Beneath the blinding spotlights and crystal-encrusted gowns of the 74th Miss Universe pageant, a scandal of epic proportions is threatening to steal the show from the contestants themselves.
While the world waits with bated breath for the grand finale at Thailand's Impact Challenger Hall on Friday, 21 November, the real competition seems to be taking place backstage, where allegations of rigging, abrupt resignations, and illicit recordings are shattering the illusion of grace.
The glitzy facade has cracked, revealing a chaotic underbelly that has left fans and insiders questioning if the winner has already been decided long before the first sash hit the stage.
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The drama began simmering early in the semi-finals, sparking a whirlwind of chatter regarding Vietnam's Huong Giang. The contestant wowed and divided audiences with a daring evening gown that some praised as figure-flattering, while others felt it missed the mark for such a crucial moment.
Adding fuel to the fire, an intriguing yet suspicious results table circulating online showed her ranking at the bottom of the top 30, while beauty powerhouse Venezuela was mysteriously absent! Is it a genuine leak or just another social media trickery?
International Business Times UK cannot independently verify the authenticity of the viral image circulating online, nor the allegations regarding the internal selection process.
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Meanwhile, competitors from the Philippines, Thailand, and India are turning heads and raising stakes. With Ahtisa Manalo from the Philippines touted as a strong contender, the excitement is palpable.
Allegations Of A Fixed Top 30 Rock The Miss Universe 2025 Competition
While the competition hasn't even officially concluded, the backstage politics have eclipsed the runway walks.
Tensions flared during a pre-sash ceremony event on 3 November, where Miss México got into a heated argument with the president of Miss Grand International and Miss Universe executive, Nawat Itsaragrisil, when he called her 'dumb,' in front of the other contestants. He has since been removed from working on the pageant, but the turmoil did not end there.
On 17 November, musician Omar Harfouch revealed he had stepped down from the Miss Universe judging panel after the top 30 finalists were reportedly chosen by an 'impromptu jury,' without the original eight members of the selection committee—including himself—being present.
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In a series of Instagram Stories, he claimed that the unofficial judging panel was 'composed of individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some [personal] relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants, including the person responsible for counting the votes and managing the results, which constitutes a further conflict of interest.'
Harfouch expressed his 'profound confusion and concern,' upon learning that a 'secret vote,' was placed before the committee had any say. He further elaborated in an 11-minute video, stating, 'I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in.
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Some of the countries eliminated through this process could be at war, discriminated against, or geopolitically sensitive.' He added, 'Viewers would assume the jury made these decisions, and I cannot bear responsibility for a process I did not participate in. Pretending otherwise would be dishonest.'
Contestants Left In The Dark As Miss Universe 2025 Integrity Is Questioned
The organisation quickly attempted to quell the fire. The following day, Miss Universe dropped a statement to 'clarify certain inaccuracies regarding the Beyond the Crown Program and the official judging processes of the 74th Miss Universe competition.'
The statement read, in part, 'The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.'
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However, the damage to morale appears to be done. One of the Miss Universe contestants came forward and spoke to People about the mishap, remaining anonymous to protect her standing.
'Many of us learned through social media, not the Miss Universe Organization, that the preliminary selection for the Top 30 was not only conducted without the presence of the official judges, but before we've even competed on stage,' she told the outlet on 18 November.
She revealed that the delegates learned the 'heartbreaking,' news 'moments after we stepped off stage from our final rehearsal.' The contestant noted that 'Many contestants in this pre-picked top 30 list violate conflict of interest through personal relationships to people of the organization.'
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In a damning conclusion, she stated, 'The truth revealed they have not given us the same respect,' and added, 'If the organization wants to stand for empowerment, then honesty, fairness, and accountability must come before crowns and cameras.'
She thanked Omar for 'standing up for integrity when the organization would not. He showed the very leadership Miss Universe claims to celebrate.'
