Dayana Mendoza was crowned as the Miss Universe 2008


The pageant was held in Vietnam and was hosted by Jerry Springer and Spice Girl Mel B.

The panel of judges include famed developer Donald Trump Jr, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and Bollywood star Eesha Koppikhar. The 80 contestants tried their best to caught the attention of the judges as they presented their national costumes, swimsuits and evening gowns.

After cutting down the 80 candidates to top five, each contestant was asked a question by a random judge. Miss Venezuela made a great impression with her response to hair stylist Louis Licari's question, "Do you believe that men or women had it easier in life?".

"Actually, God made us to share and to have differences,' she answered. 'Men think that the fastest way to a point is to go straight. Women know it's faster to follow and fix the curves."

Here is the list of the winners:

Top 15:
Venezuela
Kosovo
Mexico
Vietnam
South Africa
Australia
Japan
Dominican Republic
Italy
Colombia
Russia
Hungary
Czech Republic
USA
Spain

Top 10:
Kosovo
Australia
Spain
Mexico
Colombia
USA
Dominican Republic
Russia
Italy
Venezuela

Best in Bikini - Queen of Vinpearl
- Winner: Elisa Najera - Mexico

Best in Áo dài (Vietnam National Costume)
- Winner: Dayana Mendoza - Venezuela

Best National Costume Award: Miss Thailand.
Miss Congenility: Miss El Salvador

4th Runner Up: Miss Mexico
3rd Runner Up: Miss Russia
2nd Runner Up: Miss Dominican Republic
1st Runner Up: Miss Colombia
Miss Universe 2008:Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza




Up: Miss Australia Laura Dundovic
Down: Miss Colombia Taliana Vargas






Up: Miss Dominican Republic Marianne Cruz Gonzalez
Down: Miss Italy Claudia Ferraris






Up: Miss Kosovo Zana Krasniqi
Down: Miss USA Crystle Stewart






Up: Miss Mexico Elisa Najera
Down: Miss Russia Vera Krasova






Up: Miss Spain Claudia Moro
Down: Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza






Up: Miss Thailand Gavintra Photijak
Down: Miss Vietnam Trang Thuy Nguyen