Catriona Gray arrives in New Orleans for backstage commentator stint in the 71st Miss Universe
Miss Universe 2018 titleholder Catriona Gray has finally set foot in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the US, ahead of the 71st Miss Universe, where she was tapped to be one of the backstage commentators.
The enchantingly beautiful icon was appointed as a backstage commentator for the upcoming coronation night alongside Emmy Award-winning host Zuri Hall, who also acts as an Access Hollywood correspondent.
On Friday, January 13, Catriona shared photos of herself at an airport in New Orleans on her personal Instagram page. Her caption read,
“30hours later….Touchdown New Orleans!! [airplane emoji] So excited for the #71stMissUniverse! I gotta catch up on the preliminary show! Who were your standouts.”
Fellow celebrities expressed their excitement over Catriona’s arrival. These include her co-commentator Zuri Hall, Drag Race legend and Drag Den host Manila Luzon, and Nicaraguan model Adriana Paniagua.
“See you sooooon,” Hall wrote.
“Welcome to the US,” Manila Luzon cheered.
The Miss Universe Organization officially announced this year’s all-female hosting team on January 5 through a social media post. Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo and Emmy award-winning TV personality Jeannie Mai Jenkins will host the pageant’s coronation night on January 14. They will be replacing Steve Harvey, who had hosted the pageant since 2015.
Catriona was crowned as the Philippines’ fourth Miss Universe titleholder after Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margarita Moran in 1973, and Pia Wurtzbach in 2015. Filipina-Italian beauty queen Celeste Cortesi is competing for the country’s fifth crown. This will happen on Saturday, January 14, the morning of January 15 in the Philippines.
