The modern Miss Universe pageant started in 1952 in Miami Beach, Florida. The Netherlands didn’t participate in the first 4 pageants but started to participate in 1956. We will look back to all those beautiful dutch girls who had the honor to represent our country in the most covered beauty pageant in the world.
A new millennium and a new Miss Universe Netherlands organization. The Miss Universe organization asked the Miss Nederland organization to be responsible for the dutch representative at the Miss Universe pageant. But they also lost their license first to Sheida Wever and she lost it the end to Kim Kötter.
This is the last part of the dutch girls. We started with the 5 of Kim and we saw all the girls from 1956 till 2013…
2000
Miss Universe Netherlands 2000, Chantal van Roessel
The first Miss Universe Netherlands pageant in the new millennium was one with 12 provincial misses. The Miss Nederland organization was asked to be the new license holder. Instead of organizing one big pageant there were two finals: the Miss Nederland where the representative for the Miss World pageant was chosen and the Miss Universe Netherlands where the girl for the Miss Universe was chosen. The Organization also had the licenses for several other international pageants and from all these girls they selected girls for those pageants.
Miss Brabant, Chantal van Roessel won the honor to represent the Netherlands at the Miss Universe pageant in Nicosia, Cyprus. The beautiful Miss Netherlands did a great job as she just missed the semi-finals. After the finals, where there was just a top 10 announced, the 5 girls who made the top 15 complete were published in newspaper: Chantal was 12th!
2001
Miss Universe Netherlands 2001, Reshma Roopram
The Miss Universe Netherlands 2001 was a cooperation with the dutch radiostation 538. The listeners could vote for their favorite girl, those votes were combined with the votes of a jury. From the start it was a close race between two beautiful girls, Reshma Roopram and Touriya Haoud. Reshma had been first runner-up at the Miss Nederland 2000 pageant but now she won the pageant thanks to the listeners of the radiostation by a minimal lead.
For Touriya it was not the end of the world as she started a successful modeling career and later tried her luck as an actress.
Reshma went to Puerto Rico to represent the Netherlands at the Miss Universe 2001 pageant. She was a real fan favorite and many hoped that the jury would also vote her into the semi-finals. Unfortunately she was not among the semi-finalists, but did not return empty handed as her boyfriend asked her te marry him on the beaches of Puerto Rico. Nowadays Reshma is into politics. Miss Puerto Rico, Denise Quiñones won the pageant.
2002
Miss Universe Netherlands 2002, Kim Kötter
The Miss Universe Netherlands 2002 was a very strong group as 4 out of 12 girls would win national pageants in the Netherlands and represent the Netherlands at several international pageants. Elise Boulogne won the Miss Nederland 2002 pageant a few months later, Miranda Slabber won the Miss Nederland pageant in 2004 and Tessa Brix would win the Miss Universe Netherlands 2003 pageant.
In 2002 it was Kim Kötter who would win the pageant and represent the Netherlands at the Miss Universe 2002 pageant in Puerto Rico.
Kim took the pageant very serious and during the live telecast she was seen in almost every film and we saw her quoting a lot. She was one of the favorites in a very long list of favorites and just missed the top 10 during the live finals as she ended 11th. Miss Universe 2002 became Miss Russia Oxana Federova. After a few months she was dethroned and Justine Pasek became Miss Universe and everyone finished one spot higher and Kim is therefore officially 10th!
After the Miss Universe pageant Kim also represented the Netherlands at the Miss Europe 2002 pageant in Beirut, Lebanon and became 3rd runner-up.
Nowadays Kim works for television and she is the proud owner and CEO of the Miss Nederland organization where Miss Universe Netherlands and Miss World Netherlands are chosen.
2003
Miss Universe Netherlands 2003, Tessa Brix
Tessa Brix won the Miss Universe Netherlands crown in the second year she tried to win the title. She already participated the year before. The Miss Universe pageant was held in Panama City, Panama. There were many favorites for the crown. When the competition started two girls were the favorites: Miss Brazil and Miss Dominican Republic. But they lost their favorite status after the preliminary, because of their dated looks and they seemed not in shape. But both made the semi-finals and Amelia Vega, Miss Dominican Republic did win the Miss Universe 2003 pageant in the end.
During the swimsuit preliminary Tessa Brix showed why she was crowned Miss Universe Netherlands 2003, besides her great appearance and real nice personality as her body was in great shape. Unfortunately she did not make the first cut. Tessa also represented the Netherlands at the 2005 Miss Europe pageant in Paris, France.
Nowadays Tessa is working as a commercial model and can be seen in many commercials on television, in magazines and on billboards.
2004
Miss Universe Netherlands 2004, Lindsay-Grace Pronk
The Miss Universe Netherlands 2004 pageant had many familiar faces in the competition but it was Lindsay-Grace Pronk who won the right to represent the Netherlands at the Miss Universe 2004 pageant in Quito, Ecuador. It was a strong year with many possible semi-finalists. Lindsay-Grace was mentioned by many as a semi-finalist. The hot favorites were Miss USA, Miss Norway, Miss Paraguay, Miss Ukraine, Miss Venezuela and Miss Australia. Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Australia had never traveled outside her country and was a real delight in the group of contestants as she was fresh and as the press called her: real! So no real surprise when she won the second Miss Universe crown for her country. She is considered one of the best titleholders in the history of the Miss Universe pageant.
Although Miss Netherlands was one of the favorites for a semi-final spot, she was not called as one of the 15. Nowadays Lindsay-Grace is still working as a model for many commercials and posed for several great spreads in magazines.
2005
Miss Universe Netherlands 2005, Sharita Sopacua
Sharita was already 2nd runner-up at the Miss Nederland 2004 pageant when she won the Miss Universe Netherlands 2005 pageant. Her first runner-up, Monique Plat was later crowned as Miss Nederland and represented the Netherlands at the Miss World pageant.
Sharita went to Bangkok, Thailand to represent the Netherlands at the Miss Universe 2005 pageant. Sharita had one of the most beautiful faces of the pageant. Unfortunately she did not get into the semi-finals.
The main favorite of the pageant, Miss Canada, Natalia Glebova was in the end the overall winner and was crowned Miss Universe 2005.
Sharita started a successful modeling career not only in the Netherlands but also abroad.
2008
Miss Universe Top Beauty Netherlands 2008, Charlotte Labee
In 2006 and in 2007 there were no dutch beauty queens in the Miss Universe pageant. The license was already given in 2006 to a new organizer: Sheida Wever, Miss Curacao 1985, but she was not able to send a girl for unknown reasons. Finally in 2008 she organized a pageant with 7 participants. Most of the girls had experiences in other beauty pageants. Very tall and blond Charlotte Labee tried her luck already at the Miss Nederland 2007 pageant but failed to become a provincial queen at that time. In 2008 she won the ticket to represent the Netherlands in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The dutch final show was hosted by Lindsay Grace Pronk, Miss Universe Netherlands 2004. Miss Universe Netherlands 2003, Tessa Brix, was one of the judges. We were very happy to see Miss Netherlands back in the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Venezuela, Dayana Mendoza was the one to beat but was unbeatable as she was crowned Miss Universe 2008. Charlotte did not make the cut. After the pageant she started a career in television. She also published a magazine for Farouk Hair systems, that had many articles about the Miss Nederland pageant as Farouk Netherlands is one of the main sponsors of Miss Nederland.
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