7 women who became famous after participating in the Miss Universe pageant: from actresses to TV presenters

On November 18, beauties from all over the world will gather in El Salvador to compete for the most prestigious title of Miss Universe. The name of this year's winner will be revealed soon.

It is an honor to be a participant, as it is no secret that participation in the contest gives glory to future stars regardless of the results. For this reason, Business Insider has compiled a selection of celebrities who competed for the Miss Universe crown.

Kenya Moore represented the United States at the 1993 Miss Universe pageant

Moore won Miss USA, representing the state of Michigan, and became the second black woman to win the pageant in its history. She made it to the top six at Miss Universe, with Dayanara Torres from Puerto Rico taking first place.

After that, Moore appeared in television shows such as The Prince of Beverly Hills and The Bachelorette, but today she is best known for her extensive career in reality television.

Moore has been a member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta since 2012, and has appeared on other reality shows, including The Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars.

Ali Landry participated in the Miss Universe pageant in 1996

Landry won the Miss Louisiana and Miss USA pageants in 1996, securing a spot in the Miss Universe pageant.

Like Moore, she made it to the top six in the competition but did not win. That year, the title went to Alicia Machado from Venezuela.

Landry also continued to pursue an acting career, gaining popularity after appearing in a Doritos commercial that aired during the 1999 Super Bowl and playing the role of Rita Lefler in the TV series Eve, which ran from 2003 to 2006. This year she starred in the controversial movie The Sound of Liberty.

Gal Gadot represented Israel at the Miss Universe pageant

In 2004, Gadot was crowned Miss Israel. The same year, she participated in the Miss Universe pageant from her homeland, but did not make it to the top ten. Then Jennifer Hawkins from Australia won the crown.

After winning Miss Israel, Gadot joined the Israeli Defense Forces in 2004 to complete two years of service, which is mandatory for all Israeli citizens, before pursuing a career in acting.

Gadot's role as Giselle in the 2009 movie Fast and Furious brought her fame. She went on to appear in both American and Israeli films, including the lead role in Wonder Woman and other DC Universe films.

Former president of the Miss USA pageant Crystal Stewart participated in Miss Universe 2008

Stewart first gained fame when she won the Miss USA title in 2008, representing Texas.

At the Miss Universe pageant, she made it to the top ten, but fell during the presentation of her evening gown. The crown went to Dayana Mendoza from Venezuela.

After winning Miss USA Stewart took up acting. Her most famous role was Leslie Morris in the TBS and OWN series "For Better or For Worse", which ran from 2011 to 2017.

Stewart returned to the pageant world in 2020, becoming the president of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. But in November 2022, she was removed from office after several contestants claimed that the pageant was rigged in favor of R'Bonnie Gabrielle, who won Miss Universe in January 2023.

The investigation found that there was no evidence that the Miss USA pageant was rigged, but in August 2023, it was announced that Stewart was leaving the organization permanently.

Olivia Culpo wins Miss Universe 2012

Culpo became the first Miss USA to win Miss Universe in 15 years when she was crowned in 2012. She competed in her first pageant, Miss Rhode Island USA, and went on to win Miss USA and Miss Universe.

After that, she hit the Hollywood screen, starring in films such as The Other Woman with Cameron Diaz in 2014 and Beautiful Woman with Amy Schumer in 2018.

In 2022, Culpo and her family appeared on the TLC reality show The Culpo Sisters. She is now a successful Instagram influencer with over five million followers.

Catriona Gray won Miss Universe in 2018, representing the Philippines

Gray was already a recognized pageant queen before winning Miss Universe in 2018. She competed at Miss World 2016 for the Philippines, placing in the top five, and is the first Filipina to represent the country at both Miss World and Miss Universe.

Gray became popular during the pageant thanks to her fashion show, which was praised by supermodels Tyra Banks and Ashley Graham.

After winning, she became a host and performed on the Filipino musical variety show Sunday Dinner Live! Graham was also a backstage correspondent for the Miss Universe 2022 pageant and will fulfill the same role during the 2023 finals.

Miss USA 2019 Chesley Crist is in the top 10 at Miss Universe

Krist won the Miss USA title in 2019, representing North Carolina, and made it to the top 10 at Miss Universe. Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa won the crown.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krist became the longest reigning Miss USA in history - 557 days.

Before winning the pageant, she was a lawyer in complex litigation and once helped to free a client sentenced to life in prison. Krist later became a correspondent for Extra and received two Emmy Award nominations.

The contestant died on January 30, 2022, at the age of 30.

At this year's competition, Ukraine will be represented by singer, model and volunteer Angelina Usanova. The Ukrainian contestant has already impressed the network with her stunning costume "Mother Keeper". Angelina Usanova represented her country with dignity in the semifinals and received a special award.

There were also traditional attempts to "make friends" between the Ukrainian and Russian contestants: the contestants were seated at the same table at the welcome dinner. The Ukrainian woman commented on this situation and said whether she was in contact with the Russian woman.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that for the first time in its history, two transgender women will take part in the competition.

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