Miss Universe 2013 winner is Miss Venezuela, Gabriela Isler

Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo, from the United States, right, crowns her successor, Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler, during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.

By Jamie Wetherbe

Nov. 10, 2013 12:23 PM PT

And the crown goes to ... Miss Venezuela, Gabriela Isler, who was named Miss Universe 2013 Saturday night at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall.

Miss Universe 2012, Olivia Culpo, crowned Isler at the conclusion of the two-hour telecast, viewed by an estimated 1 billion people from 190 countries.

Isler beat out contestants from 85 other countries at the 62nd annual competition to nab the crown for Venezuela, the country’s seventh Miss Universe title.

The 25-year-old, 5-foot, 10-inch beauty works as an anchor for Venezuela’s Venevision television; her experience is likely to come in handy during her one-year stint as Miss Universe.

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Soon after her win, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tweeted his congratulations, calling her victory a “triumph.”

Isler was selected by a panel of eight judges including celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, gold medal figure skater Tara Lipinski and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who pulled double duty with a performance during the show.

MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts and “America’s Got Talent” alum and former Spice Girl Melanie Brown served as co-hosts.

The pageant took place in Russia for the first time, sparking debate over the country’s anti-gay laws.

Roberts, who is openly gay, stepped in as pageant co-host after Bravo’s Andy Cohen opted out following Russia’s enactment of a law banning “homosexual propaganda.”

“I certainly think that discriminatory laws are just that, discriminatory and they marginalize the LGBT community,” Roberts told Agence France-Press on the red carpet. “I empathize with the LGBT people here.”

Roberts, however, didn’t take the issue to the stage. He dedicated the telecast to victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines.

“We send our very best, our thoughts,” he said.

Isler on Sunday preformed her first duty as the new Miss Universe by posing in a ruby and diamond bejeweled swimsuit worth an estimated $1 million.

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