Miss India bows out of Miss Universe pageant

Miss India Tanushree Dutta's name did not figure in the list of five finalists chosen for the Miss Universe title.

The Miss Universe pageant selected five finalists in this year's event.

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They were Miss USA Shandi Finnessey, Miss Trinidad & Tobago Danielle Jones, Miss Puerto Rico Alba Reyes, Miss Paraguay Yanina Gonzalez and Miss Australia Jennifer Hawkins. Miss India Tanushree Dutta who made it to the list of 10 semifinalists, was not among those chosen for the last leg of the pageant.

The finalists were announced Tuesday after the semifinalists paraded in swimsuits before a cheering crowd of some 7,500 spectators who filled a convention center on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador's capital.

Before the pageant began, singer Gloria Estefan defended the contest from critics who consider such events frivolous. "A beautiful woman has very great powers to convince, and we have seen many misses who have done a great job," said the Cuban-American singer, who performed at the Miss Universe finals Tuesday night. "The new Miss Universe should do a spectacular job helping the needy."

The two-hour finals were broadcast live around the world. Organizers expected the pageant to be seen by 1.5 television billion viewers in 180 countries.

All 80 contestants participated in the finals, in which the winner was to be selected from among 15 semifinalists. The 15 semifinalists were chosen - but not announced - in a preliminary bathing suit and evening gown showdown on Thursday. The 15 semifinalists were reduced to 10 Tuesday night. During Tuesday night's show, the field was cut down to five finalists before the next Miss Universe was named. The panel of judges included musician Emilio Estefan, actress Bo Derek and supermodel Petra Nemcova.

Kwame Jackson, who was runner-up on the U.S. reality show "The Apprentice," was dropped as a judge at the beauty event. Jackson was disqualified Monday by pageant organizers for greeting beauty queens he bumped into in the lobby of their hotel. "Just being here makes me feel like a winner and if I get to be one of the finalists, it will be great and I will feel like one of the proudest women in the world," Miss Spain Maria Jesus Ruiz said Monday. However, she didn't make the cut.

Miss Puerto Rico Alba Reyes, who was chosen Miss Photogenic Tuesday night, predicted "a tough final."

"There is a lot of competition this year, many beautiful, intelligent candidates with lots of personality. I think it's going to be close," she said.

The winner will succeed Amelia Vega, a 19-year-old from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who plans to launch a career as a singer after passing on her crown. Her uncle, Juan Luis Guerra, is Latin America's king of merengue music.

Ecuadoreans were hoping the two-hour show would showcase the beauty of their country and attract tourists to this small Andean nation.

Ten minutes of the program spotlighted the country's attractions - ranging from the unique flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands to snowcapped volcanoes, highland Indian communities and the lush vegetation of its Amazon jungle.

"Ecuador is going to shine for what it is, an unforgettable place, when you see the videos we have made for the show," said Daisy Fuentes, who hosted the program along with Billy Bush. Tuesday night's show ended three weeks of intensive activities for the contestants, who arrived in Ecuador on May 10-11. During the past three weeks, the women have traveled throughout the country, participating in parades in Guayaquil, where 150,000 gathered to watch; in Cuenca, a colonial jewel in southern Ecuador, and in Quito, the capital. Six of the contestants also flew 600 miles out into the Pacific to visit the giant tortoises and other exotic animals on the Galapagos Islands.

The beauty queens have also visited hospitals to chat with children who are ill with cancer or are physically or mentally handicapped.