Chelsi Smith – Miss Universe 1995
Moving from the early 1960?s to the mid 1990?s, but remaining in the US, Chelsi Smith, Miss Universe 1995, is next on the list, at the 58th position. Windhoek, Namibia, hosted the pageant, the first held on African soil.
When pre-pageant favorites from Sweden, Chile, Nigeria, Korea and Cook Islands failed to advance to the semi-finals, it looked like it would be a battle among Canada, Colombia and Puerto Rico, with Colombia having an “extra edge” over the other two. Wrong. Colombia finished in 10th place, Puerto Rico stopped in the “top 6”, and only Canada made it through the “top 3”, along with the USA and exotic (but very brainy!) India.
In the year of the unexpected, when by the way for the first time ever Europe was completely left out of the semi-final, Canada’s Lana Buchberger was called as 2nd runner-up, India’s Manpreet Brar finished in 2nd place, and Chelsi Smith of Texas, USA, was crowned Miss Universe 1995 – the first black (or bi-racial) American to be crowned Miss Universe, when, coincidently, the pageant was first held in the African continent.
Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith, 22 at the time, unquestionably had many qualities. This beautiful young woman was very articulate and charming. She was born in California to 19-year-old parents Craig Smith, an African American maintenance man, and Denise Trimble, a white American secretary. Her parents divorced before she was two, and her mother, an alcoholic at the time, granted Smith’s grandparents Barnie and Jeanette custody of her.
Not always Miss Universe had a perfect body, for many, one of her main assets in beauty pageants. She was overweight as a teenager, before becoming Miss Universe, and also as an adult, years after her reign was over. As a singer, her first single was “Dom Da Da”, part of the soundtrack for The Sweetest Thing, starring Cameron Diaz. The former Miss Universe has also acted in few movies and hosted tv specials.
In the election of The Most Beautiful Miss Universe 1952-2010, Chelsi fell into the “love or hate” category, getting very high scores from four of our judges, all above ’9,40?, and the lowest possible ’8,00? from five of them.
Chelsi was crowned by India's Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994.
Top 3 in Namibia: India (2nd), USA (1st), Canada (3rd)
Petra Hultgren of Sweden, a Claudia Schiffer look-alike, press favorite and "Miss Photogenic", finished in an unbelievable 48th place.