Miss Universe 2011 winner: Miss Angola Leila Lopes tops Miss Universe 2011 contestants

Miss Angola Leila Lopes was crowned Miss Universe 2011 during a pageant that aired Monday night on NBC.
Miss Ukraine Olesia Stefanko was the first runner-up in the pageant, which took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil and was hosted by Andy Cohen and Natalie Morales. (Side note: Miss Ukraine's name is also often spelled Olesya Stefanko. I saw it both ways online.)
The 2010 Miss Universe was Jimena "Ximena" Navarrete, who hails from Mexico. Click here for a photo gallery of this year's 89 contestants.
Which interview answer will likely dominate post-pageant headlines?
That honor probably goes to Miss China Luo Zilin, who at the top five stage was asked about nude beaches and the appropriateness/inappropriateness of public nudity. She gave a pretty vague response.
Miss China ultimately placed fifth, or fourth runner-up.
Alyssa Campanella represented the United States and advanced to the top 16.

Here's a full recap of Monday's pageant:
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The top 16 contestants are:
Miss France, Miss Kosovo, Miss Colombia, Miss China, Miss Angola, Miss Australia, Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Brazil, Miss Netherlands, Miss USA, Miss Ukraine, Miss Panama, Miss Costa Rica, Miss Portugal (won most votes from online fans), Miss Philippines and Miss Venezuela.
As far as predictions go, I'm leaning toward France and Australia. And, of course...USA! USA! USA! Share your picks in the comments section. This will be fun.
Pretty random assortment of judges. My favorite member of the panel: Adrienne Maloof from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."
Swimsuit competition time. Apparently we don't get to see the judges' scores this year. What's up with that? Instead, we get some stupid fan score, which has absolutely no bearing on the contest's outcome. The fan score is based on people voting from home.
For what it's worth, Miss Venezuela got the highest fan score. Do you agree?
On a side note, Miss Montenegro won Miss Congeniality and Miss Sweden won Most Photogenic.
The top 10 contestants are:
Miss Australia, Miss Costa Rica, Miss France, Miss Ukraine, Miss Portugal, Miss Panama, Miss Philippines, Miss Angola, Miss China and Miss Brazil.
Wow, I'm pretty satisfied with my predictions. Too bad about Miss USA, though.
Evening gown competition. Once again, we don't see the judges' scores. Miss Angola had the highest fan vote, which has no bearing on the ultimate outcome.
Also, what did you think of Miss Australia's gown? Classy, or too much like lingerie?
The top 5 contestants are:
Miss Ukraine, Miss Philippines, Miss China, Miss Brazil and Miss Angola.
OK, looks like I need to find a new favorite. My favorites are China and Philippines.
Time for the dreaded FINAL QUESTION. Woo hoo! They have 30 seconds to answer. Here are their questions and excerpts from their answers.
Miss Ukraine Olesia Stefanko: If you could trade lives with anyone in history, who would you choose and why? She uses a translator and says she's "very satisfied" with her life. But if she had to choose someone she would pick Cleopatra because she's a "powerful and strong woman who is very much worthy of respect...and I think a woman can also be a leader like Cleopatra."
Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup: Would you change your religious beliefs to marry someone with an opposite view? She says no, "because the first person I love is God, who created me...if that person loves me, he should love my God too."
Miss China Luo Zilin: Lots of places have nude beaches. Is public nudity appropriate or inappropriate? She uses a translator and says, "Every country has its rules and regulations...We should respect them and be more understanding." Um, huh?
Miss Brazil Priscila Machado: How would you avoid fighting a war you don't agree with? She uses a translator and emphasizes the importance of respect. "No war is based on respect...It's always based on misunderstanding, it's always based on a lack of education." Side note: Here's some interesting info about Miss Brazil.
Miss Angola Leila Lopes: If you could change one of your physical characteristics, which one would you choose and why? She uses a translator and says, "I wouldn't change a thing." She says she was "endowed with inner beauty." She adds, "I have my principles. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family." Then, she wants to offer a piece of advice: "Respect one another." Unfortunately, she runs out of time.
Which answer was your favorite? Least favorite?
Judgment time.
Fourth runner-up: Miss China
Third runner-up: Miss Philippines
Second runner-up: Miss Brazil
First runner-up: Miss Ukraine
Winner: Miss Angola!
[Source: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/09/12/1733422/miss-universe-2011-winner-announced.html]