Months of preparation came down to a few tense moments for Miss Belize Leilah Pandy as she took the stage alongside 79 other contestants in the Miss Universe in Quito, Ecuador. The pageant was aired live on Channel 7 and here are some highlights of Leilah's big night.

For a few brief seconds last night - 3 to be exact - the eyes of the nation and for that matter much of the world were on our very own Miss Belize Leilah Pandy as she represented at the Miss Universe pageant.

[Leilah Pandy, 23, Miss Belize]

Minutes later you would had to watch closely as Leilah frontlined as one of the Galapagos dancers in the opening dance sequence b there is our Leilah in the far left of your screen. And there is she is again showing off her national costume in the costume parade. Those quick second snapshots was the fun because minutes later as a nation we held our collective breath as it came down to the 15 finalists.

Billy Bush, Co-host Miss Universe Pageant
"Only 15 of these beautiful candidates will be one inch closer to the crown."

This was the breaking point for Leilah. Would she make it?

[Hosts Running Down the list of: Puerto Rico, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, India, Australia, Angola, Jamaica, Columbia, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Chile, and USA.]

That's fourteen and with one left we still held on to hope wondering if she would make it.

[Host Announcing: Rounding out the top 15…Mexico]

And with that, hopes and hype dashed, meaning Belizeans will have to wait another year, or maybe many more years to recapture the magic of Sarita Acosta.

Leilah Pandy is scheduled to return to Belize on Friday.