At the end of every year, close to a few different major holidays, we know it’s also time for Miss Universe. This year’s Miss Universe 2025 was hosted in Bangkok, Thailand during the first three weeks of November, crowning Miss Mexico, 25-year-old Fátima Bosch, as Miss Universe. Praveener Singh, aka Miss Thailand, was named runner-up, and Stephany Abasali, aka Miss Venezuela, was named third. Many Hispanic and Latina viewers were excited to see Bosch win the 2025 Miss Universe title.
“I feel proud to say Miss Universe was won by a proud [Mexican] and she did it with the love and loyalty she had for her country,” Mareli Gutierrez (12) said. “In my honest opinion, she deserves it because she never stopped smiling and showing her country that she will not give up. She did it for the little girls and women [who] just need someone to look up to.”
Despite, or perhaps because, this year’s Miss Universe had many ups and downs, with backlash, controversies and questions on the reliability of their contests, over 2.5 million tuned in to watch the broadcast, making it the most-watched Spanish-language television special of the year. The most startling change was the previous CEO of Miss Universe, Anne Jakrajutatip, stepping down from her position and making Mario Búcaro the new CEO. Some skeptical fans have since accused Búcaro of foul play and a lack of trust in management skills, suggesting it would not live up to the previous year’s potential. Multiple Miss Universe contestants also walked out of a photo-op in support of 2025 Miss Universe winner Fátima Bosch, as Thai media personality Nawat Itsaragrisil degraded her.
By far, the most talked about controversy was that this year’s Miss Universe was “rigged.” Omar Harfouch, one of the judges for the Miss Universe selections committee, quit days before the contest, along with one other judge. Harfouch claimed that there was an alleged “impromptu jury” and “secret vote.” He also claimed that Bosch’s victory was scripted and planned by the pageant’s co-owner, Raúl Rocha Cantúand, and Miss Mexico’s father, Bernardo Bosch, to whom Cantúand has alleged business ties. Nevertheless, many young women still find Fátima Bosch’s win an important and symbolic one, despite the scandal.
“I’m excited for Miss Mexico winning Miss Universe. I believe she’s a great representative of what it means to be a Miss Universe winner, and I’m interested to see how she will use her role to empower others!” Shane Whitley (12) said.
Bosch was a favorite amongst many fans. Other contestants like Praveenar Singh (Thailand), Olivia Yacé (Côte d’Ivoire) and Ahtisa Manalo (Philippines) were also favorites amongst fans as they were all runners-up behind Bosch.
“Miss Cote d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast was an outstanding candidate that I believe should’ve won or placed higher,” Whitley said. “On top of having a strong stage presence during the show, she delivered a fantastic response under pressure.”
Still, Bosch remains the chosen winner. Rocha’s suspected favoritism for his business partner’s daughter stems largely from having a multi-million dollar contract with the oil company Pemex, at which Bernardo Bosch is an executive. It has also been revealed that Rocha has an arrest warrant against him for drugs, arms and fuel trafficking. Although both Rocha and Pemex have denied these allegations, online thoughts and opinions on Bosch’s win continue to run rampant.
While many are proud that a Mexican woman won, others are not so happy with Bosch’s victory, writing comments like “Miss fake winner,” “What a sad reel for the universe,” “Such an insult to every lady who worked hard for the crown” and more. Bosch has even received death threats over her crowning.
After any competition, not all fans are satisfied with the outcome, and Miss Universe is no different. Some want their country to win, some want a deserving contestant to win and some are satisfied with whoever gets the title as long as the ceremony is a spectacle. What’s left to come to light from this year’s Miss Universe scandals remains to be seen as fans also wait for 2026’s Miss Universe, set to take place this November in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
