Originally appeared on E! Online
Miss Denmark has taken the ultimate crown.
Victoria Kjær Theilvig was named as the 73rd Miss Universe in the Nov. 16 pageant held at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico.
The 21-year-old, a competitive dancer, entrepreneur, and aspiring lawyer, is the first contestant from Denmark to win the title.
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Chidimma Vanessa, who represented Nigeria, was the first runner-up.
Theilvig beat a total of 124 hopefuls from around the globe to win the pageant. The group participated in swimwear, evening gown and national costume competitions before she was crowned.
However, the lead up to the main event wasn’t without controversy as the competition took place two weeks after Panama's contestant, Italy Mora, was disqualified for allegedly meeting up with her boyfriend in a hotel room for an unauthorized visit, according to multiple reports.
"The Miss Universe organization regrets to announce the withdrawal of Panama’s candidate from the Miss Universe 2024 pageant," the group said in a statement Nov. 1. This decision has been taken after a thorough evaluation by our disciplinary commission."
The organization continued, "The disciplinary committee, charged with maintaining the integrity and values of the pageant, conducted a full audit of the matter and, based on the information gathered and reviewed, has concluded that withdrawal is the most appropriate course of action under the current circumstances."
Mora, who was not replaced by another candidate to represent Panama in the Miss Universe competition, later spoke out about the incident.
"I was told that this measure was taken due to non-compliance with leaving the room, which I admit occurred when putting on makeup and collecting my personal items," she said on social media, per Hola!. "Unfortunately, I trusted and followed instructions, without considering the consequences."
She subsequently emphasized that she understands why the organization took the measures they did.
"Miss Universe just followed their rules," she told La Mordida in a Nov. 8 interview. "I take responsibility for my actions and accept the consequences."
And she’s not the only contestant to be removed from contention ahead of the pageant. Irina Zakharova, who was set to represent Armenia, was disqualified in October after the organization said "did not meet the requirements stipulated in Section 8.02 of the Miss Universe Preliminary Pageant License Agreement."
"This situation is also a violation of our National Directors’ Operations Manual, which requires the titleholder to possess a valid passport from the country she represents," Miss Universe said in an Oct. 22 statement. "The internal investigation confirmed that the current titleholder was not born in Armenia, has not resided in Armenia for most of her life, and does not hold dual citizenship."
