Olivia Culpo wins Miss Universe 2012: Boston University sophomore becomes first American to win the title in 15 years
Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss Universe 2012 Wednesday night.
LAS VEGAS — An American university student is the new Miss Universe, defeating dozens of contestants from six continents to bring the crown back to the U.S. after a drought of more than a decade.
Twenty-year-old Olivia Culpo won the title Wednesday night at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip, replacing outgoing champion Leila Lopes of Angola.
The Boston University sophomore’s coronation ends a long losing spell for the U.S. in the competition co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC. An American had not won the Miss Universe title since Brook Lee won in 1997.
Culpo, who beat out 88 competitors, wore a tight navy blue mini-dress with a sequined bodice as she walked on stage for the event’s opening number. Later in the night, she strutted in a purple and blue bikini, and donned a wintery red velvet gown with a plunging neckline.
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No one was more surprised than Culpo’s family when told them she was entering the Miss Rhode Island contest last year, her father Peter recalled.
“We didn’t know a thing about pageants,” he said.
She won that contest in a rented $20 dress with a hole in it and then began working out, dieting, and studying current events on flashcards to compete for the Miss USA crown.
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