Miss Universe has become a reality show. What really happened?
Miss Jamaica falls off Miss Universe stage
Dr. Gabrielle Henry fell off the Miss Universe stage in Thailand. Officials said she suffered “minor injuries.”
In many ways, Miss Universe and other pageants were our original reality television.
Over the course of three hours, we watched as women from all over the world competed in gowns, swimsuits, and traditional costumes, and were interviewed.
But over the years, Miss Universe has come to feel mechanical, routine, outdated, and even boring. Reality TV has caught on, showing modern versions of gowns (“Selling Sunset”), swimsuits (“Love Island”), ethnic costumes (“The Masked Singer”) and interviews (“Love is Blind”).
Now, Miss Universe is bringing the drama.
Suddenly the competition is interesting again and we can’t stop watching.
In the week since Miss Mexico was crowned the winner, we’ve had all the ingredients for a season of your favorite reality show, including a confession and a surprise ending. And the conversation about this pageant goes beyond the usual discussion about outdated pageants that require poise and perfection from women to win scholarships.
This year, even the annual allegations of sexual harassment and jury misconduct at the Miss Universe pageant were swept under the rug.
1 failure
Before the winner was crowned, Jamaica’s Gabrielle Henry fell off the stage during the evening gown competition. She remains hospitalized a week later. At first, pageant officials said she had not broken any bones and had only come to the hospital for observation. (Miss Jamaica’s leaders blamed her, Melissa Sapini of Haiti told People magazine. “The first thing[pageant leaders]said was that she wasn’t paying attention.”)
2 Call your name
At the sash award ceremony, where contestants are given their countries’ official sashes, the director of the Thai national pageant slammed Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch Fernandez, who was later crowned Miss Universe, for not following promotional guidelines earlier this month.
As Bosch left the event, the director called security to try to stop her. Other women also took part, including last year’s winner, Miss Denmark.
Bosch later told a Thai reporter: “Your coach’s actions lack respect. He called me stupid.” “If it takes away your dignity, you have to leave.”
“And I think the world needs to understand this because we are empowered women and this is a platform to express our opinions,” she said. “And no one can silence our voices, and no one will do that to me.”
The director tearfully apologized, saying, “It’s a lot of pressure, and I’m only human.” The competition’s president, Raul Rocha Cantu, criticized him for trying to “silence and exclude Bosch”.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised her.
She shared a phrase that many girls who grew up in Mexico or Mexican families heard: “calladita te ves más bonita.”
“Gone are the days when people used to say it was cleaner to be quiet,” Sheinbaum says. “Women become more beautiful when we talk and participate.”
3 Allegations of voter fraud
Omar Harhoush withdrew from eight jurors, claiming that a secret ballot, rather than among the judges, was used to pre-select the top 30 of the 136 contestants. Harfoush said she is considering suing the Miss Universe Organization for psychological trauma and reputational damage. Another judge also resigned, but he cited personal reasons.
4 Internet swarm
This year’s death threats were not about the trial, but about religion.
The first Miss Palestine contestant, Nadine Ayoub, wore a gown featuring Israeli religious sites, the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Israeli Melanie Shiraz told Fox News she received death and rape threats after she said the video had been edited to make it look like Ayoub was giving her dirty looks.
“My social media was flooded with hateful comments and clips of this video where it was like I was standing next to her,” she said.
5 Investigation and arrest
Four days after the new Miss Universe was crowned, a Bangkok court issued an arrest warrant for Ang Jakaphon Jakrajtatip, co-owner of the Miss Universe organization. She was suspected of defrauding a company out of bonds and had been deemed a flight risk and had missed a court date.
And Cantu is under investigation for drug, gun and fuel trafficking between Guatemala and Mexico.
6 Last Rating
Yet, through it all, Bosch wore the crown and its ratings rose.
The broadcast was the best in years, according to Nielsen, and NBC reported 2.6 million total viewers, making it the most-watched prime-time entertainment special on Spanish-language television in 2025. A week after all this, on the official Miss Universe Instagram account, Bosch posted a photo of herself looking over her shoulder in a black silk halter-neck dress with a floral pattern. She captioned it, “Just breathe.”
Perhaps next year, pageant officials should take a cue from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders reality show and turn the competition into a full season.
