1996 Alicia Machado VENEZUELA

Las Vegas, Nevada USA

1st runner up     Taryn Scheryl Mansell  ARUBA 2nd runner-up     Iyabode Ololade  Odusoga FINLAND FINALISTS: Vanessa Guzmán Niebla   MEXICO Ilmira Shamsutdinova   RUSSIA Ali Landry   USA SEMI-FINALISTS: Carmen Milena Mayorga   EL SALVADOR Sandhya Chib   INDIA Natalí Patricia Sacco Angeles   PERU Annika Duckmark   SWEDEN

Venezuela's Alicia Machado was the clear favorite for the crown as she sashayed and charmed her way to the audience's and judges' hearts on pageant night.  Shortly after her crowning, Venezuela's 4th Miss Universe was asked what she would do now that she was Miss Universe…Without hesitation, she replied, "EAT, EAT, EAT!!"  She would later allegedly gain more ad more weight reaching an all time high of 150 lbs. which led to speculations of stripping Alicia of her crown.  Undaunted, Alicia succumbed to the media blitz and crowned her successor a year later 10 to 15 lbs heavier than on the night she herself captured the Universe.

Alicia's  official photograph as Miss Universe 1996

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