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Natália Guimarães, Miss Brasil 2007. The first runner-up for Miss Universe 2007.

The Miss Brasil Pageant is a beauty contest that has been held almost every year since 1954 between winners of the Brazilian state pageants. The 2009 edition venue took place on Saturday, May 9 at the Memorial da América Latina, São Paulo. The winner of Miss Brasil competes in the Miss Universe contest and the runner-up competes in the Miss International.

History

Larissa Costa, Miss Brasil 2009.

"Miss Brasil" competitions began in the 1920s following a trend throughout the world during that period. A famous controversy occurred when Miss Brasil 1929 competed in the International Pageant of Pulchritude but failed to place in the competition, much less win the "Miss Universe" title.^[1] The angered Brazilians hosted their own international pageant in 1930 leading to two separate "Miss Universe" titles that year. In the Brazilian competition Miss Brasil received the Miss Universe title while in the American competition Miss United States received the title.^[2] The Miss Brasil competition, like many others in the world, was discontinued as the Great Depression and World War II diverted the world's attention.

The modern pageant was created in 1954 in the city of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. The first edition of Miss Brasil, won by Bahia's representative Martha Rocha, was sponsored by the Folha de São Paulo newspaper.

Organization

Under Diários Associados

Carina Beduschi, Miss Brasil 2005.

In following year, Brazilian media businessman, mogul and journalist Assis Chateaubriand took the rights of Miss Brasil pageant, when the winners take qualified to the Miss Universe, Miss World (participation began at 1958) and Miss International pageants (participation begin in 1960, when the pageant was created). The empire who created Diários Associados, was responsible for diffusion of the national beauties until 1980, when the network Rede Tupi was lost his concessions by order of Haroldo de Mattos, Brazilian minister of Communications at the time, due to its bankruptcy.

The Quintandinha's roots

The Miss Brasil first four editions (1954 to 1957) was held in Palácio Quitandinha, Petrópolis. When Chatô's media group assumed the promotion of pageant, it was massified nationally by its magazines and newspapers coverages, specially now defuncts O Cruzeiro and O Jornal.

All national winners of the pageant in this period were placed at Miss Universe pageant, held in Long Beach, California american state.

Maracanãzinho's "golden years"

On the named Miss Brazil's golden era (began in 1958, when the pageant was moved from Petrópolis to the Federal District at the time, Rio de Janeiro), Rio Grande do Sul's Iêda Maria Vargas and Bahia's Martha Vasconcellos winners of the 1963 and 1968 editions of Miss Universe (both held in the Carioca gymnasium). The same year that Vasconcellos was crowned, Guanabara's Maria da Gloria Carvalho nabbed the Miss International title, while in 1971, Lucia Tavares Petterle was elected Miss World.

Adalgisa Colombo and Rejane Vieira Costa were 1st runners up at Miss Universe in 1958 and 1972 respectively.(See the winners table for 1959, 1962, 1971 and 1979 results)

Due to fire destruction in a part of Maracanãzinho's structure, the Miss Brazil 1970 pageant winner, Guanabara's Eliane Fialho Thompson was crowned in a event edition held only time in Pavilhão de São Cristóvão (São Cristóvão Pavillion), in a carioca northern zone district. Its edition was the first nationally televised by Rede Tupi via microwaves system powered by Embratel.

In 1973, due to lack of public, media interests and possible feminist protests, organizers moved the place to Ginásio Presidente Médici in the country's capital, Brasília. The Miss Brasil 1972 pageant (won by the gaúcha representative Vieira Costa) was the last held in Maracanãzinho's dependencies.

The Brasilia "decadence" and crisis

When the Miss Brasil pageant moved to federal capital, Brasília, lack of public continued severally from 1973 to last edition in the city, held in 1980 (when Associados was filed to bankruptcy protection due to closing of seven Rede Tupi's owned and operated stations, except Bahia's TV Itapoan and TV Brasília, now Rede Record and Rede TV!'s, O&O and affiliate, respectivelly).

In 1976 pageant, Helena Rubinstein cosmetics company retired its sponsorship to Miss Brasil event. So, Catalina Swimwear mark continued its support to organization for same years until mid-80's (when the event broadcasting rights was assumed by SBT).

All brazilian presidents of the period (except Ernesto Geisel) were recepted the Miss Brasil state contestants in the Alvorada Palace days before the final nights, hosted by its coordinator at the time Paulo Max and actress Marly Bueno and telecasted by Tupi and its O&O, TV Brasília.

Under SBT

When the channels of defunct Tupi was redistributed for media businessman and TV animator Sílvio Santos and Russian-Brazilian journalist and owner of Manchete magazine Adolpho Bloch groups, on April 23, 1981, the new network SBT (one of the results of the Rede Associada inventory) owned the Miss Brasil until 1989.

Criticism

In the '80s, the Miss Brasil pageant was known the most brega period, by opinion of same fans and television critics. The last top 5 obteined by Brazilian representative in Miss Universe was in 1981, by the Rio de Janeiro candidate in national pageant, Adriana Alves de Oliveira. Because lack of ratings and announcers, SBT retired the promotion of Miss Brasil in April 1990, after the country not participied in Miss Universe 1990.

Format changes

In this period, Miss Brazil pageant was held in separate pageants for Miss Universe (the most expected and important), Miss World and Miss International. SBT telecasted too same state pageants, nationwide in Programa Sílvio Santos and locally by the affiliates, such as TV Alterosa (Minas Gerais) and TV Itapoan (Bahia).

Vera Fischer, Miss Brasil 1969.

Under Marlene Brito and others

In 1990, the SBT's former producer of the pageant, Marlene Brito, took the Miss Brasil rights and producion until 1993, when Leila Schuster was crowned without realization of traditional pageant, but her was indicated by the national direction for representative the country in Miss Universe 1993. From 1994, Miss Brasil was ownered by various directors, includding the former host in Tupi's period, Paulo Max.

The present directors, Nayla Micherif and Boanerges Gaeta Jr., assumed the functions by partnership in 2002. Since this year, the pageant national telecast is back, after some local broadcastings of it in 90's.

On the new phase, Miss Brasil was broadcast first on Rede TV! and since 2003, Band network assumed the television rights of the event, with venues in São Paulo (2003, 2004 and 2008), and Rio de Janeiro (2005-2007).

Locations and venues

• 1954-1957-Palácio Quitandinha, Petrópolis (RJ);
• 1958-1972-Maracanãzinho Gymnasium, Rio de Janeiro;
• 1973-1980-Ginásio Presidente Médici, Brasília
• 1981-1987-Palácio das Convenções do Anhembi, São Paulo
• 1988-1989-Teatro Sílvio Santos (SBT Studios), São Paulo
• 1991-The Gallery, São Paulo
• 1992-Olympia (concert house), São Paulo

• In 1993, the pageant was replaced by a little event, in a fine restaurant of São Paulo, named Leopolldo. At the place, Leila Schuster was crowned.

From 1994 to 1996, Miss Brazil was back to Rio de Janeiro (first, at Ribalta house concert and two years later in Metropolitan, today Citibank Hall).

In 1997, it was held in northeastern city of Teresina, in Pavlihão de Eventos (Events Pavilion) Governador Guilherme Melo.

From 1998 to present, Rio (Hotel Glória, Copacabana Palace, Ribalta, the newest incarnations of Metropolitan and the Vivo Rio space at Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro) and São Paulo (Palace, today Citibank Hall, Via Funchal and Credicard Hall) alternate the right to venue the annual beauty telecast show, at first broadcast by local affiliates from Rede Manchete, Rede Record and CNT.

Winners

• Joseane Oliveira, from Rio Grande do Sul, was the winner and competed in the Miss Universe, but she was stripped of the crown later because she was married at the time of her crowning.

Winners by state

Titles	State	Winning Years
10	Rio Grande do Sul	1956, 1963, 1972, 1986, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008
08	Rio de Janeiro	1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1980, 1981
08	São Paulo	1967, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1984, 1991, 1994
07	Minas Gerais	1961, 1971, 1978, 1983, 1995, 1997, 2007
05	Santa Catarina	1969, 1975, 1988, 2002, 2005
03	Bahia	1954, 1962, 1968
03	Paraná	1964, 1992, 1996
02	Ceará	1955, 1989
02	Mato Grosso	1985, 2000
02	Rio Grande do Norte	1979, 2009
01	Amazonas	1957
01	Distrito Federal	1987
01	Mato Grosso do Sul	1998
01	Pará	1982
01	Tocantins	2003

• Until 1970 the evidence obtained by the Rio de Janeiro belonged to Guanabara.

Television acts

The actresses

Some Miss Brasil winners or finalists were acting in a lead or supporting roles in soap operas (called "telenovelas") and motion pictures after her reigns (nationwide or locally). By example:

• Natália Guimarães (Minas Gerais, winner, 2007 and 1st. runner up at Miss Universe 2007);
• Grazielli Massafera (Paraná, 2nd runner up, 2004);
• Marisa Fully Coelho (Minas Gerais, winner, 1983);
• Suzy Rêgo (Pernambuco, 1st runner-up, 1984);
• Vera Fischer (Santa Catarina, winner, 1969).

The hostesses

Some Miss Brasil winners or finalists were acted or still active hosting shows, sports programming or movie sessions aired in national television daily or weekly. They were/are:

• Brasilia's resident and Cuiabá's native Jacqueline Meirelles (Cinema em Casa-SBT, 1988, Mulher 90-Rede Manchete, 1989 and some works in TV Gazeta at 90's) Miss Universe 1987 best national costume;
• Rio Grande do Sul's Luize Altenhofen (Band Esporte Clube-Rede Bandeirantes, 2007-present and other works in same network and also at Sportv basic cable channel) 1st runner-up, 1998, not competed at the Miss International of that year held in Tokyo due to illness.
• São Paulo's Adriana Colin (former host of sports programs in Rede Manchete and Rede Record from 1994 to 2001, former commercial host of Globo's Domingão do Faustão, 2002-2009) 1st runner-up, 1989.

Reality-TV

Some Miss Brasil pageant contestants, finalists or winners were appeared in popular reality television programs broadcast nationwide:

• Paraná's Grazielli Massafera (Big Brother Brasil 5 - Runner-Up, Rede Globo, 2005) was 2nd runner-up at national pageant in early year. She represented the country at Miss International 2004, held in Beijing;
• São Paulo's Solange Frazão (Celebrity's House 3 - 4th Place, SBT, 2002) was 1st runner-up at the national pageant organized by the network of the program in 1982. Today, she is a very popular TV hostess in her country.
• Rio Grande do Sul's Joseane Oliveira (Big Brother Brasil 3 - 12th Place, Rede Globo, 2003) lost her title at February 4 of that year after admitted her marriage in a popular Sunday TV show, Domingão do Faustão.
• Pernambuco's Michelle Fernandes (Big Brother Brasil 9 - first evicted of the show on the season, Rede Globo, 2009) was Top 15 in the national pageant previously year.

External links

• Official Website

Notes