Las Vegas is sizzling with all the Miss Universe 2015 contestants prepping for their big night. There will be 80 beauty queens competing for the big crown and 21 of those are Latinas. The current titleholder isPaulina Vega from Colombia and all of us Latinos are rooting for the crown to stay in one our Latin countries. This year the event will air on the FOX network from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. “Miss Universe is a unique, global media property and this partnership with FOX marks a new era for The Miss Universe Organization as a whole,” said Michael Antinoro, SVP of Original Content, IMG. “As the broadcast leader in innovative and groundbreaking live events, FOX is the perfect partner as we look to implement new and exciting changes to this show and the franchise.”
David Madden, President, Entertainment, FOX Broadcasting Company also weighed in saying, "The Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants are iconic television events loved by generations of viewers around the world. We are very excited to partner with IMG and The Miss Universe Organization to infuse a fresh new energy into these perennial broadcast favorites." Scroll-through the gallery above to see the Latina participants and read fun facts about them down below! Which Latin country do you think has the best possibilities to win this year?
Argentina, Claudia Barrionuevo (24): At the age of 16, Claudia began to work as a model and is currently studying Educational Psychology. She was part of a television show where she participated in extreme sports. Claudia loves singing karaoke.
Bolivia, Romina Rocamonje (23): At the age of 15, her family moved to Trinidad, the capital of Beni. She has held many titles like Miss Beni, Miss Bolivia Universe and Hispanoamerican Queen. She is currently finishing her fourth year as a veterinary student.
Brazil, Marthina Brandt (23): The Brazilian beauty was born in Vale Real in Rio Grande Do Sul. She speaks four languages: Portuguese, German, English and Italian. Marthina is a good cook, loves horses and has been skating since she was four years old.
Canada, Paola Núñez (24): The Canadian beauty was born in Dominican Republic surrounded by a family of musicians. She began dancing at the age 6 and at the age of 10 made her way to Canada. She suffered bullying due to the language barrier but made it her mission to become fluent in English. Paola enjoys watching the Food Network and her favorite dessert is apple pie with vanilla ice cream.
Chile, María Belén Jérez (25): This beauty queen was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and when she was 8, her family returned to Viña Del Mar. She is currently in her fifth year of dentistry. María Belén loves to travel, good food, dancing with friends and practice skiing.
Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez (21): Ariadna was born on Christmas Day and is the youngest of five children. She lives in Bogotá with her two cats and dogs and her friends call her "Cat Lady." Princess Diana was one of her idols as she embodies class, elegance and had a heart of gold.
Costa Rica, Brenda Castro (23): Brenda is currently studying psycholog at Universidad Latina. She started modeling at age 15 and held titles like Miss Expo-Pococí 2008, Miss Teenager Internacional 2011 and Miss Teenager Costa Rica 2011. Brenda loves to eat good food and is terrified of amusement park rides.
Dominican Republic, Clarissa Molina (24): The Dominican beauty moved to New Jersey during her teenage years and suffered bullying at school as she didn't speak English. Clarissa worked extra hard in school and is an honored US college student. Her inspiration is Eva Longoria and hopes to become an actress in the future.
Ecuador, Francesca Cipriani (23): She is an international business management engineer, loves talking with people and discovering new things. Francesa loves extreme sports and has even swam with sharks.
El Salvador, Fatima Rivas (22): Fatima's family business is agriculture, which allowed her to learn to trade. At 17, she moved to the city and attend university. She is a spontaneous person, considers herself strong and is not a very good singer (her words).
Guatemala, Jeimmy Tahiz Aburto: She is of Mexican and Guatemalan descent. Her mother was the first runner-up Miss Universe Guatemala 1985. She graduated as a professional model at the age of 12 and began singing professionally at the age of 15.
Honduras, Iroshka Elvir (24): The Hondurian beauty loves to write poetry and represented her home country in the Central American Games for speed skating.
México, Wendy Esparza (24): Born in Evanston, Illinois, she has lived between the U.S. and Mexico. Attended Loyola University in Chicago with a full-ride scholarship and earned a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in Latin American Literature. Her dream is to work in broadcast news.
Nicaragua, Daniela Torres (25): The youngest of four children, Daniela studied tourism and hospitality management at a private college. She loves nature, the beach and experiencing different things. Daniela wants to become a motivational coach because she loves helping others and considers herself to be a caring and loving person.
Panama, Gladys Brandao (24): She has five older brothers and loves being the only girl in the house. Gladys is currently studying marketing and publishing at the Universidad Latina de Panama. She is an advertising and marketing student with an emphasis in television.
Paraguay, Myriam Arevalos (22): Since she was a child, Myriam has participated in dance and sports. She completed her academic schooling with honors and won a full scholarship to a university where she got a degree in International Relationships. Myriam aspires to become an ambassador for her country and leave a footprint on her country's history.
Peru, Laura Spoya (24): She is a sports journalist that loves football and works as a narrator in television. She loves cooking Peruvian and Italian food. Laura is passionate about improving society by making people more aware of the needs of others and protecting women and children worldwide.
Puerto Rico, Catalina Morales (25): Currently a law student at the University of Puerto Rico where she received a degree in Communications. She wrote and published her first book during her year as Miss Puerto Rico where she talks about her experience with her father's battle against cancer.
Spain, Carla Barber (25): At the age of 8 she started to play tennis and became a regional champion entering national ranking. She received a scholarship to study at the University in Madrid where she got a degree in medicine and surgery. Carla moved to Germany where she started her specialization in plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine.
Uruguay, Bianca Sanchez (18): Grew up in Montevideo where she still lives with her family. She began her modeling career at the age of 16. Bianca loves swimming and dancing, which are her two favorite sports.
Venezuela, Mariana Jimenez (22): Currently studying communications as her dream is to become a sports journalist. She hosts a television show in Caracas and loves to participate in outdoor sports and cook.
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