Riyo Mori
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese dance instructor and model who won the Miss Universe 2007
title in May 2007.
in Belleville
, Ontario
, Canada. Mori also completed her Grade 11 year at Mount Douglas Secondary School in Victoria, British Columbia
, Canada. She still possesses her first pair of ballet shoes.
on May 28, 2007, by the outgoing titleholder Zuleyka Rivera
.
As Japan's representative in the Miss Universe 2007
pageant, Mori travelled to Mexico City, Mexico in early May to participate in four weeks of events, rehearsals and preliminary competitions with the other seventy-seven delegates.
In the final competition, broadcast internationally on May 28, 2007, Mori was announced as one of fifteen semi-finalists who would move forward to compete for the title. She achieved the highest score in the swimsuit competition, which advanced her to the top ten and the evening gown competition, in which she placed fourth. Mori's kimono
-inspired black/floral evening gown of choice came from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection of Gucci
.
In the last round, Mori was asked by Elle
magazine fashion director and Project Runway
judge Nina Garcia to speak about the one lesson she learned as a child that still affects her life. Mori said that since childhood she has been dancing and hence she was constantly surrounded by students and teachers. Due to the interactions with them, she has learned to become always happy, patient, and positive in her life. She also expressed a desire to teach these principles to the next generation.
At the conclusion of the competition, she was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the second woman from Japan to hold the title. The first Miss Universe winner from Japan was Akiko Kojima
in 1959. Mori is the eleventh Asian woman to win the pageant, the most recent being Lara Dutta
of India who was Miss Universe 2000.
Mori was the third Japanese woman to place in the top five at Miss Universe in the past decade. Miyako Miyazaki
placed fourth runner-up at Miss Universe 2003
, and Mori's predecessor Kurara Chibana
was first runner-up in 2006. Mori aims to use her success and popularity as a springboard into humanitarian causes. "I think I have a samurai soul, I'm very patient, and I can serve others."
As of December 2007, Mori has traveled to Indonesia
, Spain
, the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, China
, Mexico
, Canada
, Germany
, Vietnam
, France
, Monaco
, San Marino
, Russia
and Italy
in addition to numerous trips and her homecoming in Japan
.
Mori crowned her successor, Venezuela
native Dayana Mendoza
with a $120,000-USD tiara
, Miss Universe 2008
on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang
, Vietnam
.
.
Mori starred in Donald Trump
's MTV reality show Pageant Place
along with Rachel Smith
, Katie Blair
(former Miss Teen USA 2006) and Hilary Cruz
(Miss Teen USA 2007). The show started airing on October 10, 2007 and ran for eight episodes.
Mori appeared in Jessica Simpson
's VH1 reality show The Price of Beauty in 2010 to showcase the standards of beauty in her homecountry, Japan.
Miss Universe 2007
Miss Universe 2007, the 56th Miss Universe pageant, took place on May 28, 2007 at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, Mexico. 77 delegates competed for the title. Riyo Mori of Japan was crowned the winner of the title by Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico....
title in May 2007.
Early life
As an only child, Riyo Mori began dancing at the age of 4. She has studied at Quinte Ballet School of Canada and also is a graduate from Centennial Secondary SchoolCentennial Secondary School (Belleville)
Centennial Secondary School is a publicly funded high school in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The school is part of the Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board. Centennial prides itself on its "Triple A" rating, specializing in Arts, Academics and Athletics. The school is also recognized as...
in Belleville
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada. Mori also completed her Grade 11 year at Mount Douglas Secondary School in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Canada. She still possesses her first pair of ballet shoes.
Miss Universe 2007
Mori was crowned Miss UniverseMiss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
on May 28, 2007, by the outgoing titleholder Zuleyka Rivera
Zuleyka Rivera
Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza is a Puerto Rican beauty queen who held the titles Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 and Miss Universe 2006. She made her debut as a telenovela actress in Telemundo's soap opera Dame Chocolate.-Early life:...
.
As Japan's representative in the Miss Universe 2007
Miss Universe 2007
Miss Universe 2007, the 56th Miss Universe pageant, took place on May 28, 2007 at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, Mexico. 77 delegates competed for the title. Riyo Mori of Japan was crowned the winner of the title by Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico....
pageant, Mori travelled to Mexico City, Mexico in early May to participate in four weeks of events, rehearsals and preliminary competitions with the other seventy-seven delegates.
In the final competition, broadcast internationally on May 28, 2007, Mori was announced as one of fifteen semi-finalists who would move forward to compete for the title. She achieved the highest score in the swimsuit competition, which advanced her to the top ten and the evening gown competition, in which she placed fourth. Mori's kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
-inspired black/floral evening gown of choice came from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection of Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
.
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
magazine fashion director and Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
judge Nina Garcia to speak about the one lesson she learned as a child that still affects her life. Mori said that since childhood she has been dancing and hence she was constantly surrounded by students and teachers. Due to the interactions with them, she has learned to become always happy, patient, and positive in her life. She also expressed a desire to teach these principles to the next generation.
At the conclusion of the competition, she was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the second woman from Japan to hold the title. The first Miss Universe winner from Japan was Akiko Kojima
Akiko Kojima
is a Japanese model and the first Miss Universe to originate from Asia.- Biography :Akiko was a 22-year-old model from Tokyo, Japan when she bested four other finalists from Norway, the USA, England, and Brazil for the 1959 Miss Universe crown in Long Beach, California...
in 1959. Mori is the eleventh Asian woman to win the pageant, the most recent being Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta Bhupathi is an Indian actress, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, and former Miss Universe.-Early life:Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to a Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta and her mother is Jennifer Dutta...
of India who was Miss Universe 2000.
Mori was the third Japanese woman to place in the top five at Miss Universe in the past decade. Miyako Miyazaki
Miyako Miyazaki
For the anime character, see Bamboo Blade. is a Japanese beauty pageant winner who is best known for ending Japan's 15 year drought in the Miss Universe pageant. She was born in the Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto on February 25, 1978. She stands at 5'7"....
placed fourth runner-up at Miss Universe 2003
Miss Universe 2003
Miss Universe 2003, the 52nd Miss Universe pageant, was held at Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama on June 3, 2003. 71 delegates from around the universe competed for the crown...
, and Mori's predecessor Kurara Chibana
Kurara Chibana
, a Japanese model, born on March 27, 1982, is a native of Naha City . She competed in Miss Universe 2006 and ended up as the 1st Runner-up.-Miss Universe 2006:...
was first runner-up in 2006. Mori aims to use her success and popularity as a springboard into humanitarian causes. "I think I have a samurai soul, I'm very patient, and I can serve others."
As of December 2007, Mori has traveled to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in addition to numerous trips and her homecoming in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Mori crowned her successor, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
native Dayana Mendoza
Dayana Mendoza
Dayana Sabrina Mendoza Moncada is a model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the titles of Miss Venezuela 2007 and Miss Universe 2008.-Personal life:...
with a $120,000-USD tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
, Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008, the 57th Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Crown Convention Center in the Diamond Bay Resort, Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008...
on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Television
In subsequent interviews about her future, the new titleholder revealed plans to open a multicultural dance school in Tokyo. She has also expressed enthusiasm about her audition for the role of Yaeko on the American television series HeroesHeroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
.
Mori starred in Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
's MTV reality show Pageant Place
Pageant Place
Pageant Place is an American reality show that follows Miss Universe Organization pageant winners Miss Universe Riyo Mori, Miss USA Rachel Smith and Miss Teen USA 2006 Katie Blair, as they live together in an apartment in New York. They are guided by Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner, in a chaperonal role...
along with Rachel Smith
Rachel Smith
Rachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
, Katie Blair
Katie Blair
Katherine Amanda Blair is an American model, beauty queen, and television personality from Billings, Montana, who held the Miss Teen USA 2006 and Miss California USA 2011 title. She was the first person from Montana to win a major pageant title...
(former Miss Teen USA 2006) and Hilary Cruz
Hilary Cruz
Hilary Cruz is a beauty queen from Louisville, Colorado who won Miss Teen USA in August of 2007.In 2007, Cruz represented Colorado in the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant held in Pasadena, California in August 2007. During the live television broadcast on August 24, 2007, Cruz was crowned Miss Teen USA...
(Miss Teen USA 2007). The show started airing on October 10, 2007 and ran for eight episodes.
Mori appeared in Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
's VH1 reality show The Price of Beauty in 2010 to showcase the standards of beauty in her homecountry, Japan.