Miss USA Asya Branch could make history again at Miss Universe competition

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Staff and wire reports

Asya Branch, the first Black Miss Mississippi to win Miss USA, will compete for the title of Miss Universe on Sunday.

The 69th Miss Universe competition will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida. The event will air live on Fox at 8 p.m. ET.

Branch, a native of Booneville, Mississippi, made history in November by being the first Mississippi representative to win Miss USA. She was also the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Mississippi USA in 2019.

If Branch wins, she would be the first Mississippi native to ever hold the title and the first Miss USA to win the competition since 2012.

“I was so honored to have made history, but at the same time, I thought, ‘Wow … we’re still having firsts,’” Branch told The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.

Branch, who also represented Mississippi in the Miss America pageant in 2018, has used the platform to talk about criminal justice reform. The issue is personal to her. Branch’s father served a 10-year prison sentence that forced him to be away from his family while Branch was growing up.

“It’s really an honor to be able to set this example for young girls to know that they don’t have to look like the person that came before them in order to accomplish their goal,” she said.

Branch will compete against 89 other hopefuls in this year’s competition. In 2019, Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was named the winner. The 2020 competition was canceled because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Contributing: Keisha Rowe, The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger, and The Associated Press

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Miss Universe 2021: How to Watch this Weekend’s Pageant

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It’s that time of year again! After holding off on last year’s show due to the pandemic, the annual Miss Universe pageant is back this weekend, with competitors from across the globe vying for the crown. This year, hosts Mario Lopez and previous Miss Universe winner Olivia Culpo will lead viewers through the whole show.

The 2021 Miss Universe marks the pageant’s 69-year anniversary. The competition will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida and will feature a performance by Pitbull. Thankfully, you can still catch all of the action whether you live right in the Sunshine State or in an entirely different country — Miss Universe is broadcasting the show all across the globe.

Looking to tune into this year’s Miss Universe? We’re here to answer all of your questions, including when is Miss Universe? How can I watch Miss Universe? And where can I watch Miss Universe?

Here’s what you need to know about the Miss Universe pageant 2021.

WHEN IS MISS UNIVERSE?

The preliminary competition kicks off tonight, May 14, at 7/6c. The preliminary determines which lucky 21 competitors will make it to the May 16 pageant, which will air at 8/7c.

WHO IS COMPETING IN MISS UNIVERSE?

This year’s Miss Universe features 74 women. Here’s the full, comprehensive list, per Newsweek:

Albania: Paula Mehmetukaj

Argentina: Alina Luz Akselrad

Armenia: Monika Grigoryan

Aruba: Helen Hernandez

Australia: Maria Thattil

Bahamas: Shauntae A. Miller

Barbados: Hillary-Ann Williams

Belgium: Dhenia Covens

Belize: Iris Salguero

Bolivia: Lenka Nemer

Brazil: Julia Gama

British Virgin Islands: Shabree Frett

Bulgaria: Radinela Chusheva

Cambodia: Sarita Reth

Cameroon: Angele Kossinda

Canada: Nova Stevens

Cayman Islands: Mariah Tibbetts

Chile: Daniela Nicolas

China: Jiaxin Sun

Colombia: Laura Olascuaga

Costa Rica: Ivonne Cerdas

Croatia: Mirna Naiia Marić

Curaçao: Chantal Wiertz

Czech Republic: Klára Vavrušková

Denmark: Amanda Petri

Dominican Republic: Kimberly Jiménez

Ecuador: Leyla Espinoza

El Salvador: Vanessa Velásquez

Finland: Viivi Altonen

France: Amandine Petit

Ghana: Chelsea Tayui

Great Britain: Jeanette Akua

Haiti: Eden Berandoive

Honduras: Cecilia Rossell

Iceland: Elísabet Hulda Snorradóttir

India: Adline Castelino

Indonesia: Ayu Maulida Putri

Ireland: Nadia Sayers

Israel: Tehila Levi

Italy: Viviana Vizzini

Jamaica: Miqueal-Symone Williams

Japan: Aisha Harumi Tochigi

Kazakhstan: Kamila Serikbai

Korea (South): Hari Park

Kosovo: Blerta Veseli

Laos: Christina Lasasimma

Malaysia: Francisca Luhong James

Malta: Anthea Zammit

Mauritius: Vandana Jeetah

Mexico: Andrea Meza

Myanmar: Thuzar Wint Lwin

Nepal: Anshika Sharma

Netherlands: Denise Speelman

Nicaragua: Ana Marcelo

Norway: Sunniva Frigstad

Panama: Carmen Jaramillo Vanessa

Paraguay: Castro Guillén

Peru: Janick Maceta Del Castillo

Philippines: Rabiya Mateo

Poland: Natalia Piguła

Portugal: Cristiana Silva

Puerto Rico: Estefanía Soto Torres

Romania: Bianca Lorena Tirsin

Russia: Alina Sanko

Singapore: Bernadette Belle Ong

Slovak Republic: Natália Hoštáková

South Africa: Natasha Joubert

Spain: Andrea Martínez

Thailand: Amanda Obdam

Ukraine: Yelyzaveta Yastremska

Uruguay: Lola De Los Santos

U.S.: Asya Branch

Venezuela: Mariangel Villasmil

Vietnam: Khanh Van Nguyen Tran

WHERE TO WATCH MISS UNIVERSE 2021:

To watch tonight’s preliminary competition, tune in to the Miss Universe YouTube channel at 7/6c. To watch the final 21 women compete, you’ll need to wait until Sunday, May 16. The May 16 pageant will be broadcast live staring at 8/7c on FYI. You can watch live on the FYI website with a valid cable login, or stream FYI through Philo, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, or AT&T TV. The pageant will also air in Spanish at 8/7c on Telemundo.

HOW CAN I WATCH MISS UNIVERSE 2021 FOR FREE?

Miss Universe will be streaming the competition live on its YouTube Channel. To watch the preliminary competition, just go to the Miss Universe YouTube at 7/6c tonight, or watch in the video below.

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