Mexico’s Fatima Bosch, who walked out on organisers, wins pageant

Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was crowned the new Miss Universe in Thailand on Friday; This marks the end of an exceptionally scandalous season of the show.

The 25-year-old contestant withdrew from a show in early November after an official publicly berated him in front of dozens of contestants and threatened to disqualify those who supported him.

A week later, two judges resigned and one of them accused the organizers of rigging the contest.

Founded in the USA, Miss Universe is one of the longest-running beauty pageants on the planet. Analysts say the recent controversy underscores cultural and strategic differences between the Thai and Mexican owners of the competition.

Thailand’s Praveenar Singh came second in the competition, while Venezuela, the Philippines and Ivory Coast were in the top five.

Thailand is hosting Miss Universe for the fourth time, and this year’s delegates are considered pioneers by fan websites.

The crowning of a new Miss Universe, the 74th since 1952, signals an organization’s commitment to staying relevant and evolving from a once-a-year television spectacle into a TikTok-ready media brand.

The pageant events are organized by Thai media mogul Nawat Itsaragrasil, known to fans as the founder and owner of Miss Grand International, a smaller Thailand-based pageant known for its vocal social media presence.

While Mr. Nawat has the license to host this year’s Miss Universe pageant, the organization is run by businessman Raul Rocha out of Mexico.

In the early years, the pageant was dominated by queens from North, Central and South America, but recent years have seen the rise of fandoms in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, where pageant crowns have become a way out of poverty or an express pass for girls dreaming of fame.

But things took a dramatic turn at the pre-show ceremony earlier this month; In front of dozens of contestants, Mr. Nawat chastised Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch for not posting promotional content.

When Mr Nawat objected, he called security and threatened to disqualify those who supported him. Mrs. Bosch then left the room and the others joined her in solidarity.

The Miss Universe Organization condemned Mr Nawat’s behavior as “malicious” and Mr Rocha, speaking by video from Mexico, told his Thai business partner to “stop”.

Mr Nawat later apologized and claimed some of his remarks had been misunderstood; However, a delegation of international managers was sent to run the competition.

A week later, two judges resigned, and one of them accused the organizers of rigging the election process.

Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who announced his resignation from the eight-member jury on Instagram, claimed that an “unprepared jury” pre-selected the finalists ahead of Friday’s finale. Hours later, former French football star Claude Makelele also announced his withdrawal from the team, citing “unforeseen personal reasons”.

The Miss Universe Organization rejected Mr. Harfouch’s claims, saying “no external group has the authority to evaluate delegates or select finalists.”

It has been suggested that Mr. Harfouch may be referring to the Beyond the Crown program, a “social impact initiative” that operates independently of the Miss Universe pageant and has a separate selection committee.

Later on Wednesday night, during the preliminary evening gown tour, Miss Jamaica accidentally fell on stage and had to be rushed out of the theater on a stretcher. He is recovering in the hospital.

The series of controversies emerged as Miss Universe transitioned to new leadership after Thai trans media mogul Anne Jakrajutatip resigned as CEO just before pre-show events and was replaced by Guatemalan diplomat Mario Bucaro.

Miss Jakrajutatip acquired the pageant from US entertainment company Endeavor in 2022. It has made sweeping changes towards inclusivity, allowing the participation of trans women, married women, and women with children. It also removed the age limit for contestants.

As her viewership dwindled over the years, Miss Universe tried to make money by stamping her brand on products such as bottled water and bags.

In 2023, entertainment company JKN filed for bankruptcy due to “liquidity issues”.

Before resigning, Ms. Jakrajutatip brought in Mr. Rocha from Mexico as a business partner and later tapped Mr. Nawat to organize the 2025 pageant.

American beauty queen and pageant coach Dani Walker told the BBC it was a “very difficult transition” for the pageant’s leadership. He said key roles were now split between leaders in Bangkok and Mexico.

While the contest was run by Endeavor and before that by Donald Trump, the leadership structure was much clearer, he said.

Paula Shugart, who served as head of the Miss Universe Organization for the previous two owners, told the BBC: “It’s very confusing for fans and outsiders. Nobody knows who the real leaders are or who to ask when they have questions, and it’s very damaging to the brand.”

Thitiphong Duangkhong, an expert on women’s and Latin American studies and beauty pageants, said pageant organizers should be aware of cultural differences.

“We use the Thai language to communicate with our Thai friends in our country. We understand the social context, we understand the social structure, we understand the inequality of power in society and we constantly try to negotiate that using the Thai language,” he told the BBC.

Mr. Thitiphong said the fact that Ms. Jakrajutatip is a trans woman might not sit well with some Latin American fans who embrace macho culture.

“There’s talk of non-women suddenly buying into a show that’s supposed to be about women’s entertainment. What’s going to happen?”

For years, the Miss Universe broadcast’s audience had been steadily declining as fans turned to social media. On TikTok and Instagram, former title holders and even runners-up are opening accounts with millions of followers, turning them into influencers.

Mr Nawat’s Miss Grand International queens are expected to embrace this e-commerce universe by selling products on live broadcasts, which he is trying to promote to the Miss Universe.

But on the Latin American side, beauty queens are still seen as glamorous television celebrities. There’s even been a Miss Universe reality show for this audience, with the winner – the Dominican-crowned Miss Universe Latina – competing in the main competition in Bangkok.

But while the controversy highlights the business side of Miss Universe, former queens continue to use their platforms to promote their causes. 2018 titleholder Catriona Gray appealed to her 13.8 million Instagram followers to help a charity provide safe drinking water to thousands of people left homeless by back-to-back super typhoons in the Philippines.

Pageants also continue to face constant criticism for objectifying women. However, while the majority of contestants in the 2025 competition wore two-piece bikinis, those from conservative countries were allowed to wear clothes that covered their entire bodies in the swimsuit round.

“Of course this won’t work for everyone, and there will always be those who disagree. But as long as the core values ​​are solid, I think demonstrations will always have a role to play in society,” said Ms. Shugart, the former president.

She said women’s empowerment should be at the heart of the organisation.

“Miss Universe is nothing if you’re not empowering women who compete.”