The people (and well, the judges) have spoken. A new Miss Universe has just been crowned and the odds have been in Miss France’s favor. Iris Mittenaere succeeds the country’s pride, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.

Though our bet didn’t snag a back-to-back victory this year, Miss Philippines-Universe Maxine Medina made it to the top six in the prestigious competition.

But while the truly deserving candidates garnered their rightful ranks and titles, you’ll agree with us when we say these people deserve an award too.

Mr. Universe: Luis “Chavit” Singson

You read that right. The former Ilocos Sur Governor literally received a “Mr. Universe” sash from the Miss Universe Organization as their token of appreciation. Chavit Singson, chairman of LCS Group of Companies who’s responsible for holding the tilt in Manila, told ABS-CBN that he was hoping to recuperate his investments in two to three years as mounting the pageant reportedly amounted to $14 million.

Best in translation: Heussaff siblings

People around the world ranted on the inaccurate translation during the question and answer portion of the pageant. Not only for Miss Philippines Maxine Medina, but also regarding Miss France Iris Mittenaere’s answer. Fil-French personalities Solenn and Erwan shared on social media that the interpreter’s translation of Miss France’s answer was a bit erroneous and posted a more accurate version, much to the delight of mirons on the internet.

Best in Talent: Miss Netherlands Zoey Ivory van der Koelen

Though it took place behind the scenes, Miss Netherlands is going notoriously viral on social media for her adorable skillz. The clip shows the 23-year-old beauty queen channeling her inner Queen Bey and heartily dancing to the hit “Single Ladies” during the commercial break. “I did not win the crown, but hopefully I’ve won your hearts,” she captioned on her Instagram post.

Miss (Partly) Philippines: Tania Dawson and Raquel Pellisier

Miss New Zealand Tania Dawson and Miss Universe first runner-up Miss Haiti Raquel Pellisier both have Filipino roots. Dawson took the opportunity to visit her relatives from her mother’s side in Pangasinan, as seen on her Instagram posts. And although Maxine Medina did not make it to the Top 3, Filipinos can still take pride as first runner-up Raquel Pellisier has revealed on interviews she has Filipino blood.

Best in Q&A: Ethel Booba

Myriads of opinions rained on Maxine Medina’s controversial Q&A in Miss U. While bashers spewed hateful comments, Ethel Booba clapped back with a wave of hilarious tweets for good vibes.

Best in Redemption: Steve Harvey

As the new Miss Universe was about to be announced, Pia Wurtzbach walked back in the scene and handed Steve Harvey a pair of spectacles as a comical reference to last year’s announcement mishap, where he mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner. He thanked Pia for the gesture, saying, “A year late but thank you.”

Miss Body Confident: Miss Canada Siera Bearchell

Despite all the bashing of her non-standard body type and size, she proved body shamers wrong when she made it to top 9. After the coronation, Bearchell wrote on her Instagram post: “This is the generation of body diversity. This is the time we start working together to redefine the global vision of beauty.”

About the author

Diana Lyn Balbalosa

Diana Lyn Balbalosa Before joining eCompareMo as content writer, Diana wrote a lot of academic research, as well as articles on home improvement, lifestyle, and financial management. She's currently working on expanding her book and hair dye collection.