Fatima Bosch of Mexico, who left the organizing committee, won the competition.

Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was crowned the new Miss Universe in Thailand last Friday. This marks the end of a particularly scandal-filled competition season.

The 25-year-old contestant walked out of a pageant event in early November after officials publicly berated her in front of dozens of contestants and threatened to disqualify her supporters.

A week later, two judges resigned, one of whom accused organizers of rigging the competition.

Founded in the United States, Miss Universe is one of the longest-running beauty pageants on the planet. Analysts say the latest controversy highlights cultural and strategic differences between the pageant’s Thai and Mexican owners.

Praveenar Singh of Thailand took second place in the competition, while the remaining top five countries included Venezuela, the Philippines and Ivory Coast.

Thailand is hosting Miss Universe for the fourth time and this year’s delegation was seen as a frontrunner by fan websites.

The selection of a new Miss Universe, the 74th since 1952, signals the organization’s determination to remain relevant and evolve from a once-a-year TV show to a TikTok-ready media brand.

The pageant event is being hosted by Thai media mogul Nawat Itsaragrasil, known to fans as the founder and owner of Miss Grand International, a small Thailand-based pageant known for its influence on social media.

Ms Nawat has the credentials to host this year’s Miss Universe pageant, an organization run in Mexico by businessman Raul Rocha.

Initially, queens from North, Central and South America dominated the competition, but in recent decades fandom has grown in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Here, pageant crowns have become a way out of poverty or a express pass for girls aspiring to become famous.

But things took a dramatic turn earlier this month at a pre-pageant event when Mr. Nawat criticized Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch for not posting promotional content in front of dozens of contestants.

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

The Miss Universe organization condemned Mr Nawat’s actions as “malicious”, while Mr Rocha told his Thai business partner in a video from Mexico to “stop it”.

Mr. Nawat later apologized and claimed that some of his words had been misunderstood. However, a delegation of international officials was sent to take over the running of the competition.

A week later, two judges resigned, one of whom accused organizers of manipulating the selection process.

Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who announced his resignation from the eight-member judging panel on Instagram, claimed ahead of Friday’s final that an “instant panel of judges” had pre-selected the finalists. Hours later, former French soccer star Claude Makelele also announced his withdrawal, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”

The Miss Universe organization dismissed Harpucci’s claims, saying “no outside group has the authority to evaluate delegates or select finalists.”

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

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

Miss Universe’s transition to new leadership sparked a series of controversies after Thai transgender media mogul Anne Jakrajutatip resigned as CEO shortly before the pageant and was replaced by Guatemalan diplomat Mario Bucaro.

Mr. Jakrajtatip acquired the beauty pageant from Endeavor, an American entertainment company, in 2022. She made major changes toward inclusivity, allowing transgender women, married women and women with children to participate. She also abolished age restrictions for contestants.

As her audience declined over the years, she attempted to monetize the Miss Universe brand by imprinting it on merchandise such as bottled water and bags.

In 2023, the agency JKN filed for bankruptcy, citing ‘liquidity problems’.

Before she resigned, Ms. Jacrajutatip brought Mr. Rocha with her from Mexico as a business partner and later tapped Mr. Nawat to organize the 2025 Games.

Dani Walker, an American beauty pageant coach, told the BBC it had been “a very difficult transition” in pageant leadership. She said key roles were now divided between leaders in Bangkok and Mexico.

The leadership structure was much clearer when Endeavor ran the pageant, and before that it had Donald Trump, she said.

“It’s very confusing for fans and outsiders. No one knows who the real leader is or who to ask if they have questions. It’s very damaging to the brand,” Paula Shugart, who served as Miss Universe president under the previous two owners, told the BBC.

Thitiphong Duangkhong, a women’s and Latin American studies scholar and beauty pageant expert, said those leading pageants must be aware of their cultural differences.

“In our country, we use Thai to communicate with Thai people. We try to understand the social context, social structures, power inequalities in society and constantly negotiate these using Thai,” he told the BBC.

Ms. Thitiphong said that because Ms. Jakrajutatip is a transwoman, she may not have gone down well with some Latin American fans who subscribe to macho culture.

“There’s talk of non-female women suddenly buying beauty pageants about female entertainment. What’s going to happen?”

Viewership for the Miss Universe broadcast has been steadily declining over the years as fans have moved to social media. On TikTok and Instagram, previous title holders and even runners-up maintain accounts with millions of followers, turning them into influencers.

It is in this world of e-commerce that Mr Nawat’s Miss Grand International queens are expected to embrace selling merchandise on live television, which he was trying to introduce to Miss Universe.

However, in Latin America, beauty queens are still considered attractive television celebrities. The Miss Universe reality show was staged for that audience, with the winner (Miss Universe Latina from Dominica) going on to compete in the main pageant in Bangkok.

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

Beauty pageants are also constantly criticized for targeting women. However, in the 2025 competition, most contestants wore two-piece bikinis, although contestants from conservative countries were allowed to cover their entire bodies in the swimsuit round.

“Of course it’s not for everyone and there will always be people who disagree, but I think pageants will always have a role to play in society as long as their core values ​​are intact,” former president Shugart said.

She said empowering women should be at the core of the organization.

“Miss Universe is nothing if it doesn’t empower the women who compete.”