Beauty pageants that built a career after winning Miss Universe

Alicia Machado, from Maracay, Venezuela, was crowned Miss Venezuela 1996.

After her coronation, Alicia began a successful career in soap operas and television shows in Venezuela, Mexico, and the United States. She has appeared in melodramas such as “Una familia con Suerte” and “La Madame.” We’ve also seen her on shows like “Mira Quién Baila” on Univision and “La Casa de los Famosos” on Telemundo. It was on the latter reality show where she became the winner of the first edition. Alicia is the mother of Dinorah Valentina, who is 15 years old.

Dayanara Torres, from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, was crowned Miss Universe in 1993.

Torres built a career in film, music, and television. In fact, she is a celebrity in the Philippines, where she starred in movies, series, and commercials. Moreover, Dayanara had a musical career in the United States and currently makes guest appearances as a host on some Univision shows. Torres was previously married to Marc Anthony, and they share two children, Cristian and Ryan Muñiz.

Andrea Meza, from Mexico, brought the third crown to her country in 2020.

After winning the crown, and with one of the shortest reigns in the competition due to the pandemic, Andrea Meza began a career as a television presenter. Currently, we can see her as the host of “Hoy Día” on Telemundo.

Ximena Navarrete was crowned Miss Universe in 2010, becoming the second Mexican to achieve this title.

After her coronation, Ximena made her debut as a television host for various events and also shared the screen with William Levy in the telenovela “La Tempestad.” Currently, she is married to Juan Carlos Valladares, and they are parents of two children.

Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico was crowned Miss Universe 2006.

In her career, Zuleyka Rivera has appeared in several soap operas, including “Dame Chocolate” and “Cosita Linda.” Additionally, she has been seen as a presenter at events and awards shows for various Hispanic networks. Zuleyka had a relationship with the basketball player José Juan Barea, and they have a son named Sebastián José.

Amelia represented the Dominican Republic in Miss Universe 2003 and became the first and only Dominican to win the title, as of this writing.

After her reign, she briefly worked at Telemundo and made her film debut in 2005 in “The Lost City,” directed by Andy García. In 2010, she made her musical debut with the album “Agua Dulce.” Although she has been away from the spotlight for some time, Amelia is often invited to events on Univision and Telemundo. Vega secretly married NBA player Al Horford in 2011, and they are parents of five children.

Lupita Jones was the first Mexican to be crowned as Miss Universe in 1991.

For many years, she served as the national director of the Nuestra Belleza México pageant, which aimed to find the best candidate to represent Mexico in Miss Universe. After leaving Televisa, she created Mexicana Universal.

Cecilia Bolocco, from Chile, was crowned Miss Universe in 1987.

After winning the pageant, Cecilia Bolocco became one of the most famous figures not only in her own country but throughout Latin America. She had a prolific television career in Chile and later moved to the United States, where she worked at CNN and Telemundo. She also hosted the Viña del Mar Festival. Currently, she hosts “Todo por Ti” on Canal 13 in Chile. She was married to former President Carlos Menem and is the mother of a son named Máximo Saúl.