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Miss Universe 2018: Philippines' Catriona Gray wins crown in Thailand

Catriona Gray of the Philippines, left, reacts as she is crowned the new Miss Universe 2018 by Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters during the final round of the 67th Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.

BANGKOK, Thailand — The Philippines' Catriona Gray beat out contestants from 93 countries to win the 67th annual Miss Universe pageant Sunday night in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Gray bested first runner-up South Africa's Tamaryn Green and Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela, who rounded out the top three.

She succeeds Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa who took home the crown last year.

Comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey returned to host the contest and did not misread the winner's name as he did in 2015, although Miss Costa Rica, a TV host, too, joked about the infamous mix-up, according to PhilStar Global.

Harvey asked her if she had any professional advice for him, and she joked, “If they ever give you, like, a really, really, really important envelope, try to read it carefully, OK?”

The pageant was judged this year by seven women, including business women and former Miss Universe winners, in keeping with the contest’s theme of “Empowered Women.”

The pageant also made history this year with the first transgender contestant to ever take part in the contest. Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, however, did not make the top 20.

Miss USA, Sarah Rose Summers, did make the finals, but did not break the top 10.