Miss Universe 2014: Meet the Latina Contestants
The 2014 Miss Universe competition takes place on Jan. 25 on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. The show will also be available on Telemundo.
This year the pageant is taking place in the Doral neighborhood of Miami, and judges William Levy and Blanca Soto have already been spotted getting ready for the show. The two will join Manny Pacquiao, Kristin Cavallari, Lisa Vanderpump and Louise Roe as judges, notes TV y Novelas.
Before the show kicks off meet the 20 beauties that will represent Latin America and Spain.
1. Valentina Ferrer, 23
Ferrer is from Argentina, and she has five brothers. She has worked as a fitness instructor and a model. Recently, the contestant talked about immigration reform.
"There needs to be immigration reform to show how valuable the Latino community is," she said, according to TV Notas.
2. Claudia Tavel, 25
Tavel was born in Bolivia. She is adventurous and has a bit of a mischievous side. As a child, she rollerbladed insider her home against her mother's wishes and broke a collection of antique plates.
3. Melissa Gurgel, 20
Brazilian native Gurgel was encouraged by her brothers to compete in the world of beauty pageants. She used to pretend she was a model in fashion shows as a child.
4. Hellen Marlene Toncio, 20
Toncio is from Chile, and she grew up in the countryside. She was in the process of studying dentistry at the Universidad de Talca. She is excited to represent her country in the pageant.
"Chile has an incredibly diverse climate. This allows us as human beings to be inclusive and supportive of our equals, which is a great value for all our countrymen."
5. Paulina Vega, 21
Vega was born in Colombia, and she is the granddaughter of tenor Gaston Vega. Her modeling career kicked off at age 8. Vega sleeps with her eyes open.
6. Karina Ramos, 21
Ramos, who prefers to go by Kari, was born in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. She has been in the entertainment business since she was a child. At 9, she hosted a TV show.
Ramos talked about what Costa Ricans place emphasis on.
"Costa Rica is the only Latin American country without an army since 1949," she said. "Our government focuses on investing in education instead of weapons, making Costa Rica one of the safest places in the world to live a normal lifestyle."
7. Kimberly Castillo, 26
Castillo is from the Dominican Republic, and the beauty has worked in Italy as a model. She is fluent in Italian. She considers herself both a country girl and a city girl.
8. Alejandra Argudo, 22
Standing at 5 feet, 9 inches, the Ecuadorian contestant was made fun of for her height as a child. "I think we are an example for girls and for women, and in this position that we are in, we motivate women to look for equal rights," Argudo said, according to People En Español.
9. Patricia Murillo, 21
Murillo hails from El Salvador. She learned how to grow coffee, but she doesn't really drink it.
10. Ana Montufar Urrutia, 21
Urrutia was born in Guatemala, and she is a professional chef. Montufar also spoke about immigration reform, and the beauty said that those who are undocumented also "deserve to be happy," according to TV Notas.
11. Gabriela Ordoñez, 22
Honduran contestant Ordoñez is working to become a lawyer. She hopes to be on the Supreme Court in Honduras. She was bullied for her weight, and in one year, she lost 40 pounds.
12. Josselyn Garciglia, 24
Garciglia will be representing Mexico. She has a degree in nutrition. She lived in London for a year and is fluent in English.
On the topic of immigration reform, she believes more can be done.
"I think more changes can be made, but we need to talk and have people hear us and unite so that changes can happen in [the United States]," she said, notes TV Notas.
13. Marline Barberena, 27
Barberena comes from Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, but she has lived in Venezuela and California. Nicaragua is home to one of the oldest city's in Central America, Granada," she said. "We also have Bosawás Biosphere Reserve in the northern part of Nicaragua. We like to call it the lung of Central America, which is currently at risk due to the large amounts of illegal loggers."
14. Yomatsy Hazlewood de la Rosa, 23
Panamanian beauty de la Rosa has been performing in front of large crowds since she was a child, which makes her feel at ease on stage. She loves dancing, and she can juggle a soccer ball for a long time.
15. Sally Jara Davalos, 20
Davalos comes from Paraguay, and she speaks English, Spanish and Guarani. She is a big fan of "Dragon Ball Z." Jara recently spoke about the pressures of competing in beauty pageants.
"Really, we put up with more than people can see," she said, according to People En Español. "We are criticized, always observed. People think that we should be perfect, but it's not like that. We are people who have real feelings, and we also suffer following this dream."
16. Gabriela Berrios
Puerto Rican beauty Berrios is a fan of UFC and Ronda Rousey. Berrios explains the difficulties of participating in pageants.
"We leave behind our families, we leave behind our loved ones...," she said, according to People En Español. "We need to diet, go to the gym, wake up early, do our hair, learns all kinds of things like runway, how to do makeup, how to speak in public."
17. Desire Cordero, 21
Cordero was born in Seville, and she has worked as a model since she was 15. Her career has let her work in Turkey, London, Italy and France. When she was younger, her grandmother sent her to the grocery store, but Cordero came back with a puppy.
18. Johana Riva Garabetian, 24
Garabetian will be representing Uruguay. Her favorite dish is asado, but she's also a fan of pasta.
19. Nia Sanchez, 24
Sanchez was born in the United States, but she is half Mexican. She is skilled in Tae Kwon Do, and she has traveled to Mexico, China, Austria and Switzerland.
20. Migbelis Castellanos, 19
Venezuelan beauty Castellanos, and she began studying Social Communications in 2011.
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