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| Miss Universe 2011, Miss Angola Lelia Lopes. |
Congratulations to Miss Philippines for bagging the Miss Universe 2011 Third Runner-Up title! And congratulations to all the winners!
Here are the nerve wracking final questions and the top 5 candidates' answers.
MISS UKRAINE
Amelia Vega: If you could trade lives with anyone in history, who whould it be and why?
Miss Ukraine: I simply live my life and I’m very satisfied with it. But if I did have the chance to trade positions with someone I think I would choose Cleopatra. I think she is a very powerful and strong woman who is very much worthy of respect. And I think a woman could also be a leader like Cleopatra.
MISS PHILIPPINES
Vivica Fox: Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why and why not?
Miss Philippines: If I had to change my religious beliefs, I will not marry the person that I love because the first person that I love is God, who created me. And I have my faith, my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. And if that person loves me, he should love my God too.
MISS CHINA
Isabel Fontana: Nude beaches are common in some parts of the world. Is public nudity appropriate or inappropriate and why?
Miss China: Every country has its rules and regulations and every country has their own habits as well. We should respect them and be more understanding.
MISS BRAZIL
Helio Castrovenes: What would you do to avoid a war that you did not agree with?
Miss Brazil: First of all, I would explain to people that the premiere quality of human being is respect. And more war is not based on respect. It's always based on misunderstanding, it's always based on a lack of education. So I would tell this person that we should respect each other as human beings.
MISS ANGOLA
Lea Salonga: If you could change one of your physical characteristics, which one would it be and why?
Miss Angola: Thank God I'm very well satisfied with the way that God created me and I wouldn't change a thing. I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty, I have my principles, I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I plan to follow these through the rest of my life and now I want to give you all a piece of advice: Respect one another.
I will be biased here because, for one, I am a Filipino and second, she's the only finalist to answer without an interpreter. Miss Philippines deserves the crown because she has the best answer and she delivered her answer straight without having the chance to pause and think for her next words. And Oprah agrees with me. They all answered respect--which is for me the most used and abused word in any beauty competition. Miss Philippines, on the other hand, answered with conviction the foremost characteristic of Filipinos--valuing one's faith and religion.
I think it is about time that organizers of Miss Universe change their rules in Q & A. I think, a candidate who needs an interpreter should answer straight, without having to pause, while the interpreters record the answer and translate it afterward. It will take some time but at least we know that the candidate answered it without the privilege of seconds to pause and re-think of better words.
