Mexico’s Fátima Bosch Fernández was crowned the 74th winner of the Miss Universe competition on Friday, weeks after she and a number of other contestants walked out of an early session of the scandal-hit pageant.
The Miss Universe franchise has faced various controversies and criticism in recent years — but this year’s contest has appeared particularly eventful, after a senior pageant official came under fire for publicly berating Bosch, and, separately, two of the pageant’s eight judges resigned.
Speaking to reporters after the competition, Bosch said she would like to be remembered as “a person that changed a little bit the prototype of what is a Miss Universe.”
On Nov. 4, Bosch left a live-streamed event in the early stages of the competition after a top Thai Miss Universe representative, Nawat Itsaragrisil, publicly berated her, alleged she had not taken part sufficiently in promotional activities and called security after Bosch tried to speak up to defend herself.
Several other contestants walked out in solidarity with Bosch, as Nawat told them to stop and suggested he would not let competitors participate in the event if they left. Ultimately, the event proceeded as planned.
Bosch told reporters that Nawat had called her “dumb” and not been “respectful,” while Nawat later tearfully apologized but denied insulting Bosch.
Raúl Rocha, a Mexican businessman and president of the Miss Universe Organization, had voiced his support for the contestants following the incident, saying in a video posted on social media that he would not allow “the values of respect and dignity of women to be violated,” while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised Bosch’s “dignified” response to the incident.
Thailand’s Praveenar Singh and Venezuela’s Stephany Abasali finished second and third, respectively, followed by Miss Philippines Ma Ahtisa Manalo in fourth and Miss Ivory Coast Olivia Yace in fifth.
The Miss Universe pageant used to attract high ratings, but the competition has not aired on American network television for a few years. This year’s pageant was aired in the United States on streaming platforms Fawesome and PLEX, and on Telemundo in Spanish.
In the days before the finale, two of the panel’s eight judges withdrew from the competition. The first, Lebanese French composer Omar Harfouch, suggested there was an element of rigging to the event and said he was considering legal action against the competition. Miss Universe Organization issued a statement rejecting Harfouch’s claims.
French soccer player Claude Makelele later said that he, too, was stepping down, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”
The competition was also in the headlines for a separate incident this week after another contestant, Gabrielle Henry of Jamaica, fell off the stage. Rocha, the organization’s president, said on social media that she had not broken any bones and would stay in the hospital overnight for observation.
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