Did Harnaaz Sandhu trip on the 71st Miss Universe stage? Watch her final walk at the beauty pageant

Harnaaz Sandhu, from India, crowned her successor, Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel, as the 71st Miss Universe on Saturday, January 14, at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, Louisiana.

Harnaaz, who was crowned Miss Universe on December 13, 2021, walked the stage one final time before passing on the mantle on Saturday.

The 22-year-old model wore a black gown with an ornate trail and almost tripped on the floor, all while her last message as the titleholder was being played in the background.

Harnaaz got emotional as she walked on stage and after she lost her footing for a jiffy, she was able to quickly regain her balance. She walked the ramp with grace and her final message was:

"I was 17 years old when I first took the the stage and since then becoming Miss Universe was my goal. I've been given the megaphone on a worldwide stage to present the topic of menstrual equity before world leaders asking them to keep this conversation ongoing."

Harnaaz also motivated others by saying:

"Remember to live this year to the fullest because tomorrow is never promised."

Harnaaz's black gown was designed by Saisha Shinde and had pictures of Lara Datta and Sushmita Sen on the long train. The gown was also embellished by Sequin at the front and had a bow at the back.

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More about former Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu

Harnaaz was born on March 3, 2000, in Gurdaspur, Punjab, and was raised in a traditional Jat Sikh family. Harnaaz moved to England for two years in 2006 with her parents before returning to Chandigarh, India.

She went to Shivalik Public School and attended the Post Graduate Government College for Girls in Chandigarh. Sandhu was pursuing a master’s degree in public administration when she was crowned Miss Universe.

Sandhu won the titles of Miss Chandigarh in 2017 and Miss Max Emerging Star India in 2018. She reportedly did not tell her father about the competition and he only found out about it after she had won. She then won the Femina Miss India Punjab title in 2019.

Harnaaz lost a chance to represent India that year but was able to win the Miss Diva 2021 award. She also won the Miss Beautiful Skin award and became a finalist in many other competitions.

During the Miss Universe 2021 competition, Harnaaz represented India in Israel and competed against 79 other contestants. She is also the winner of Grazia India’s Global Millennial of the Year award 2022.

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What happened in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant competition?

The final competition was streamed live from New Orleans on Roku TV at 8 pm ET. The preliminary costume, swimsuit, and evening gown round took place on January 11, and voting for the semi-finalists was opened to the public.

In the finals, 16 countries reached the semi-finals but only five proceeded to the finals:

• R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States
• Gabriëla Dos Santos of Curaçao
• Andreína Martínez of the Dominican Republic
• Ashley Cariño of Puerto Rico
• Amanda Dudamel of Venezuela

After a question-answer round by the panelists, Gabriëla Dos and Ashley Cariño were eliminated from the competition. In the final, the three remaining women were asked the same question:

"If you win Miss Universe, how would you work to demonstrate this as an empowering and progressive organization?"

After answering, USA's R'Bonney Gabriel became the 71st Miss Universe while Amanda Dudamel won the title of first runner-up.