Miss Universe 2019 final kicked off on Monday morning at 5.30 am IST (Indian Standard Time) at Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Steve Harvey took the mic as Miss Universe host for the record fifth time. He announced top five finalists advancing to the next round from Africa and Asia-Pacific and sadly, Vartika Singh of India fails to find a place. The five beauty queens are Miss South Africa, Miss Indonesia, Miss Vietnam, Miss Nigeria and Miss Thailand. Top 5 finalists advancing to the next round of Miss Universe 2019 from Europe are - Miss Albania, Miss France, Miss Iceland, Miss Croatia and Miss Portugal. Top 5 finalists from the Americas are – Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Peru, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Mexico, and Miss USA. While Vartika is not entirely out of the race to book her place in Top 20, her road definitely toughens up. How to Watch Miss Universe 2019 Final Free Live Streaming Online in India? Get Telecast Details to See Vartika Singh of India at 68th Annual Miss Universe Competition.

So far, the names that have made to the top 20 are  - Miss Albania – Cindy Marina, Miss Croatia – Mia Rkman, Miss France – Maëva Coucke, Miss Iceland – Birta Abiba Þórhallsdóttir, Indonesia – Frederika Alexis Cull, Miss Nigeria – Olutosin Araromi, Miss Portugal – Sylvie Silva, Miss South Africa – Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Thailand – Paweensuda Drouin, Miss Vietnam – Hoàng Thùy. The list will be updated as and when new names are announced.

One of the biggest shockers was Gazini Ganados, Miss Universe Philippines 2019 failing to secure spot from Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. Social media erupted after her name was missing from the Top 20 list. She was expected to bring Miss Universe crown back to back for Phillippines after Catriona Gray, reigning Miss Universe did it the previous year. Nevertheless, Gazini also has a chance to be one of the 20 semi-finalists via a wildcard.

Speaking of Vartika, Vartika Singh has a Master's degree in Public Health and has worked as a Technical Advisor in quality assurance for the world bank. She is an ardent advocate of accessible healthcare, and is the Brand Ambassador for the Government of Uttar Pradesh's State Nutrition Mission and other health initiatives in her home state. Vartika has recently founded Pure Humans, a not-for-profit organization which offers health care to people from low-income groups. (Inputs from official Miss Universe website).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2019 06:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).