Contestants rehearse a dance number, August 19, 2009.

Miss Netherlands Avalon-Chanel Weyzig, right, naps in her seat as she and other candidates wait to rehearse for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.

Contestants from around the world rehearse a dance number with a choreographer in preparation for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.

Miss Great Britain Clair Cooper stands on stage during a rehearsal of a dance number for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.




Contestants from around the world rehearse a dance number with a choreographer in preparation for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23, 2009


Left to right, Miss USA Kristen Dalton, Miss Spain Estibaliz Pereira Rabade, Miss Great Britain Clair Cooper, Miss Turks & Caicos Jewel Selver, Miss France Chloe Mortaud and Miss Ecuador Sandra Vinces rehearse a dance number in preparation for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition, in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23



Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, of Venezuela, left, and co-host Claudia Jordan, right, work with a production assistant who serves as a stand-in for host Billy Bush, as they rehearse for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.




Miss Curacao Angenie Simon, center, Miss Japan Emiri Miyasaka, and Miss Ukraine Kristina Kots-Gotlib listen to a choreographer as they rehearse for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23. Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, of Venezuela, left, and co-host Claudia Jordan, right, work with a production assistant who serves as a stand-in for host Billy Bush, as they rehearse for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.




Left to right, Miss Indonesia Zivanna Letisha Siregar, Miss Cyprus Klelia Yiasemidou, Miss Vietnam Hoang Yen Vo, and Miss New Zealand Katie Taylor prepare themselves before rehearsing a dance number in preparation for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.




Miss Peru Karen Schwarz, center, sits with Miss Uruguay Cinthia D'Ottone, left, and Miss Argentina Johanna Lasic, right, as Miss Great Britain Clair Cooper naps in her seat behind them, as they wait to rehearse for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition, in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.



Miss Greece Viviana Campanile Zagorianakou, center, Miss Albania Hasna Xhukici, far left, and behind left to right, Miss Paraguay Mareike Baumgarten Oroa and Miss Switzerland Whitney Toyloy listen to a choreographer as they rehearse for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.

Miss Uruguay Cinthia D'Ottone, left, blows a kiss to members of the media, as Miss Peru Karen Schwarz makes a "V" sign, center, next to Miss Argentina Johanna Lasic, right, during a rehearsal for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.

Left to right, Miss Curacao Angenie Simon, Miss Japan Emiri Miyasaka, and Miss Bulgaria Elitsa Lyubenova rehearse a dance number with a choreographer in preparation for the 2009 Miss Universe Competition in Nassau, Bahamas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Miss Universe 2009 will be picked from among participants from 84 countries on Aug. 23.

Credit photo : AP photo

Contestants rehearse for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.

Kristen Dalton, Miss USA 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Larissa Costa, Miss Brazil 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Avalon-Chanel Weyzig, Miss Netherlands 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Whitney Toyloy, Miss Switzerland 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.




Essi Poysti, Miss Finland 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Sofia Rudyeva (L), Miss Russia 2009, and Julia Dyment, Miss Israel 2009, take a break during rehearsals for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Lourdes Figueroa, Miss Guatemala 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Mayella Mena, Miss El Salvador 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Mayra Matos, Miss Puerto Rico 2009, rehearses for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.




Sofia Rudyeva (L), Miss Russia 2009 and Michelle Rouillard, Miss Colombia 2009, rehearse for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Joy Lasic (L), Miss Argentina 2009, Michelle Rouillard, Miss Colombia 2009, and Dominique Peltier (R), Miss Bolivia 2009, rehearse for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.



Joy Lasic (L), Miss Argentina 2009, Carolyn Yapp (2nd L), Miss Jamaica 2009, Kristen Dalton, Miss USA 2009; Lourdes Figueroa (2nd R), Miss Guatemala 2009, and Whitney Toyloy (R), Miss Switzerland 2009, rehearse for the Miss Universe 2009 competition at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas August 19, 2009.

credit photo : Reuters Pictures