Shahakian withdrew after hiding from Islamic militants who reportedly threatened to kill her along with other contestants who competed in the Miss Iraq pageant. Results Placements Special awards Pageant Format The Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition. The number of semifinalists was increased to 20 instead of the traditional 15. This is due to the host city not paying for the promotion, which spared the telecast by seven minutes. 20 semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The top 20 competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to the top 10 afterward. The top 10 competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to the top 5 afterward. Selection committee Final telecast James Lesure – Actor from NBC's Las Vegas Claudia Jordan – Model for Deal or No Deal; former Miss Rhode Island USA and Miss Rhode Island Teen USA Sean Yazbeck – Winner of season 5 of The Apprentice Amelia Vega – Miss Universe 2003 from Dominican Republic Emmitt Smith – Former Dallas Cowboys player and Dancing with the Stars winner Marc Cherry – American writer and producer Tom Green – Actor and comedian María Celeste Arrarás – Telemundo host Patrick McMullan – Fashion photographer Bridgette Wilson – Miss Teen USA 1990 from Oregon Santino Rice – Project Runway finalist Note: Actress Bo Derek was scheduled to be a judge but was later replaced. Contestants 86 contestants competed for the title. Notes References External links Miss Universe official website 2006 2006 in the United States 2006 beauty pageants Beauty pageants in the United States 2006 in California Events in Los Angeles July 2006 events in the United States