Nuestra Belleza Latina 2008

Nuestra Belleza Latina 2008 was the second season of Nuestra Belleza Latina (Our Latin Beauty), which premiered in February 2008 on Univision. Auditions were once again held in five major U.S. cities (Los Angeles; Houston; Miami; Chicago; and New York City) and in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the audition process, 75 young women were given passes to the semifinals in Miami, Florida. The elimination process was quick, with 15 women leaving the first week, 40 in the second week, and finally, on March 28, 2008, 8 women were eliminated leaving the 12 finalists who moved into a Miami mansion, where they lived for the rest of the competition.

Each week, viewers had the chance to vote for their favorite finalists. The three contestants with the least number of votes each week were in danger of being eliminated, with two being saved, one by her fellow finalists and the other by the judges. Melissa Marty, who represented Puerto Rico, won the competition, while Emeraude Toubia, who represented Mexico and Lebanon, placed second.

Changes

There were some major changes to the series in the second season; two of the judging panel, Carlos Calderon and Alicia Machado, left the show. Their replacements were beauty queen/model Lupita Jones and actor/model Julián Gil. Osmel Sousa maintained the role of head judge, and was tougher when he chose the girls throughout auditions.

Alejandra Espinoza became a correspondent for the series, interviewing the contestants backstage. The show was moved from Tuesdays to Fridays, airing at 10pm/9c.

Judges

• Osmel Sousa
• Lupita Jones
• Julián Gil

Elimination chart

Countries represented

CPW	Country	Position							Year Previously Won
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Y	Puerto Rico	2nd	5th	1st	6th	2nd	5th	Winner	2008
Y	Mexico	7th	2nd	6th	1st	1st	1st	2nd	2007
—	Cuba	3rd	1st	4th	5th	5th	4th	3rd	None
—	Dominican Republic	1st	3rd	3rd	2nd	3rd	2nd	4th	None
—	Colombia	6th	6th	5th	4th	4th	3rd	5th	None
—	Venezuela	5th	4th	2nd	3rd	6th			None
—	Nicaragua	4th	7th						None

• Eliminated
• First Place
• CPW: Countries Previously Won
• Y: Countries Previously Won

Contestants

Rank	Contestant	Country Representing
Winner	Melissa Marty	Puerto Rico
Runner Up	Emeraude Toubia	Mexico/ Lebanon
3rd Place	Dayami Padron	Cuba
4th Place	Zoila Ceballos	Dominican Republic
5th Place	Leticia Castro	Mexico
6th Place	Manuela Arbeláez	Colombia
7th Place	Natalia Rivera	Puerto Rico
8th Place	Genesis Seguias	Venezuela
9th Place	Aideliz Hidalgo	Puerto Rico
10th Place	Dayanira Varela	Mexico
11th Place	Leana Astorga	Nicaragua
12th Place	Jannet Manzanarez	Mexico

Episodes

Episode 1: "Castings LA, Miami & Houston"

• Original Air Date: February 29, 2008

The best of the auditions held in Los Angeles, Miami and Houston.

The Guest Judges:

The following contestants were chosen:

Episode 2: "Castings NY, Chicago and Puerto Rico"

• Original Air Date: March 7, 2008

The best of the auditions held in New York, Chicago and Puerto Rico.

The Guest Judges:

The following contestants were chosen:

Episode 3: "Second Round in Miami"

• Original Air Date: March 14, 2008

The 75 selected girls go to Miami. They receive classes and hit the runway for the first time. The judges eliminate 15 of them.

Episode 4: "Weather Prompter"

• Original Air Date: March 21, 2008

The third round of eliminations. The 60 remaining girls face a new challenge: they have to be the "weather girl". Just 20 of them make the cut.

Episode 5: "Talent Showcase"

• Original Air Date: March 28, 2008

All the selected girls go to Miami. The judges evaluate them on stage and pick 20 semifinalists that have a talent to show onstage; but only the 12 of them named as finalists have the chance to perform in front of a live audience. The television audience gets to vote for the first time.

The Final 12:

Episode 6: "Extreme Runway"

• Original Air Date: April 4, 2008

The 12 finalists move to the "Mansion of the Beauty", where they start their physical training. They also have to face their first challenge: walk through a 10-inch-wide runway, wearing a tight dress, over a pool. At the end of the show, Jannete Manzanares is eliminated.

Episode 7: "Mr. Frog's Soap Opera"

• Original Air Date: April 11, 2008

The 11 remaining girls have to face the challenge of the week: after receiving an acting class from a soap opera star, they play a princess role in a fairy tale scene, where towards the end they must kiss a frog. At the end of the show, Leana Astorga is eliminated.

Episode 8: "Sabado Gigante Model"

• Original Air Date: April 18, 2008

The 10 remaining girls visit the studio of one of the longest running variety shows on television, Sabado Gigante. Their challenge is to act as models, saying the lines of an imaginary cereal's ad. At the end of the show, Dayanira Varela is eliminated.

Episode 9: "Underwater Photoshoot"

• Original Air Date: April 25, 2008

The 9 remaining finalists face the challenge of the week: doing an underwater photoshoot with stars' photographer Raul Higuera, in the house pool, holding their breath. The winner gets to meet Colombian singer Juanes at one of his concerts. At the end of the show, Aideliz Hidalgo is eliminated.

Episode 10: "Shampoo Audition"

• Original Air Date: May 2, 2008

The 8 remaining finalists receive a visit from singer-songwriter Jeremias at the house. The challenge of the week is an audition for a shampoo TV ad in front of real clients. Genesis Seguias, the winner, receives $10,000 in cash but, at the end of the show, she is eliminated based on the audience votes.

Episode 11: "Memory Game"

• Original Air Date: May 9, 2008

The 7 remaining girls go to a department store where they take a look at a mannequin for 10 seconds and have to mimic its clothes in less than 10 minutes. Later, live on the show, they have to model their outfits with style. Melissa Marty is the winner of the $10,000 cash prize. At the end of the show, Natalia Rivera is eliminated.

Episode 12: "The Big Finale 2008"

• Original Air Date: May 16, 2008

The results show. For the second year, the people have voted for their favorite. The 6 remaining contestants receive a final evaluation by the judges before they get to know their position. At the end of the show, Melissa Marty is crowned "Nuestra Belleza Latina 2008".

Episode 13: "El Destape 2008"

• Original Air Date: May 25, 2008

The best of this year's series. Deleted and extended scenes, backstage cameras, behind the scenes footage, interviews with the six finalists, the judges and the coaches.

Orden de llamados

     The contestant won the challenge of the week

     The contestant was eliminated

     The contestant won the challenge of the week, but was eliminated

     The contestant became the runner-up

     The contestant won the competition