Norwegian, 19, Is Crowned Miss Universe

A 19-year-old Norwegian model who wants to become a nurse in Africa was crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, beating out 70 other contestants who came to Los Angeles to participate in the pageant broadcast around the world.

Mona Grudt, playfully dubbed “the beauty queen from hell” because she is from Hell, Norway, will receive nearly $250,000 in cash and prizes during her one-year reign as Miss Universe, pageant officials said.

Among the contestants who hailed from 70 countries and Puerto Rico, was an 18-year-old doctor’s assistant from Riga, Latvia--the first Soviet citizen ever to participate in the beauty contest.

Carole Gist, 20, of Detroit, the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss USA, was first-runner-up in the contest. Miss Colombia, Liseth Mahecha, 18, was second runner-up.

Gist, an aspiring businesswoman, became the first black Miss USA in March. She would assume the Miss Universe title if for any reason Grudt could not fulfill her duties, pageant officials said.

An estimated 500 million people around the world watched the broadcast of the 39th annual pageant held at the Shubert Theater in Century City, officials said.

Judges included entertainer Steve Allen, his wife, Jayne Meadows, and actor Haing S. Ngor.