Miss Universe 2015: Meet the contestants ahead of Photography Rehearsals [PHOTOS]

The most popular international pageant show is back despite the Donald Trump controversy and gorgeous women from around the world have landed in the United States for the same. Miss Universe will officially begin with the photography rehearsals on Thursday, 10 December.

In the following eight days, the contestants will be judges on their various skills ending with the live telecast of the crowning event via FOX on Sunday, 20 December. Ahead of the same, here are all the contestants of Miss Universe 2015:

Megi Luka (Albania)

At 19, Megi Luka -- the Albanian representative at Miss Universe -- is among the younger contestants. She was a model in the Agon Channel Italia TV show "A Fior Di Pelle".

Whitney Shikongo (Angola)

Whitney Shikongo, who dreams of becoming a world-renowned host in the entertainment industry, began modelling at the age of 13 and was crowned Miss Huila and Miss Angola in 2015.

Claudia Barrionuevo (Argentina) 

The Argentinean model Claudia Barrionuevo is a student of Educational Psychology and has taken part in many extreme sports for a Costa Rica-based reality TV show.

Alysha Boekhoudt (Aruba)

A nature lover, Alysha Boekdoudt grew up amid snakes, iguanas and cactuses and has been a member of her mother's dance group "Kids and Youth in Action" since she was four. She is now the leader of the group and hopes to portray Aruba's rich culture worldwide through dance.

Monika Radulovic (Australia)

Monika Radulovic, a graduate in Psychology, dreams of using her knowledge and passion to assist young people grow into well-adjusted, healthy adults. Although she was born in Bosnia's Herzegovina, her parents had to flee to Australia when the Yugoslav Wars erupted.

Amina Dagi (Austria)

Born in Russia, Amina Dagi and her parents left for Austria with nothing but a backpack when she was just 8. Now, fluent in German and a state-level Judo champion, Amina is also a philanthropist who uses her popularity to support orphanages and other NGOs.

Toria Nichol (Bahamas)

Toria Nichol, 27, is one of the tallest women you will meet. She has been a model since the age of 16 and has been the face of many fashion and hair shows and ads. She also portrayed the love interest of Gyptian in his latest single "All on Me".

Annelies Törös (Belgium)

Described as beauty with brains and a purpose, Annelies Törös is communication management graduate who wishes to help those in need.

Romina Rocamonje (Bolivia)

Romina Rocamonje, the Bolivian contestant for Miss Universe 2015, has six older brothers and has already won many prestigious titles like Miss Beni, Miss Bolivia Universe and Hispanoamerican Queen at the age of 23. Meanwhile, she is also pursuing a degree in veterinary school.

Marthina Brandt (Brazil)

Marthina Brandt, the Brazilian beauty has been skating since she was 4  and is proud of her cooking skills.

Adorya Baly (British Virgin Islands)

Adorya Baly, 22, has a Masters degree in Forensic Psychology and hopes to assist the mentally-challenged in leading rewarding lives. She also hopes to open her own NGO to empower young girls into becoming their best possible selves. Meanwhile, she serves at the Behavioural Health Unit of Peebles Hospital.

Radostina Todorova (Bulgaria)

As joyful as her name translates to be, Rodastina – the Bulgarian contestant – loves to make funny faces and is a fan of colourful socks decorated with superheroes on them.

Paola Nunez (Canada)

Born in the Dominican Republic, Paola Nunez was raised in a very musically-inclined family, and has been dancing since she was six. She travelled to Canada at the age of 10 and has had to overcome bullying from a young age, and since then made it her mission to be fluent in English.

Tonie Chisholm (Cayman Islands)

Starting as volunteer at the Cayman Islands Department of tourism, Tonie Choshlm went on to become a production assistant with BET, FOX and Chowder Inc. before her interest transitioned to film and acting. She even got a Bachelor's degree in Arts in Film from Plymouth College of Art in the UK and launched Flipside Productions in the Grand Cayman. Tonie is now a marketing assistant for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and is a freelance script supervisor.

Maria Belen Jerez (Chile)

Maria Belen Jerez was born in Buenos Aires, shifted to her parents' country Chile at the age of 8. She has been modelling from a very young age and has even worked as a television presenter. She is in her fifth year of dentistry school and is known to go backpacking in nature-rich areas.

Yun Fang Xue (China)

Chinese contestant Yun Fang Xue, 21, is a broadcasting and hosting major. She dreams to be a beautiful hostess.

Adriana Gutirrez- Arévalo (Columbia)

The Columbian representative at the Miss Universe competition is special not only because she is the youngest of five children, but also because she is a Christmas baby. She considers the late Princess Diana to be her idol and is an animal lover, thus earning her the nickname "Cat Lady".

Brenda Castro (Costa Rica)

Born in the city of Guápiles, Brenda Castro is a student of psychology at Universidad Latina. She started modelling at the age of 15 and became Miss Expo-Pococí in 2008, Miss Teenager Costa Rica in 2011 and came third at the Miss Teenager International 2011.

Mirta Kustan (Croatia)

Law student Mirta Kustan is Croatia's contestant for Miss Universe. She is a lover of theatre and poetry.

Nikol Švantnerová (Czech Republic)

Nikol Švantnerová, 23, is a student of economics, along with being a lover of animals, nature, traveling, sports, futbol, reading, and cooking.

Pham Huong (Vietnam)

Pham Huong, a teacher and lecturer at Saigon College of Arts, Culture and Tourism is representing Vietnam at Miss Universe contest. Perseverant, Huong competed four times before finally winning the Miss Universe Vietnam 2015 title.

Urvashi Rautela

A Bollywood actress and model, Urvashi Rautela is also a national-lever Basketball champion and have been actively involved in various other sports since childhood. She also runs the 'Urvashi Rautela Foundation' to help empower under-privileged people in India and is a supporter of PETA India and 'Save the Girl Child Camp'.

To see all the contestants visit the Miss Universe Website.