Why leila lopes won

Earlier in the contest, Lopes had been asked what she might change about her physical characteristics if she could, but Lopes said she was satisfied with who she was. It is an annual event watched by millions of people around the world on TV who cheer for the young women competing in categories ranging from swimsuits to evening gowns. They also must answer the critical question that tells the judges a bit about them. Lopes had worn a bright bikini, then paraded around the stage with poise in a form-fitting evening gown colored in gold and silver sequins and feathers.

In fan voting, Lopes tallied only a 3. Fan voting, however, did not count in the final tallies from nine judges. The panelists, who ranged from race car driver Helio Castroneves to actress Vivica A. Angola, like Brazil, is a former Portuguese colony. Her dress was beautiful and she knew exactly what to say when they asked her the question about her looks.

Another fan in the audience, Carolina Rocha, said Lopes' win was "well deserved, we were cheering for her all along. Her smile and her friendliness was what set her apart from the others. She also answered her question very well, that likely helped her a lot. The panelists, who included race car driver Helio Castroneves to actress Vivica A.

Fox and journalist Connie Chung, scored the women on each contest, narrowing from a group of 16 down to a final five. They're to be taken seriously. I want to choose somebody I take seriously and the world takes seriously, too. The contestants must never have been married or had children and must be at least 18 years of age and under 27 years of age by Feb.

Morales, who is half Brazilian, said that "what's most important is for the women to be beautiful inside and out. There have been no headline-grabbing gaffes going into this year's competition, as opposed to past years that have seen controversies of various stripes. The show itself went off without a hitch.

Some of the contestants have complained to the local news media about the size of bikinis used in some photo shoots, with Miss Mexico Karin Ontiveros saying they were "very small. That was enough to draw chuckles in Brazil, where women from all walks of life, not just beauty queens, sport barely there swimwear on beaches throughout the country.

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