A Miss Universe will be crowned on Friday in Bangkok, marking the end of two weeks of competition that were marred by accusations that it was rigged and rare protests by competitors.
More than 120 contestants are competing this year, setting a record for a pageant that typically has fewer than 100 entrants. In the past week, they have taken part in the swimsuit and national costume rounds, which will help determine the final 10 contestants.
The usually quiet weeks leading up to the final were hit by controversy. On Tuesday, one of the eight judges resigned, accusing the organizers of having a second set of judges that selects the finalists in secret. The organizers denied the claim.
Here’s how to watch the coronation night:
United States
The finale is being held in Bangkok on Friday at 8 a.m. local time. That timing is aimed at capturing the largest audience in the United States, where it will be shown at 8 p.m. on Thursday on the East Coast and 5 p.m. on the West Coast.
Viewers in the United States will be able to see Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark, the reigning Miss Universe, crown the winner on Telemundo and on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. Viewers in Puerto Rico can catch it on WAPA-TV.
The American talent agency Endeavor owned the Miss Universe Organization until 2022, when it was bought by JKN, a Thai media company. It was owned by President Trump from 1996 to 2015.
Mexico
Betting markets see a hometown advantage for Praveenar Singh of Thailand, but she is tied with Fatima Bosch of Mexico, who gained prominence when she walked out during an official event after a Thai organizer scolded her in early November.
Nawat Itsaragrisil, a co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, was captured on a livestream harshly reprimanding Ms. Bosch for not taking part in some promotional activities.
“I’m here representing my country and it’s not my fault that you have problems with my organization,” Ms. Bosch said in the video, which went viral.
Fans of Ms. Bosch in Mexico can watch her compete on Imagen TV, starting at 7 p.m. local time in Mexico.
Philippines
After Ms. Singh and Ms. Bosch, Ahtisa Manalo of the Philippines has the third-best odds to win the crown this year. Three networks, A2Z, TV5, and Kapamilya Channel, will broadcast the pageant from 9 a.m. local time on Friday. It will also be streamed on the iWant app.
Contestants from the Philippines have won Miss Universe four times, most recently in 2018 and in 2015, when the host, Steve Harvey, mistakenly announced Ariadna Gutiérrez of Colombia as the winner instead of Pia Wurtzbach.
Latin America
Stephany Abasali of Venezuela and Vanessa Pulgarín of Colombia hail from countries that are known as powerhouses in international pageants.
NBCU-Telemundo will carry the finale in several Latin American countries, including Colombia and Venezuela.
Thailand
The finale will be held at the Impact Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi, a suburb of Bangkok. JKN, the pageant’s owner, offered tickets at a 30 percent discount to Thai fans last week. Miss Universe makes money partly by selling broadcasting licenses, but demand has declined in recent decades as audiences lost interest in beauty pageants.
Pageant watchers in Thailand can stream the competition on the AIS Play app, starting at 8 a.m. Bangkok time.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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