Miss Universe Returning Live in May After 2020 Hiatus Due to COVID
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Miss Universe is coming back!
The Miss Universe Organization announced on Wednesday that the 69th competition is returning with a live broadcast on Sunday, May 16 – a year and a half after the last one took place.
The pageant went on a hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have spent months planning and preparing safety precautions to develop this edition of MISS UNIVERSE—one that will be memorable, special and totally innovative," Miss Universe Organization president Paula M. Shugart said in a press release. "I look forward to seeing this work come to fruition and crowning a new Miss Universe in May."
The live event is taking place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
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The safety precautions, administered by Seminole Hard Rock's Safe + Sound, are being modeled after the 2020 Miss USA competition that took place in November.
COVID-19 safety rules include contests quarantining upon arrival with frequent testing leading up to the show, mask use and social distancing.
The Miss Universe Organization is also considering "a very limited audience" although tickets and information won't be available until the end of March.
This year's show will begin with a personal statement followed by swimsuit, evening gown and interview segments.
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Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi will crown her successor at the end of the show.
"I always knew that my reign as Miss Universe would be unlike any other," Tunzi, who was also Miss South Africa 2019, said in a statement.
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The pageant title holder, 27, added, "While it was nothing like what I had imagined my year to be, this year has opened doors for me I could never have imagined. I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect virtually with people all over the world and elevate the causes I care most about."
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