Miss Universe 2015

With Donald Trump having divested himself of his parent organization holdings in September — following this summer’s Miss USA ugliness — there has been no drama to be had in connection with the upcoming Miss Universe pageant. It’s almost gotten lost in the holiday and year-end festivities.
But it is happening.
Currently, dozens of worldwide title holders are convened in Las Vegas for the pageant and all of its accompanying pageantry. And that means photo shoots. Upon arriving, the contestants posed for photographer Darren Decker in Yamamay swimwear.
If how they fill out a swimsuit isn’t enough for your to pick a favorite, here are some tidbits they felt were worth sharing about themselves:
  • Miss Albania Megi Luka used to lock her family out of the house when she was a child. For fun.
  • Miss Georgia Janet Kerdikoshvili gets confused boarding planes and has ended up in the wrong country.
  • Miss Germany Sarah-Lorraine Riek competed this year because 15 is her favorite number and she wanted it on the sash.
  • Miss Ireland Joanna Cooper can dislocate every bone in her body and Miss Israel Avigail Alfatov “can cross her arms behind her back and stretch to wrap her arms around her waist, so that her hands connect on her stomach.” Should the need arise.
  • Miss Kosovo Mirjeta Shala loves Britney Spears so much that she considered cutting her hair short after the singer’s cry for help did.
  • Miss Ukraine Anna Vergelskaya is a twofer. She says she can understand her dog’s language and they sing along with Andrea Bocelli together. She also “believes in miracles and magic” and claims she can put her hand on a man’s forehead and cure his headache.
The Miss Universe 2015 pageant airs Sunday, Dec. 20 on FOX.
Click on any image below to launch the gallery to meet the contestants.