A new Miss Universe was crowned on Nov. 21, but the drama around the pageant continues, as one contestant is asking for an investigation into potential shadiness behind the scenes, and another remains hospitalized after facing a serious injury during the competition.
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In a recent statement, Melissa Sapini, who represented Haiti in the competition, called for an independent investigation into the pageant, citing allegations of corruption, including claims that the results of the competition were fixed. Although Miss Universe denied the claims in a Nov. 18 statement on Instagram, the allegations led one judge to resign before the competition.
Sapini says she believed it was important to speak out now in order to protect the integrity of the pageant for future contestants.
“Representing Haiti is the greatest honor of my life. But this moment is bigger than a crown. The world is watching. The narrative being pushed right now threatens the future and the integrity of Miss Universe,” Sapini said.
Miss Haiti’s statement comes after a Dec. 2 interview with ABC News, in which 2025 Miss Universe winner Fatima Bosch denied allegations that the pageant was fixed and that her title had anything to do with her oil executive father’s business dealings with Raul Rocha Cantu, a co-owner of the pageant.
“My father has nothing to do with the organization,” she said. “And it’s crazy. How are you going to buy a crown? Maybe in Walmart, you can buy a crown, yeah. But not in Miss Universe, for sure.”
But Miss Haiti called BS on the interview, adding in her statement that only an independent, unbiased investigation will uncover the truth.
“Having Miss Universe defend Miss Universe is like asking a police department to investigate itself,” she said. “It will never produce the full truth.”
In other pageant news, prayers are still going up for Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, who took a terrifying fall off the stage during a preliminary round of the competition. Official Miss Universe Jamaica posted an update on Henry’s condition in a Nov. 21 post on Instagram.
“According to Dr. Henry-Samuels, “Gabby isn’t doing as well as we would have hoped, but the hospital continues to treat her accordingly,” the post was captioned.
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