When a beauty queen steps onto a global stage, she hopes the spotlight shines for the right reasons. Nadeen Ayoub, Miss Palestine, walked into Miss Universe 2025 expecting fierce competition, dazzling gowns, and the usual cocktail of nerves and glamour. What she didn’t expect was to become the center of a controversy now echoing across the entire pageant world.
In her now-viral video, Nadeen recounted the moment she realized something was off. She said she had been leading the fan vote by a comfortable margin, clocking in at 182,387 votes while Tanzania’s Naise Yone followed at 177,328. And at that point, she said there were only thirty minutes left before voting closed.
© AFP via Getty ImagesWithin two minutes, Ayoub said Naise’s count shot up to 193,338. That’s more than a twenty-thousand-vote surge. Meanwhile, Nadeen’s own vote count inched up by only a few dozen.
Nadeen didn’t mince words. She said such a spike was “very impossible” unless multiple people could vote simultaneously or something internal interfered. She stressed that being Miss Palestine, representing her people, and carrying their culture to an international stage was already the greatest crown. “I just want to make something very clear which is that this is not about the award I have gotten the biggest award I have gotten the biggest crown I have gotten the biggest prize by being Miss Palestine by being the voice of my people and everyone's voice that wants to speak up that wants to see justice, that wants to see the beauty and culture and all the things I represent on the international stage,” she added.
Miss Palestine suggested that the real wound was the idea of a biased system that left contestants and voters confused rather than celebrated. She noted that not only she, but several judges and viewers, questioned how the voting played out.
© Getty ImagesJudges Speak Up
The moment Nadeen raised her concerns, the Miss Universe Organization was already facing drama. Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005, took to Instagram to voice frustration over the lack of transparency. She even claimed the first runner-up was, in her view, the actual winner. "As a judge this year, I can only speak for myself when I cast my votes," Glebova wrote in her statement. "Please remember that each person has their own opinion and not one single person can influence the result."
© FilmMagicGlebova, who won Miss Universe in 2005, explained that she remembered how past officials had a system to ensure that the voting was all legitimate. "However, this must be said…when I competed in 2005 and years prior, I recall there was always an auditor that came on stage with sealed results from an accounting firm," she said. "I’d like to bring that back, please," Glebova concluded, adding, "Until then I don’t think I will be participating as a judge again."
Ahead of the final, Omar Harfouch resigned, claiming that a “secret committee” had already chosen the top 30—before the contestants even stepped onstage. He said the results were known 24 hours ahead. Harfouch alleged that this unofficial group included individuals with potential conflicts of interest, noting that the person responsible for tallying votes and managing results may also have connections to contestants.
© Omar HarfouchThen came the explosion. Harfouch stated on HBO that he knew Miss Mexico would win 24 hours before the final, as Rocha allegedly pressured him to vote for her. He claimed that Rocha and his son met with him in Dubai and suggested that supporting Fátima Bosch would benefit their business.
"Miss Mexico is a Fake winner. I Omar Harfouch declared yesterday exclusively on the American HBO, 24 hours before the Miss Universe final, that Miss Mexico would win—because Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father," he wrote. "All details will be showed in May 2026 on HBO. Raul Rocha and his son urged me, week ago in Dubai, to vote for Fatima Bosh because they need her to win, because it will be good for our business, they said to me!"
As if that weren’t dramatic enough, the fallout among contestants continued. Olivia Yacé, representing Côte d'Ivoire and crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, stepped down from her newly earned title. She said she had to honor her values of fairness, dignity, excellence, and equal opportunity.
© Olivia Yacé/IGHot on her heels came Brigitta Schaback of Estonia, who resigned from her national title. She cited misalignment with her national director and reaffirmed her commitment to women's empowerment and equality.
Even at the organizational level, movement is happening. Anne Jakrajutatip, the Thai businesswoman who co-owns Miss Universe, temporarily stepped away from her board positions at JKN Global Group. She remains CEO of the Miss Universe Organization, but her partial exit adds another layer of curiosity to a moment already swirling with questions.
© AgenciesAll these events together paint a picture of a pageant navigating growing pains—or, as some fans fear, structural cracks. Miss Universe has always blended spectacle and purpose, but audiences today expect transparency, fairness, and integrity on top of the glitter.
