Miss Universe contestants walk out of live pre-sash ceremony
Miss Universe contestants walk out after Miss Universe Mexico Fátima Bosch is insulted during a live broadcast in Thailand.
Following a scandal earlier this month, the Miss Universe Organization is facing another roadblock as a judge for the pageant suddenly dropped out ahead of Friday’s event.
On his Instagram story Tuesday, Nov. 18, composer Omar Harfouch made several accusations undermining the integrity of the organization’s global competition, which the group has publicly denied. Among the claims, the musician said he learned on social media that an “impromptu jury” selected finalists without the presence of the eight “real jury members,” including himself.
He also said he experienced “profound confusion and concern” after learning about accusations that a selection committee had personal relationships with some of the contestants, posing severe conflicts of interest, and said the results are being kept secret.
After he expressed his disapproval of the preliminary selection, the organization “rushed to publish a list of names associated with the selection on their Instagram page, without specifying the role played by these individuals, creating even greater confusion,” he continued.
Harfouch also mentioned a “disrespectful conversation” with the president of the Miss Universe Organization, Raul Rocha, regarding the “lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the Miss Universe Organization for comment.
“I decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade. I will also not be playing the music I composed for the event,” he added, just days before the Nov. 21 pageant.
Miss Universe dismisses ‘mischaracterization’ and ‘inaccuracies’
Following Harfouch’s accusations, the Miss Universe Organization dismissed “certain inaccuracies” by offering clarity on the official judging processes of the competition.
On Nov. 17, the group posted the official selection committee for its Beyond the Crown Program, a charity-focused program meant to promote leadership, education and inclusion that operates entirely separately from the Miss Universe competition.
The organization said Harfouch’s claims regarding an “impromptu jury” or an external group authorized to select finalists are false and assured “that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.”
“Given Mr. Harfuch’s expressed confusion, his public mischaracterization of the program, and his stated desire not to participate, the Miss Universe Organization respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel,” the statement read.
Harfouch’s resignation is the latest scandal to take place ahead of the 74th annual pageant. The organization was also criticized after Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil called Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, “stupid” during a livestreamed speech to contestants on Nov. 4.
