The cat is finally out of the basket, with the official confirmation that Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez is the crowning glory for the 2009 Miss Universe pageant.

The dark haired beauty diddled the ‘Miss Universe’ crown from the staunch vying reaches of finalists hailing from Puerto Rica, Kosovo, Australia and the Dominican Republic.

The event held in the Atlantis Hotel located in the Bahamas bore witness to the past year’s Miss Universe, also hailing from Venezuala, Dayana Mendoza handing over the coveted crown to the 18-year-old Stefania Fernandez. This ups the tally to six for the Latin American country.

Miss USA made it to the top 15 listing, with Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee de la Cruz notched second place as runner up.

The pageant showcased a peppy performance from the MTV ‘Hills’ fame, Heidi Montag’s premier live musical showing, a major section of which was wedged out by NBC with the introduction of the final contenders on stage.