Miss Universe 2012 Contestants Pictures, Schedule of Events [Photos]
A new Miss Universe will be crowned in a little over a week, but the women of this year's pageant are keeping busy up till the big day.
The 89 most beautiful women from around the world arrived at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV early last week to start the series of events culminating with a new Miss Universe for 2012.
The female contestants were greeted with a welcoming event that began their orientation and various rehearsals.
There are still a few obstacles the contestants will face on their way to victory.
The preliminary competition will take place on Thursday Dec. 13.
There will also be a national costume show the day after on Dec. 14. The event will be featured in the web series "On the Scene" with Miss Universe Philippines 2011 winner Shamcey Supsup giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the events leading up to the big night. The web series will air on the Miss Universe Youtube channel.
Make sure to vote as soon as possible for your favorite beauty as fan voting ends Dec. 18, the night before the competition.
Andy Cohen, Executive Vice President of Development and Talent for Bravo, will return to host this year's beauty competition for the second time in a row. He will co-host the show with E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic.
The show will also feature music from the hit musical group Train who will perform live at the main event.
The annual award has come a long way since the first Miss Universe was crowned in 1952 as part of a bathing suit competition. Now the winners have become global symbols of hope, charity and beauty.
The pageant's website talks about 2011 winner Leila Lopes saying, "Currently the longest reigning queen, 26-year-old Leila Lopes represents the country of Angola. She uses her title to champion HIV/AIDS prevention and has shown the world that there is more to Africa than poverty, hunger and disease."
See the full list of the 89 contestants and their profiles here.
The 2012 Miss Universe Pageant broadcasts live on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. from Las Vegas where 2011 winner Leila Lopes will crown her successor.
