Two Miss Universe judges have resigned, with one of them accusing ‘secret jury members with personal relationships with some contestants’ of rigging the selection process.
Omar Harfouch, a Lebanese-French musician, announced his resignation from the eight-member jury on Instagram after claiming that an ‘impromptu jury’ had pre-selected finalists ahead of the competition.
Just hours later, French football great Claude Makelele also revealed he would be pulling out of the judging process, citing ‘unforeseen personal reasons’.
The double resignations come just two weeks after the pageant president publicly called Miss Mexico ‘dumb’ at one of this year’s events, leading to a mass walkout of models, including the 2024 Miss Universe winner.
‘An impromptu jury has been formed to select 30 finalists from among the 136 participating countries, without the presence of any of the real [eight] members of the jury, including me,’ Harfouch wrote on Tuesday, adding that he had discovered this via social media.
The unofficial jury comprises ‘individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants’, he claimed.
The musician did not elaborate on how this ‘impromptu jury’ would function, or how it would override the official jury’s decision.
It appears he decided to resign and ‘refuse to be part of this charade’ following a ‘disrespectful conversation’ with Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha. Harfouch accused the pageant of lacking transparency in the Miss Universe voting process.
‘I will also not be playing the music I composed for the event,’ the pianist added.
Following the resignation, the Miss Universe Organisation on Tuesday released a statement to rebuff Harfouch’s claims, saying that ‘no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists’.
The pageant organisation suggested that Harfouch may have been referring to the Beyond the Crown programme – a ‘social impact initiative’ that operates independently from the Miss Universe competition, and has a separate selection committee.
The Miss Universe Organisation had announced the Beyond the Crown selection committee on Monday.
In its statement on Tuesday the Organisation said that Harfouch’s allegations had ‘mischaracterised’ the programme.
An official statement read: ‘Given Mr. Harfuch’s [sic] expressed confusion, his public mischaracterization of the program, and his stated desire not to participate, the Miss Universe Organisation respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel.’
The pageant added that Harfouch was banned from ‘using, displaying, referencing or associating himself’ with the Miss Universe brand ‘effective immediately.’
Makelele, who had also announced his resignation on Instagram, described it as a ‘difficult decision’.
‘I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence – values I have always championed throughout my career,’ he wrote.
It comes after Victoria Theilvig, the first Dane to win the top title, stormed out of the sashing ceremony at the Miss Universe delegates’ hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, after the the Vice President for Asia and Oceania berated Fátima Bosch in front of dozens of other beauty queens.
Justifying her protest against pageant authority, 21-year-old Theilvig said at the time: ‘This is about women’s rights.’
‘To trash another girl – it’s beyond disrespectful and it’s nothing I’ve ever done. That’s why I’m taking my coat and I’m going.’
The unprecedented incident took place during a live-streamed ceremony of the event, where Nawat Itsaragrisil, Vice President for Asia and Oceania within the Miss Universe Organisation, confronted 25-year-old Bosch about her absence from a sponsor shoot earlier that day.
In footage broadcast on the official Miss Universe Thailand Facebook page, Nawat asked Bosch to stand and ‘explain herself’ in front of the rolling cameras, before instructing security personnel to escort her out of the hotel after she insisted on ‘using my voice’.
In a mass revolt in support of the beauty queen, several of her fellow contestants proceeded to stand up from their seats ready to storm out of the room.
A distressed Itsaragrisil could be heard shouting ‘Stop, stop!’ as the models began making their way out of the ceremony, demanding that they ‘Sit down’.
When the visibly uncomfortable Bosch responded to the president that she did not want to be publicly reprimanded before her pageant peers, he took to the microphone to interrupt, telling her: ‘I didn’t give you the opportunity to talk… I’m still talking, I’m still talking, listen!’
‘I have a voice,’ Bosch replied, accusing Itsaragrisil of ‘not respecting me as a woman’.
The argument continued, with the president saying: ‘My question is: Can you can work to promote Thailand or not – yes or no?’
Itsaragrisil then instructed security to escort Bosch out of the hotel.
Itsaragrisil later claimed that some of his words were misunderstood, but his conduct nevertheless prompted a stern rebuke from the Miss Universe Organisation, which has since sent a delegation of international executives to take over running the beauty competition.
