Miss Universe Judge Shares Which Contestant She Believes Should Have Won amid Allegations That Voting Was Rigged

One Miss Universe judge is seemingly questioning the legitimacy of the pageant's results, just hours after the new winner was announced, People writes.

During the Nov. 21 competition in Bangkok, Thailand, Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch claimed the Miss Universe 2025 title. Her win came only two weeks after a widely circulated dispute between Bosch and a pageant executive prompted several contestants to walk out of a pre-event gathering.

The pageant had already been mired in controversy. In the days before the final show, judge Omar Harfouch resigned, alleging the existence of an “impromptu jury” that had supposedly selected 30 finalists from the 136 countries slated to compete.

Replacing Harfouch on the selection committee was Natalie Glebova — appointed just one day after his departure. Her appointment followed other resignations as well, including former football star Claude Makélélé and Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, the committee’s president.

Shortly after joining the jury, scrutiny intensified around Glebova when it emerged that she had previously coached Miss Canada Jaime VandenBerg, one of this year’s contestants.

Following the pageant, Glebova took to Instagram to express concerns about the legitimacy of the voting process. Posting a photo of Miss Thailand Pravaneer Singh — the competition’s first runner-up — she captioned it, “My Winner!”

“As a judge this year, I can only speak for myself when I cast my votes,” she wrote. “Please remember that each person has their own opinion, and no single judge determines the final result.”

Glebova went on to compare this year’s procedures with those she experienced when she won Miss Universe in 2005. She noted that the pageant used to feature an onstage auditor who presented sealed results from an accounting firm — a measure she suggested had since disappeared.

“I’d like to bring that back, please,” she wrote, adding, “Until then, I don’t think I will be participating as a judge again.”

In a follow-up Instagram Story, she reiterated her concerns: “Whatever happened to those days when they said before the results, ‘Please welcome from the accounting firm of [Ernst] & Young ... with the official audit’?”

Glebova, who represented Canada and won Miss Universe 2005 — also held in Bangkok — is now one of the most vocal figures questioning this year’s outcome.