Miss Universe 2011

Miss Universe 2011 was the 60th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil on 12 September 2011.

At the end of the event, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico crowned Leila Lopes of Angola as Miss Universe 2011, marking the country's first win at the pageant.

Contestants from eighty-nine countries and territories competed in this year's pageant, surpassing the previous 86 contestants at Miss Universe 2006. The pageant was hosted by Andy Cohen and Natalie Morales, with commentary and analysis by Jeannie Mai and Shandi Finnessey. Brazilian singer-songwriter Bebel Gilberto and Brazilian pop singer Claudia Leitte were the performers.

Location and date
On 16 December 2010, Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Organization, and Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced that the 60th anniversary of the competition will take place in São Paulo, Brazil on 12 September 2011. This came months after Trump negotiated with the media conglomerate Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação to host the pageant in São Paulo. According to Joao Carlos Saad, president of Grupo Bandeirantes, the network was pleased that they have reached an agreement with Miss Universe to host the pageant in São Paulo, Brazil. The event aired on NBC in the United States, with a Spanish simulcast on Telemundo.

Selection of participants
Contestants from eighty-nine countries and territories were selected to compete in the competition. Six of these delegates were appointees to their positions after being a runner-up of their national pageant or being selected through a casting process, while three were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.

Replacements
Evalina van Putten was appointed to represent Curaçao after Monifa Jansen, Miss Curaçao 2011, did not meet the age requirements. Jansen competed at Miss Universe 2012. Mayra Aldana, the first runner-up of Nuestra Belleza El Salvador 2011, was appointed to represent El Savador after Alejandra Ochoa, Nuestra Belleza Universo 2011, suffered from chronic respiratory illness. Mai Phương Thúy, Miss Vietnam 2006, was to represent Vietnam at Miss Universe, but did not for personal reasons. The Ministry of Culture of Vietnam was granted permission to appoint Vũ Thị Hoàng My, who was the first runner-up of Miss Vietnam 2010, as their representative.

Returns and withdrawals
The 2011 edition saw the returns of the Cayman Islands, Chile, Estonia, Montenegro, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Vietnam. Portugal last competed in 2002, Chile last competed in 2006, Saint Lucia last competed in 2007, Turks and Caicos last competed in 2008, while the others last competed in 2009. Norway and Zambia withdrew. Sara Nicole Andersen of Norway was crowned ten days after the arrival of contestants in São Paulo. Due to this, Andersen withdrew from the competition. However, Andersen competed in the pageant the following year. Zambia withdrew after its respective organization failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Lisa Morgan of Zimbabwe was not allowed to compete after the Miss Universe Organization denied her participation and she went on to compete in Miss International 2011 held in Chengdu, China instead.

Placements
§ - Voted into the Top 16 by viewers

Format
The Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition. The results of the preliminary competition— which consisted of the swimsuit and evening gown competition, and the closed-door interview, determined the fifteen semifinalists. For the first time in its sixty-year history, the organization will implement a pre-pageant fan vote where fans are able to vote for their favorite contestant to automatically advance to the semifinals. This changes the number of semifinalists from fifteen to sixteen. Aside from that, viewers can also rank each contestant during the live pageant.

The sixteen semifinalists competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to ten afterward. The ten semifinalists competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final look. During the telecast, viewers are able to see on-screen a fan-voting meter which instantly reveals the scores of the contestants from the real-time voting.

Preliminary competition

 * BJ Coleman – President and CEO of Coleman Entertainment Group
 * Francesca Romana Diana – Italian jewelry designer
 * Ana Paula Junqueira – President of the League of Women Voters and United Nations Secretary-General in Brazil
 * Scott Lazerson – Philanthropist and former head of the Larry King Foundation
 * Matheus Mazzafera – Stylist and reality TV show host
 * Jimmy Nguyen – Entertainment and new media lawyer, spokesperson for equal rights and diversity
 * Lara Spotts – Vice-President of East Coast Development for the Bravo Network

Final telecast

 * Hélio Castroneves – Brazilian auto racing driver and three-time Indianapolis 500 champion
 * Connie Chung – American journalist and TV new broadcaster
 * Isabeli Fontana – Brazilian supermodel
 * Vivica A. Fox – American actress and television producer
 * Adrienne Maloof-Nassif – American businesswoman and television personality
 * Lea Salonga – Filipina singer and actress
 * Amelia Vega – Miss Universe 2003 from the Dominican Republic

Contestants
Eighty-nine contestants competed for the title.