Joel Guinto and Panisha Aemocha
BBC, reporting from Bangkok and Singapore
Mexican Fatima Bosch has been crowned the new Miss Universe in Thailand, marking the end of this year's scandal-filled pageant.
At a pre-competition event, a 25-year-old Mexican woman protested and left the venue after a Thai official publicly berated her in front of dozens of competitors and threatened to disqualify anyone who supported her.
A week later, two jury members resigned, one of whom accused the organizers of fixing the competition.
Analysts say the recent controversies at one of the longest-running Miss Universe pageants reflect cultural and strategic differences between the pageant's Thai and Mexican owners.
Watch the moment a Mexican woman was crowned Miss Universe
This competition has been held since 1952, and a Mexican was crowned at the 74th edition of Miss Universe.
Miss Thailand Pravinar Singh was chosen as first runner-up, and Miss Venezuela Stefani Abasali won third place.
Next are Miss Philippines Ma Ahtisa Manalo and Miss Ivory Coast Olivia Yassé.
Thailand hosted Miss Universe for the fourth time, and many on social media and other platforms considered the country's candidate to be a big favorite.
The 2018 hosting is considered one of the best in recent years, so expectations were high for the organizers in Bangkok to surpass that edition.
Drama in Bangkok
The competitions in Thailand are organized by local mogul Navat Itsaragrasil, who is known to fans as the founder and owner of Miss Grand International, a competition smaller in scope and format than Miss Universe.
Navat holds the license to host this year's Miss Universe competition, while the organization from Mexico is run by businessman Raul Rocha.
Girls from all three Americas - North, Central and South America - dominated the competition in its early years, but in recent decades it has grown a fan base in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Competitions of this kind have become for many girls a way out of poverty or a quick ticket to realizing their dream of becoming famous.
In early November, Navat berated Mexican contestant Fatima Bosch in front of dozens of contestants for not posting promotional content on her social media profiles.
When she confronted him, Navat called security and threatened to disqualify those who supported her.
Bosch then left the room, and some other girls joined her in a sign of solidarity.
The Miss Universe organization condemned Navat's behavior as "indecent," and Rocha, in a video address from Mexico, told his Thai business partner to simply "stop."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also reacted, praising Bosch as "an example of how we women should publicly confront aggression."
During the finale, Navat posted photos from the audience on Instagram, but was not seen on stage.
Some fans commented on social media that this incident contributed to Fatima Bosch winning the crown - Mexico's fourth in the history of this competition.
On social media, some fans said that behind-the-scenes drama helped Miss Bosch win the crown, which is Mexico's fourth.
"Next year, whoever comes out (of the event) will win," one comment on the BBC News Facebook account read.
"They had to crown her to make up for the injustice earned earlier to save Miss Universe!" another comment read.
Other comments pointed out that Jasse, a girl from Côte d'Ivoire who finished fifth, gave a better answer in the final round of interviews where all five top contestants were asked how they would use the space to inspire young girls.
Watch the video of that incident
A week after this incident, two judges resigned, and one of them accused the organizers of rigging the selection process.
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who announced on Instagram his resignation from the eight-member jury, claiming that the "improvised jury" had pre-selected the finalists before the final.
A few hours later, former French international Claude Makelele also announced his retirement, citing "unforeseen personal reasons."
The Miss Universe Organization rejected Arfusch's claims, saying that "no outside group is authorized to evaluate candidates or select finalists."
During one of the nights of the competition before the finals, at the presentation of the candidates in long dresses, Miss Jamaica fell on stage and was carried out on a stretcher.
Turbulent changes in leadership
A series of controversies have occurred as the Miss Universe pageant gets new leadership after Thai transgender media mogul An Jakrayuttathip resigned as CEO just before the competition.
Jakrajutatip bought the selection from American entertainment company Endeavor in 2022.
She made major changes towards inclusivity, allowing transgender women, married women, and women with children to participate.
It abolished the age limit for female competitors.
However, public interest had been waning over the years, so she sought to monetize the Miss Universe brand by placing it on merchandise such as bottled water and bags.
Her entertainment company JKN filed for bankruptcy in 2023, citing "liquidity problems".
Before resigning, Jakrajutatip formed a business partnership with Rocha from Mexico, and then hired Navato to organize the 2025 beauty pageant.
Dani Walker, an American beauty queen and pageant coach, told the BBC that it was a "very difficult transition" to run the competition.
Important roles are now divided between people in Bangkok and Mexico, she added.
The leadership structure was much clearer when the election was led by Endeavor, and before that by Donald Trump, she said.
"For fans of the competition and outside observers, it's very confusing."
"Nobody knows who the real leaders are or who to turn to if they have questions or concerns, and that's very damaging to the brand," Paula Shugart, who was president of the Miss Universe Organization under its previous two owners, told the BBC.
Titifong Duangkong, a scholar of women's and Latin American studies and an expert on beauty pageants, said those behind the pageants should be aware of their cultural differences.
“In our country, we use the Thai language to communicate with our fellow Thai people.
"We understand the social context, we understand the social structure, we understand the power inequality in society and we constantly try to negotiate with it using the Thai language," he told the BBC.
The fact that Jakrajutatip is a transgender woman may not have pleased some Latin American fans of the competition, who are inclined towards 'macho culture', he believes.
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What is the fate of Miss Universe?
Audience interest in watching television coverage of the election has been declining for years, as they have shifted to social media.
On TikTok and Instagram, former Miss Universes, including the runners-up, have accounts with millions of followers, making them influencers, or influential women.
This is perhaps where the rift or gap between leaders from Thailand and Latin America lies.
The former would like to take greater advantage of the online power of social networks, while on the Latin American side, beauty queens are still considered glamorous television stars.
A Miss Universe reality show has even been organized for this audience, and the winner participates in the main competition in Bangkok.
While controversies highlight the business side of the Miss Universe pageant, former queens continue to use the space to promote their causes.
The 2018 winner, Catriona Gray, called on her 13,8 million Instagram followers to help the charity provide safe drinking water to thousands of people left homeless by two consecutive super typhoons in the Philippines.
Contestants constantly face criticism for portraying women as objects.
But while most contestants wore two-piece bikinis for the 2025 pageant, those from conservative countries were allowed to wear full-body coverings when the candidates presented themselves in the swimsuit show.
"Of course, there will always be those who disagree. But as long as the core values are intact, I think competitions like this will always have a role in society," says Shugart, the former president.
She said that women's empowerment should be at the core of the organization.
"Miss Universe is nothing if you don't empower the women who compete."
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