HOLLYWOOD — The next Miss Universe will be determined on the Hollywood Reservation.

The 69th Miss Universe competition, which draws a worldwide television audience, will be held May 16 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood at 8 p.m. Entertainer Mario Lopez and model Olivia Culpo will host. Pitbull is scheduled to perform. Reigning Miss Universe  Zozibini Tunzi, from South Africa, will crown the new champion. The show will air live on Telemundo and FYI Network in the United States. The event will be broadcast in more than 160 countries.

Contestants have been rehearsing this week at Seminole Hard Rock; some participated in Hard Rock’s traditional guitar-smash. The women also spent time May 10 working together to support Smile Train, an international children’s charity that provides training, funding and resources in developing countries for free cleft repair surgery and care. Many of the women have been posting photos and videos of their activities, including from the Guitar Hotel, on their social media sites

The three-hour competition will feature categories that include personal statement, swimsuit, evening gown and interview. Reigning Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, from South Africa, will crown her successor.

The United States will be represented by Aysa Branch, who will be 23 at the time of the event. She won the Miss USA competition last fall. She is from Booneville, Mississippi, and has her own cosmetic business named Branch Beauty.

“My love for makeup and people have gotten me to this point,” Branch said on the business’s website.

Branch has seven siblings. She attended Ole Miss and studied in the university’s School of Journalism and New Media with aspirations to work in a public relations and marketing field, preferably in sports.

In a promotional video for the Miss Mississippi competition, Branch said her life as a child suddenly changed when her father was arrested and incarcerated for 10 years.

“I had to watch my mother struggle raising four kids still left at home,” she said.

Branch will compete against winners from more than 70 countries.

According to Miss Universe officials, Hard Rock’s “Safe + Sound” protocols, which include mask usage, social distancing, quarantining upon arrival and testing, will be used.

“We are thrilled to partner with The Miss Universe Organization in putting on an innovative event under unique circumstances that will lean heavily on our industry-leading Safe+Sound protocols to prioritize the well-being of all event participants,” Keith Sheldon, president of entertainment for Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming, said in a statement.  “While safety will be at the forefront, we also look forward to showcasing the Hard Rock brand and all that our flagship Guitar Hotel property has to offer to audiences around the globe.”

Two events leading up to Sunday’s pageant will air on Miss Universe’s YouTube channel. The national costume show will air May 13 at 8 p.m. followed by preliminary competition May 14 at 7 p.m.