Dayana was tipped to win by the bookies this year, with odds of 600+.

Dayana Mendoza is a professional model who was a finalist at the Elite Model Look International 2001.

She had already won the Miss Universe Best Ao Dai 2008 title, at the start of the contest.

Dayana has traveled extensively to Italy, France, United States, England, Greece, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Peru for Versace, and Roberto Cavalli.

Dayana loves photography, interior design and advertising, and says that the most interesting thing that has happened to her was when she was kidnapped.

The 80 contestants in the Miss Universe 2008 contest, were whittled down to 15. The top 10 comprised Miss USA, Miss Kosovo, Miss Australia, Miss Spain, Miss Mexico, Miss Colombia, Miss USA, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Russia, Miss Italy and Miss Venezuela.

The top five were: first runner-up, Miss Columbia Taliana Vargas, second runner-up Miss Dominica Marianne Cruz, third runner-up Miss Russian Vera Krasova, and the fourth Miss Mexico Elisa Najera.

The top five were all latino contestants. The Miss Universe 2008 show was hosted by Jerry Springer and Spice Girl Melanie Brown.

Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008, ripped on the tail of her gown just as she was about to enter. In the Miss Universe 2007 pageant, Miss USA Rachel Smith also took a fall.

Update: Miss venezuela Dayana Mendoza is Miss Universe 2008!

The top ten Miss Universe 2008 contestants expected winners are:

1) Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe Venezuela 2008

Odds +600

Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe Venezuela 2008 is the winner of the Miss Venezuela 2007 pageant, and is only the second woman from the Amazonas state to win it.

Dayana Mendoza, 22, is a professional model who has traveled to Italy, France, United States, England, Greece, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Peru for Versace, and Roberto Cavalli among other fashion designers.

2) The second contestant on the list expected to win the Miss Universe 2008 title, is Miss Mexico, Elisa Najera.

Odds +900

Elisa Najera, 21, is the winner of the Nuestra Belleza Mexico contest.  Elisa, the Miss Universe Mexico 2008, is also the winner of the second official prize of Miss Universe contest for the “Best body.”

3) Ingrid Rivera, Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2008

Odds +900

Ingrid Rivera, is the Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2008 contestant. Ingrid is the winner of the Miss Puerto Rico 2008 title and the title of Miss Caribbean at the 2005 Miss World pageant.

4) Simran Kaur Mundi, Miss Universe India 2008

Odds +1000

Simran Kaur Mundi, the winner of the Pantaloons Miss India Universe 2008, is a 22-year-old Biotechnology student from Mumbai, India. Simran wants to open a beauty cum grooming school in India for aspiring models.

5) Taliana Vargas, Miss Universe Columbia 2008

Odds +1100

Taliana Vargas, 20, is the winner  of the Miss Columbia 2008 contest and is the Miss Universe Columbia 2008 contestant. Taliana studies Journalism at the Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria.

6) Eliska Buchnova, Miss Universe Czech Republic 2008

Odds +1200

Eliska Buckova, 19,  is the Miss Universe Czech Republic 2008, and the winner of the Czech Miss 2008 title. Eliska belongs to Strážnice, in the Hodonín region.

7) Carolina Dementiev Justavino, Miss Universe Panama 2008
+1400

Carolina Dementiev Justavino, is the Miss Universe Panama 2008 contestant. Carolina is also the winner of the Señorita Panamá Realmente Bella 2008 title.

Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008

Odds +1400

Crystle Stewart is the Miss Universe USA 2008 contestant. She is also the winner of the Miss Texas 2008 and Miss USA 2008 contest. Crystle is a professional model from Missouri city, and runs an event planning and motivational speaking company.

9)Tansey Coetzee, Miss Universe South Africa 2008

Odds +1400

Tansey Coetzee, Miss Universe South Africa 2008, is a model and wants to open a modeling school. She also wants to launch her own fashion label.

10) Marianne Cruz Gonzalez, Miss Universe Dominican Republic 2008

Odds +1400

Marianne Cruz, the Miss Universe Dominican Republic 2008 candidate, is the winner of the Miss Continente Americano 2007.

11) Alizee Poulicek, Miss Universe Begium 2008

+1600

Alizee Poulicek, 21 has blonde hair and black eyes, and is the winner of the Miss Belgium 2008 contest.

12) Zana Krasniqi, Miss Universe Kosovo 2008

+1600

Zana Krasniqi, 19, is the 5′7″ tall Miss Universe Kosovo 2008 contestant from Pristina, and the winner of the Miss Kosovo 2008 contest.

13) Matilda Mcini, Miss Universe Albania 2008

+1600

Matilda Mecini, the Miss Universe Albania 2008  belongs to Shkodra, and is a student at the University of Tirana.

14) Lynn Kelly, Miss Universe Ireland 2008

+1800

Lynn Kelly, the Miss Universe Ireland 2008,  is the first ever Miss Ireland 2008 winner, and a trained Irish dancer from Dublin.  OLGB list order:

15) Dionysia Koukiou, Miss Universe Greece 2008
+2000

Dionysia Koukiou, Miss Universe Greece 2008, is the winner of the Miss Greece 2008 contest, and has brown hair and hazel eyes.

The rest of the contestants in the order of probability of winning are:

Miss Croatia +2500
Miss Ukraine +2500
Miss Vietnam +2500
Miss Australia +2500
Miss Brazil +2800
Miss Montenegro +2800
Miss Costa Rica +2800
Miss Ecuador +3000
Miss Kazakhstan +3000
Miss Thailand +3300
Miss France +3300
Miss Trinidad & Tobago +3300
Miss China +3300
Miss Peru +3500
Miss Nigeria +4000
Miss Paraguay +4000
Miss Nicaragua +4000
Miss Serbia +5000
Miss Korea +5000
Miss Indonesia +5000
Miss Spain +5000
Miss Slovak Republic +5500
Miss Norway +5500
Miss Georgia +6600
Miss Honduras +6600
Miss Mauritius +6600
Miss Japan +6600
Miss Philippines +7500
Miss Bahamas +7500
Miss Uruguay +8000
Miss Argentina +8000
Miss Aruba +8000
Miss El Salvador +8000
Miss Israel +8000
Miss Singapore +8000
Miss Malaysia +10000
Miss Hungary +10000
Miss Estonia +10000
Miss Slovenia +10000
Miss Guam +10000
Miss Poland +10000
Miss Angola +10000
Miss Italy +12500
Miss Netherlands +12500
Miss New Zealand +12500
Miss Bolivia +12500
Miss Egypt +12500
Miss Cayman Islands +12500
Miss Ghana +15000
Miss Antigua & Barbuda +15000
Miss Denmark +15000
Miss Switzerland +15000
Miss Germany +15000
Miss Turkey +17500
Miss Guatemala +17500
Miss Curacuo +20000
Miss Sri Lanka +20000
Miss Turks & Caicos +20000
Miss Cyprus +20000
Miss Tanzania +20000

Age: 19
Height: 6′0″

April Jackson is the 19-year-old Miss Universe Jamaica 2008. Doneika Plowright was the first runner-up of the Miss Jamaica Universe 2008 pageant, while Rebecca Silvera was the second runner-up. There was discontent in the crowd when April was crowned Miss Jamaica Universe 2008, by Zara Redwood, instead of Doneika Plowright who was the favorite of the crowd.

The crowd favored Doneika Plowright because she looked more Jamaican then April Jackson who has more of an European look.

April Jackson has always lived in UK and has also won the Miss Jamaica UK title in 2006.

April loves cooking and traveling.

April Jackson wants to go back to university to study finance, corporate law, and economics. April wants to be an investment banker and a lawyer. She already assists her father in his company, Swift Cash Money Transfer, and hopes to take over the family business.

April Jackson says that she would use the Miss Universe platform to bring Jamaica’s culture to the centrestage of the world. April wants to create programs to improve facilities at children’s homes. April is a volunteer with the National Children’s Home of Jamaica and Marigold Children’s Home.