Reuters/ Andrew Innerarity
"If you were given 30 seconds to deliver a message to global terrorists what would you say?" world champion boxer and Miss Universe judge Manny Pacquiao asked Sanchez.
"OK, if I was given 30 seconds to give a message to the global terrorists, is that what you said? OK. I would just say, I know as Miss USA, I can always spread a message of hope and love and peace, and I would do my very best to spread that message to them and everyone else in the world"
Sanchez - a 24-year-old fourth degree black belt in tae kwon do - could have nailed the question with a firm response against terrorists' brutality.
To be fair, though, it was a tough question and it's not something you'd necessarily expect a Miss Universe contestant to prepare for.
Of course, it's easy to play Monday-morning quarterback and come up with better answers. It takes a lot of guts and hard work to compete on that stage, though. Miss Universe contestants generally spend over a year preparing for the pageant. It's not an easy thing to do.
What's more they have also spent an exhausting three weeks in Florida packed with red carpet events, photo shoots, outings, charity work and the preliminary competition (swimwear, evening gown and interviews) prior to the live competition on NBC.
Once they've made it into the top five, all of their hard work comes down to the final onstage question, which is aired on live television to an audience of millions. That's nerve-wracking!
Sanchez placed 1st runner-up. That's a huge accomplishment.
Watch below: