Mariangel Ruiz
Encyclopedia
Mariángel Ruiz Torrealba (born January 7, 1980 in San Juan de los Morros
, Guárico
, Venezuela
) is a Venezuelan show hostees, actress and fashion model. She was first introduced as Miss Aragua in the Miss Venezuela
2002 competition, she won the contest, giving her the opportunity to go to the Miss Universe
2003 pageant, where she got the first runner up title.
Mariángel has been one of the most publicized Miss Venezuelas in the recent years, having been compared to Alicia Machado
(Miss Universe 1996). Like Alicia, she won her national title against every prediction (in a contest where the results are almost never surprise) and was considered a "rebel" Miss Venezuela. Also, like Alicia, she turned in a spectacular performance at Miss Universe, in comparison to more "conventional" titleholders, and overcame a number of major odds both within and outside her control.
title, the first time in 1998 when she did not even place into the top 120 candidates. In 2002, she won the preliminary casting in Maracay, becoming Miss Aragua 2002. For the national pageant, she was not a favorite and was predicted to place as finalist as best. Big favorites for her year were Vanessa Fanesi (Yaracuy), Amara Barroeta (Distrito. Capital), Solsiret Herrera (Monagas), and Driva Cedeño (Nueva Esparta), as well as Aida Yespica
(Amazonas) and Maria Fernanda Leon (Portuguesa), the only candidates to ever compete twice in Miss Venezuela history (not including Miss Republica Bolivariana Venezuela 2000). Against all prognostications, Mariangel won the pageant, which for the first time was judged entirely by former Miss Venezuelas. Her victory was completely unexpected by the contestants.
, Mariángel had to confront several obstacles before being able to represent her homeland in the Miss Universe pargeant. First of all, was gaining Osmel Sousa's approval: he considered Ruiz to be "rebellious" and threatened to send Amara Barroeta, her first runner-up, to Miss Universe if she did not stop her weight gain and focus on her training. Soon after, a hugely publicized "crisis" emerged in which it was claimed that the Organizacion Miss Venezuela did not have enough hard currency, due to President Chavez's government foreign exchange controls
, to pay the franchise fee and send its delegate. At the same time, Osmel Sousa
agreed to train Amelia Vega
, Miss Dominican Republic
, for a week in Caracas while Mariángel was placed on "standby".
When Miss Universe 2003
began, news changed nightly as to whether Venezuela would participate. After weeks of back-and-forth wrangling, including an intervention by the President of Panama
, the Cisneros Organization was able to fund Mariángel's travel and she arrived late at Miss Universe 2003, nearly missing the deadline to register. Her semifinal performance was met with mixed reviews, with some critics believing that she might be the first Miss Venezuela in two decades to miss the semifinals (which would eventually happen the following year) and others predicting that her controversies would bring her the crown.
On the final night of Miss Universe 2003, the announcers called out the wrong title when she appeared onstage: the order of the contestants was messed up backstage for the swimsuit contest and Mariangel appeared when Cindy Nell of South Africa should have come onstage. Daisy Fuentes then called South Africa twice, to which Mariángel made an infamous (and hilarious) expression of confusion, but her training as Miss Venezuela kicked in and she took the stage with a spectacular performance. The scoring was not affected and Daisy corrected herself as Mariangel left the stage.
During the night gown competition, Mariángel broke two conventions. First, she wore her hair down and little makeup, against Osmel's suggestions, and second, she wore a skin-tight Angel Sanchez crimson gown, becoming the first Miss Venezuela in a decade to not compete in a white, metallic, or light-toned dress. It was a winning combination, and she came off as one of the freshest contestants in history from Venezuela. During the interviews, another kicker arrived when Billy Bush asked Mariángel about her supposed favorite pastime, rappelling and extreme sports. The producers must have gotten confused, as Mariángel does not practice either, and she told Billy so with the comment "I love my life and protect it 100%" rather than lie in front of an international audience of 160 million people. Despite an excellent performance, Amelia Vega
was unbeatable and Mariángel came in first runner-up to Dominican Republic. Although Amelia only received a few days of preparation in Venezuela, the executives of Venevision were furious that the winner of the Miss Universe contest had been groomed by their company while their own representative was on "standby" and moreover came in second to her, and banned the Miss Venezuela Organization from training other nations' contestants.
. Her main credits include:
She has also done specials for the Miss Venezuela and Mister Venezuela pageants. In October 2005, she started filming the show Bailando con las Estrellas (Dancing with the Stars
), which is similar to several other shows in other countries with the same format. Mariángel was threatened once, she made it through, but on the second threat she got eliminated.
center fielder
Tony Alvarez
. Their civil wedding was the same month, and their religious wedding was held on January 28, 2006. Mariángel gave birth to a girl named Mariángel Victoria, in August of the same year http://www.missesdelmundo.cl/06news/otros49.htm.
San Juan de los Morros
San Juan de los Morros is the capital of the Guarico state and capital of the Juan Germán Roscio municipality, and is a town located in central Venezuela.- Overview :...
, Guárico
Guárico
Guárico State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Juan de Los Morros. Guárico State covers a total surface area of 64 986 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 745,100.-Municipalities and municipal seats:...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) is a Venezuelan show hostees, actress and fashion model. She was first introduced as Miss Aragua in the Miss Venezuela
Miss Venezuela
The Miss Venezuela contest is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela and has been held since 1952. It is responsible for selecting the country's representatives to the Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss International pageants .Under the direction of Osmel Sousa, Venezuela has...
2002 competition, she won the contest, giving her the opportunity to go to the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
2003 pageant, where she got the first runner up title.
Mariángel has been one of the most publicized Miss Venezuelas in the recent years, having been compared to Alicia Machado
Alicia Machado
Yoseph Alicia Machado Fajardo is an actress, singer and former Miss Universe. She was the fourth woman from Venezuela to capture the Miss Universe crown.-Career:...
(Miss Universe 1996). Like Alicia, she won her national title against every prediction (in a contest where the results are almost never surprise) and was considered a "rebel" Miss Venezuela. Also, like Alicia, she turned in a spectacular performance at Miss Universe, in comparison to more "conventional" titleholders, and overcame a number of major odds both within and outside her control.
Pageant career
Mariángel actually tried twice for the Miss VenezuelaMiss Venezuela
The Miss Venezuela contest is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela and has been held since 1952. It is responsible for selecting the country's representatives to the Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss International pageants .Under the direction of Osmel Sousa, Venezuela has...
title, the first time in 1998 when she did not even place into the top 120 candidates. In 2002, she won the preliminary casting in Maracay, becoming Miss Aragua 2002. For the national pageant, she was not a favorite and was predicted to place as finalist as best. Big favorites for her year were Vanessa Fanesi (Yaracuy), Amara Barroeta (Distrito. Capital), Solsiret Herrera (Monagas), and Driva Cedeño (Nueva Esparta), as well as Aida Yespica
Aída Yéspica
Aída María Yéspica Jaime is a Venezuelan beauty queen born on 15 July 1982 in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.-Pageant participation:Aida Yespica's career began in the Venezuelan famous national pageant Miss Venezuela in 2002. As Miss Amazonas, she represented the state of Amazonas. The winner was...
(Amazonas) and Maria Fernanda Leon (Portuguesa), the only candidates to ever compete twice in Miss Venezuela history (not including Miss Republica Bolivariana Venezuela 2000). Against all prognostications, Mariangel won the pageant, which for the first time was judged entirely by former Miss Venezuelas. Her victory was completely unexpected by the contestants.
Road to Miss Universe
After being crowned Miss VenezuelaMiss Venezuela
The Miss Venezuela contest is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela and has been held since 1952. It is responsible for selecting the country's representatives to the Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss International pageants .Under the direction of Osmel Sousa, Venezuela has...
, Mariángel had to confront several obstacles before being able to represent her homeland in the Miss Universe pargeant. First of all, was gaining Osmel Sousa's approval: he considered Ruiz to be "rebellious" and threatened to send Amara Barroeta, her first runner-up, to Miss Universe if she did not stop her weight gain and focus on her training. Soon after, a hugely publicized "crisis" emerged in which it was claimed that the Organizacion Miss Venezuela did not have enough hard currency, due to President Chavez's government foreign exchange controls
Foreign exchange controls
Foreign exchange controls are various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents or on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents.Common foreign exchange controls include:...
, to pay the franchise fee and send its delegate. At the same time, Osmel Sousa
Osmel Sousa
Osmel Ricardo Sousa Mancilla is a Cuban-Venezuelan beauty pageant gurú and the president of the Miss Venezuela Organization. Formerly an advertising draftsman, Osmel Sousa joined the Venezuelan Committee of Beauty in 1969...
agreed to train Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega Polanco became the first and only Dominican woman to be named Miss Universe, in 2003. At the age of 18, she was the youngest winner since 1994....
, Miss Dominican Republic
Miss Dominican Republic
Miss Dominican Republic, or Miss República Dominicana in Spanish, is a pageant where women ranging from the ages of 18 to 26 compete, each representing a Dominican province, city, or community. The Miss Dominican Republic organization is managed by Magali Febles...
, for a week in Caracas while Mariángel was placed on "standby".
When Miss Universe 2003
Miss Universe 2003
Miss Universe 2003, the 52nd Miss Universe pageant, was held at Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama on June 3, 2003. 71 delegates from around the universe competed for the crown...
began, news changed nightly as to whether Venezuela would participate. After weeks of back-and-forth wrangling, including an intervention by the President of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, the Cisneros Organization was able to fund Mariángel's travel and she arrived late at Miss Universe 2003, nearly missing the deadline to register. Her semifinal performance was met with mixed reviews, with some critics believing that she might be the first Miss Venezuela in two decades to miss the semifinals (which would eventually happen the following year) and others predicting that her controversies would bring her the crown.
On the final night of Miss Universe 2003, the announcers called out the wrong title when she appeared onstage: the order of the contestants was messed up backstage for the swimsuit contest and Mariangel appeared when Cindy Nell of South Africa should have come onstage. Daisy Fuentes then called South Africa twice, to which Mariángel made an infamous (and hilarious) expression of confusion, but her training as Miss Venezuela kicked in and she took the stage with a spectacular performance. The scoring was not affected and Daisy corrected herself as Mariangel left the stage.
During the night gown competition, Mariángel broke two conventions. First, she wore her hair down and little makeup, against Osmel's suggestions, and second, she wore a skin-tight Angel Sanchez crimson gown, becoming the first Miss Venezuela in a decade to not compete in a white, metallic, or light-toned dress. It was a winning combination, and she came off as one of the freshest contestants in history from Venezuela. During the interviews, another kicker arrived when Billy Bush asked Mariángel about her supposed favorite pastime, rappelling and extreme sports. The producers must have gotten confused, as Mariángel does not practice either, and she told Billy so with the comment "I love my life and protect it 100%" rather than lie in front of an international audience of 160 million people. Despite an excellent performance, Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega Polanco became the first and only Dominican woman to be named Miss Universe, in 2003. At the age of 18, she was the youngest winner since 1994....
was unbeatable and Mariángel came in first runner-up to Dominican Republic. Although Amelia only received a few days of preparation in Venezuela, the executives of Venevision were furious that the winner of the Miss Universe contest had been groomed by their company while their own representative was on "standby" and moreover came in second to her, and banned the Miss Venezuela Organization from training other nations' contestants.
Work on TV
Mariángel has appeared on several TV shows of VenevisiónVenevisión
Venevisión is one of Venezuela's largest television networks and a Venezuelan cable and terrestrial television network, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros...
. Her main credits include:
- Bailando con las Estrellas (2005), as Contestant
- Portada's (2005–present), as Hostees
- Cosita RicaCosita RicaCosita Rica was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and seen on Venevisión. This telenovela lasted 270 episodes and was distributed internationally by Venevisión International.-Synopsis:...
(2003), as Alegria Mendez - Que Locura (2003), as Guest Hostees
She has also done specials for the Miss Venezuela and Mister Venezuela pageants. In October 2005, she started filming the show Bailando con las Estrellas (Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
), which is similar to several other shows in other countries with the same format. Mariángel was threatened once, she made it through, but on the second threat she got eliminated.
Personal life
In December 2005 she announced her marriage and pregnancy to Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Tony Alvarez
Tony Alvarez
Antonio Enrique Álvarez [AL-vah-rez] is a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in and ....
. Their civil wedding was the same month, and their religious wedding was held on January 28, 2006. Mariángel gave birth to a girl named Mariángel Victoria, in August of the same year http://www.missesdelmundo.cl/06news/otros49.htm.
Publicity
Mariángel has worked with several companies to promote their products, those include:- PantenePantenePantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1947 by Hoffman-LaRoche of Switzerland, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient...
(2005) - Lady Speed StickSpeed StickSpeed Stick is a brand of deodorant/antiperspirant that, as the name suggests, comes in stick form. The product is owned by its parent company, Colgate-Palmolive. It was formerly known as "Mennen Speed Stick" prior to Colgate-Palmolive's purchase of The Mennen Company. Currently, the products...
(2004) - Atun Margarita (2003)
- Mayonesa KraftKraft FoodsKraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
(2003) - Calzados Lucchi (2002)
Modeling
In November 2008, posed for the cover of the prestigious Venezuelan Urbe Bikini magazine.External links
- MariangelRuiz.com.ve — Official Spanish website
- Portadas @ Venevision.net — Official Spanish website of her show Portada's