Miss Mexico who staged walkout after insult by organiser wins Miss Universe title in surprise twist
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Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch is crowned Miss Universe during the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was on Nov 21 crowned the new Miss Universe, a surprising culmination to what has been an exceptionally chaotic edition of one of the longest-running beauty pageants on the planet.
On Nov 4, she was reprimanded by Mr Nawat Itsaragrisil,
He called her a “dumb head”. Ms Bosch objected and left the room, followed by several other contestants in solidarity.
That confrontation led to Mr Nawat publicly apologising, after the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) denounced his conduct as “malicious”.
On Nov 21, Ms Bosch, 25, came out on top, edging out local favourite Miss Thailand Praveenar Singh and the candidates from Venezuela, the Philippines and Cote d’Ivoire in the finals.
During the pageant’s final round, a judge asked Ms Bosch how she would create a safe space for women as Miss Universe.
“I will put my voice in the power and the service of others,” she said. “The brave ones that stand up are the ones that will make history.”
Ms Bosch, in a red cheongsam-looking gown with a cape, received her crown from Ms Victoria Theilvig of Denmark, the 2024 winner. She is the fourth Miss Universe to come from Mexico.
Scandals and mishaps
The days leading up to the coronation had not been short on scandals, dramas and mishaps.
Wading into the spat between Mr Nawat and Ms Bosch, Miss Universe 1996 Alicia Machado on Nov 8 slammed Mr Nawat in a live stream and called him a “despicable Chinese”.
That comment earned the ire of many people online, especially Asians.
Ms Machado, now a TV host and actress, refused to back down when she was told her comments were racist. She even doubled down by saying everyone with slanted eyes – even if they are Korean, Japanese or Thai – are Chinese to her, and then making a slanted-eye gesture in her live stream.
Then a week later, two judges resigned, with one claiming the contest was rigged.
Mr Omar Harfouch, a Lebanese-French musician, said in an Instagram post that an “impromptu jury” had pre-selected finalists ahead of the Nov 21 event.
Hours afterwards, former French football star Claude Makelele also withdrew, citing “unforeseen personal reasons”.
MUO rejected Mr Harfouch’s allegations, insisting that “no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists”.
It suggested that Mr Harfouch may have been referring instead to Beyond the Crown, a social-impact initiative that operates independently of the main pageant and is overseen by a separate selection committee.
On Nov 19, a Miss Universe contestant was taken away on a stretche
Social media videos show Dr Gabrielle Henry, representing Jamaica, walking in an orange evening gown and high heels when she missteps and falls off the stage. Additional videos later captured her being removed from the venue on a stretcher.
Mr Raul Rocha, owner of the Miss Universe pageant, posted an update on Instagram shortly after the incident.
“I would like to share with the Miss Universe family concerned for the health of our Miss Universe Jamaica that at 12am Bangkok time, I have just left the hospital where she is being treated,” he wrote over a black screen.
“I was there with her family and, thankfully, there are no broken bones, and she is under good care,” he said.
Long shadow
The scandals and controversies have cast a long shadow over the pageant’s final outcome, with many online saying politics, rather than merit, ultimately determined who got to wear the crown.
One said in a Facebook post: “I think the host read the names backwards”, insisting the winner should have been Miss Cote d’Ivoire Olivia Yace.
That seems to have been the overwhelming sentiment, as can be gleaned from comments on MUO’s official X account.
Many reposted a photo showing a card with the list of winners with the bottom side up, with Miss Cote d’Ivoire on top, followed by Miss Philippines Ahtisa Manalo, Miss Venezuela Stephany Abasali, and then Miss Thailand and Miss Mexico. They believed Ms Yace, Ms Manalo and Ms Abasali did better in the question-and-answer portion of the contest.
Chiming in, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray asked in an Instagram post: “Doesn’t Q&A have a bearing anymore on MU?”
There were many photos of Miss Cote d’Ivoire online with the word “robbed”.
Others suggested that the confrontation with Mr Nawat had actually worked in Ms Bosch’s favour. Her win was a “peace offering” to Mexico, some claimed.
“I’m all for someone standing up for themselves, especially women... but just because she was placed in an uncomfortable situation doesn’t mean that she is deserving of the crown,” one user wrote on Miss Universe’s X account, referring to Ms Bosch.
“We all watched it. She didn’t have the winning Miss Universe walk! Weak performance. Definitely not a winning answer and not a winning gown,” another wrote, as yet another commenter derided Ms Bosch’s gown as “the ugliest ever”.
Still, there are those who celebrated with Miss Mexico. They said she “deserved” the win, and that she is “the real beauty and a brave Mexican reina (queen)”.
Despite its recognisable brand, Miss Universe has struggled with declining interest from audiences and broadcasters who pay licensing fees.
The pageant still enjoys a sizeable following in countries like the Philippines, Venezuela and Colombia, which are considered powerhouses for Miss Universe winners.
MUO has been jointly owned by JKN, a Thai media company, and Mr Rocha since 2023. It has changed owners multiple times in the past three decades, including US President Donald Trump, who owned it from 1996 until 2015, and Endeavor, the American talent agency, which sold it to JKN in 2022.
