The 74th Miss Universe pageant, held on November 20 in Thailand and broadcast on Telemundo and YouTube, concluded with the crowning of Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, amidst strong controversies questioning the pageant’s transparency. The winner was announced while rumors grew that three of the eight judges resigned before the final results, alleging interference in the voting.
One of them, Omar Harfouch, posted on his Instagram account that “Miss Mexico is a fake winner and I will tell you why,” and claimed that Raul Rocha, CEO of Miss Universe, had asked the judges to vote for Bosch due to alleged business dealings with her father. After the final, multiple videos showed attendees booing outside the venue, while social media users rejected the Top 5 and asserted that Miss Ivory Coast deserved to win. Criticism also targeted Fatima Bosch’s public speaking performance in the final, which was considered weak by the audience.
The pageant was already fraught with tension. For the first time, Miss Palestine competed, generating significant international attention and support. During the preliminary competition, Miss Jamaica suffered a fall that resulted in her hospitalization, while Miss Israel received death threats.
Another controversial moment arose with a leaked video showing Nawat Isaragraisil, vice president and representative of the host organization, attempting to humiliate Miss Mexico. He even told her, “You are a dumbhead,” during a press conference. Several contestants stood up and left the room despite Nawat’s warning: “if anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down.” Shortly afterward, Rocha intervened to publicly support Miss Mexico, and Nawat was forced to apologize, a move that deepened suspicions about how the winner was chosen.
This is not the first time Nawat Isaragraisil has behaved this way toward contestants. Last year, he was accused of similar behavior during the Miss Grand International pageant, a conflict that even led to Miss India resigning her title due to Nawat’s breach of contract with Miss India, who was the winner at the time.
