguez


Ukraine - Iryna Zhuravska


Russia - Kseniya Sukhinova


South Africa - Tansey Coetzee

more....

Namibia - Martha Elizabeth Robberts


Trinidad and Tobago - Gabrielle Walcott


Bahamas - Tinnyse Johnson


India - Parvathy Omanakuttan


Philippines - Danielle Castaño


China - Yan Ling Mei


Montenegro - Mariana Mihajlovic


Belgium - Alizee Poulicek


Slovakia - Edita Kresakova


Czech Republic - Zuzana Jandova

blast from the past

Future Academy Award winner Halle Berry of Ohio represented the U.S.A. at the 1986 Miss World pageant co-hosted by London and Macau.


Future Bond Girl, Claudine Auger (Left) of France was first runner-up to South African, Penelope Anne Coelen in 1958

repost of Miss World 1958 and her court.

China's Zilin Zhang just moments after winning the 2007 Miss World crown in Sanya, Hainan Island, China, December 1st together with first runner-up Micaela Reis of Angola (L) and second runner-up Carolina Moran of Mexico


Aishwarya Rai of India now a famous actress in Bollywood just minutes after her coronation as Miss World 1994 in Sun City, South Africa


Nigerian Agbani Darego is crowned as the first black African in Miss World in 2001 by Priyanka Chopra of India in Sun City, South Africa


Taťána Kuchařová of the Czech Republic just moments after being announced as Miss World 2006 in Warsaw, Poland. She is flanked by 2005 winner Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir of Iceland


Peru's Maria Julia Mantilla reacts after she's announced as Miss World 2004 in Sanya, Hainan Island, China. To her left is first runner-up Claudia Julissa Cruz of the Dmonican Republic

you can visit www.missworld.com and vote for your favorite contestant who will be fast tracked to the semi-finals.

more contestants....

Brazil - Tamara Almeida


United States - Merica Lane Lindell


Serbia - Nevena Lipovac


Thailand - Ummarapas Jullakasian

Thailand's real cute; but she's a mestiza.

South Africa is the backup host. hahaha

Once again South Africa will do a sterling job hosting an event.

very nice photos! I like the Mexican

olympian, on Nov 26 2008, 02:36 AM, said:

She sure didn't notice how dirty her feet gotten while climbing up to pose.

/\ What r u taking about? Those are shadows. THe right foot/leg area is just not lit properly.

The contestants are in Durban for the swimsuit shoot. on Nov. 29th the first semi-finalist will known. The winner of the Miss World Beach beauty event is automatically fast tracked to the semi-finals.

Now it seems that Russia is the biggest favourite.

Beach Beauty Finalist

Angola
Australia
Colombia
Croatia
Egypt
India
Kazakhstan
Lebanon
Mexico
New Zealand
Paraguay
Philippines
Puerto Rico
Russia
Serbia
South Africa
Spain
Thailand
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
Ukraine
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela
Zimbabwe

The Beach Beauty winner will be Fast Tracked to the semi-finals.

Mexico wins Beacu Beauty and is the fast tracked to the semi-finals. South Africa was 2nd and Russia 3rd.

Russia wins Miss World Top Model and is fast tracked to the semi-finals.

Iceland wins the Miss World Sports Award and is fast tracked to the semis.

Barbados wins the Talent award and is fast tracked to the semis.

Who does the best Stand-up comedy routine? Miss Waziristan!!

9 semi-finalist will be joining the 6 fast tracked delegates. 2 more will be announced on finals night: the Beauty with a Purpose and People's Choice fast tracked. Four fianlist have been named for the Beauty with a Purpose Fast Track: Hungary, Mexico, Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago.

In a few hours a brand new Miss World will be crowned. Here are the list of winners over teh past 57 years:

1951 Kiki Haakonson, Sweden
1952 May Louise Flodin, Sweden
1953 Denise Perrier, France
1954 Antigone Constanda, Egypt
1955 Carme Susana Duijm Zubillaga, Venezuela
1956 Petra Schurman, Germany
1957 Marita Lindahl, Finland
1958 Penelope Anne Coelen, South Africa
1959 Corinne Rottschaffer, Holland
1960 Norma Gladys Cappagli, Argentina
1961 Rosemarie Frankland, UK
1962 Catharina Johanna Lodders, Holland
1963 Carole Joan Crawford, Jamaica
1964 Ann Sidney, UK
1965 Lesley Langley, UK
1966 Reita Faria, India
1967 Madeleine Hartog Bell, Peru
1968 Penelope Plummer, Australia
1969 Eva Reuber-Staier, Austria
1970 Jennifer Hosten, Grenada
1971 Lucia Tavares-Petterle, Brazil
1972 Belinda Roma Green, Australia
1973 Marjorie Wallace, USA
1974 Helen Morgan, UK; resigned succeeded by
Anneline Kriel, South Africa
1975 Wilnelia Merced, Puerto Rico
1976 Cindy Breakspeare, Jamaica
1977 Mary Ann Catrin Stavins, Sweden
1978 Silvana Rosa Suarez, Argentina
1979 Gina Swainson, Bermuda
1980 Gabriela Brum, Germany; resigned succeeded by
Kimberley Santos, Guam
1981 Carmen Josefina "Pilin" Leon Crespo, Venezuela
1982 Mariasela Alvarez Lebron, Dominican Republic
1983 Sarah-Jane Hutt, UK
1984 Astrid Carolina Herrera Irrazabal, Venezuela
1985 Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir, Iceland
1986 Giselle LaRonde, Trinidad and Tobago
1987 Ulla Weigerstorffer, Austria
1988 Linda Pétursdóttir, Iceland
1989 Aneta Beata Kreglicka, Poland
1990 Gina Marie Tolleson, USA
1991 Ninibeth Beatriz Leal Jiménez, Venezuela
1992 Julia Alexandrovna Kourotchkina, Russia
1993 Lisa Hanna, Jamaica
1994 Aishwarya Rai, India
1995 Jacqueline Maria Aguilera Marcano, Venezuela
1996 Irene Skliva, Greece
1997 Diana Hayden, India
1998 Linor Abargil, Israel
1999 Yukta Mookhey, India
2000 Priyanka Chopra, India
2001 Agbani Darego, Nigeria
2002 Azra Akin, Turkey
2003 Rosanna Davison, Ireland
2004 Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, Peru
2005 Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir, Iceland
2006 Taťána Kuchařová, Czech Republic
2007 Zhang Zilin, China

Miss World venues

1951-68 Lyceum Theatre, London
1969-80 Royal Albert Hall, London
1981 Royal Albert Hall, London; Miami, Florida
1982-85 Royal Albert Hall, London
1986 Royal Albert Hall, London; Macau
1987 Royal Albert Hall, London; Malta
1988 Royal Albert Hall, London; Malaga, Spain
1989 Hong Kong; Taiwan
1990 London Palladium, London; Norway
1991 Atlanta, Georgia; South Africa
1992-94 Sun City, South Africa
1995 Sun City, South Africa; Dubai, UAE, Comoros
1996 Bangalore, India; Seychelles
1997-98 Mahe, Seychelles
1999 Olympia Hall, London; Malta
2000 Millennium Dome, London; Maldives
2001 Sun City, South Africa
2002 Alexandra Palace, London; Nigeria
2003-05 Sanya, China
2006 Warsaw, Poland
2007 Sanya, China
2008 Johannesburg, South Africa

1984 Astrid Carolina Herrera Irrazabal, Venezuela

Is that THE Carolina Herrera?

olympian, on Dec 13 2008, 01:06 AM, said:

Wow, isn't there something fishy about that? Except for Israel breaking the streak in '98, India wins in almost 4 consecutive years?

RUSSIA wins Miss World 2008.

baron-pierreIV, on Dec 13 2008, 03:45 AM, said:

no . India was simply dominant in the 90's and early 2000's.

Compelet results

Miss World 2008: Russia
First Runner-up: India
Second Runner-up: Trinidad and Tobago

Finalist:
Angola
South Africa

Semi-finalist:
Barbados
Brazil
Croatia
Iceland
Kazakhstan
Mexico
Puerto Rico
Spain
Ukraine
Venezuela

The top 3

Sorry for the watermark.

MISS WORLD 2008

photos from last night

welldone South Africa for hosting a boring boring pageant.

well Miss World 2009 will be held in Johannesburg again.

the experience for the contestants was prob one of the best ever in terms of events planned and sites and excursions but it was such an awful anti climax.

swimsuit competition, evening gown competition? scores?

olympian, on Dec 14 2008, 10:52 AM, said:

well, it should tie in very well with the upcoming WC-2010.

send it to OZ. perhaps they'll make fewer people fall asleep.

zuleyka rivera in LA during the swimsuit competition...now thats a pageant.

Zuleyka? yikes. the titleholder with the most surgeries ever.

Miss World used to have the on stage swimsuit competition but they removed that in favor of location filming in 1997. they went for more of a modelling show the past few years than an actual pageant which i find better than the usual pageant production.

there was almost no modelling last night except for when contestants were introduced.