The 74th Miss Universe competitors has formally come to an finish, and after weeks of worldwide buzz, emotional moments, and headline-making chaos, Mexico’s Fatima Bosch has emerged as the brand new Miss Universe 2025.
Nigeria’s consultant, Onyinyechi Basil, competed at this 12 months’s pageant, and now we lastly have the complete image of how the competitors performed out.
From backstage confrontations to judges resigning and political tensions spilling onto the runway, this 12 months’s pageant had all the pieces… after which some.
A Win That Got here With a Story
Fatima Bosch, solely 25 and already recognized for her work as a humanitarian and volunteer, was topped Miss Universe 2025 by Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig, final 12 months’s winner.
Bosch’s journey to the crown unfolded amid one of the vital chaotic and controversy-heavy competitions the Miss Universe Organisation has hosted in years, and by some means, she nonetheless got here out because the folks’s favorite.
Her win follows a dramatic pre-pageant second that went viral, the place a Thai pageant director publicly berated her throughout a gathering, allegedly calling her a “dumbhead”.
The second induced a number of contestants to stroll out, and turned Bosch into an emblem of composure beneath strain, additionally making a ripple of worldwide solidarity.
Even Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, weighed in, calling the insult an “aggression” that Bosch dealt with with dignity.
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The Remaining Night time
Regardless of the build-up of controversies, the finale itself was a traditional Miss Universe spectacle with sensible lighting, stay vocal performances, tightly rehearsed choreography, and 120 delegates able to shine.
After the swimwear spherical, the group of 120 narrowed to 30, then 12, and finally the highest 5:
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Mexico – Fatima Bosch (Winner).
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Thailand – Praveenar Singh (1st Runner-Up).
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Venezuela – Stephany Abasali.
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Philippines – Ahtisa Manalo.
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Ivory Coast – Olivia Yacé.
This 12 months additionally marked an enormous milestone as Nadeen Ayoub turned the primary girl to signify the Palestinian folks, making it to the highest 30 earlier than being eradicated.
In the course of the remaining query spherical, contestants had been requested what world subject they’d deal with on the United Nations Basic Meeting and the way they’d use the Miss Universe platform to empower younger women. Bosch’s reply, anchored on self-worth and authenticity, struck a chord.
“Consider within the energy of your authenticity,” she stated. “Your desires matter, your coronary heart issues. By no means let anybody make you doubt your price.”
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A Pageant Surrounded by Controversy
You would genuinely create a documentary from all the pieces that occurred off-stage this 12 months. For weeks, Miss Universe regarded extra like a actuality present than an organised competitors, and day by day appeared to carry a brand new headline.
Listed here are just some of the plotlines:
1. The Viral Confrontation
Bosch’s tense second with Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai director, turned world information. Contestants walked out, and Nawat later cried publicly in an apology, claiming he was misunderstood. The Miss Universe Organisation stepped in, condemning his behaviour and decreasing his involvement.
2. Remarks That Sparked Outrage
Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, got here beneath hearth after racist feedback had been made throughout an Instagram Dwell. The backlash was instant, additional overshadowing the pageant’s run-up.
3. Judges Dramatically Resigning
Two judges stop simply days earlier than the finale.
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Composer Omar Harfouch alleged the pageant was “pre-rigged”, saying he couldn’t legitimise a vote he by no means participated in.
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Former French footballer Claude Makélélé additionally resigned, citing private causes.
The Miss Universe Organisation denied all accusations of secret judging panels, calling the claims a “mischaracterisation”.
4. Stage Mishaps
Each Miss Jamaica and Miss Nice Britain suffered falls throughout preliminary levels, and one in all them even landed in hospital.
5. Political Tensions on the Runway
From Miss Palestine’s symbolic robe that includes Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock to Miss Israel receiving threats after what gave the impression to be a misinterpreted side-eye, world politics inevitably made their method into pageant commentary.
6. A TikTok “Drug Joke” That Backfired
Miss Chile drew criticism after a viral video the place she mimicked snorting a substance as a part of a make-up transition, which she later apologised for.
This doesn’t even cowl the management shake-up, as Thai billionaire Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip stepped down earlier this 12 months, with Mario Búcaro stepping in as CEO mere days earlier than contestants arrived.
The Crown, Regardless of the Chaos
With all this noise, many questioned whether or not Miss Universe would handle to tug off its 74th version with the grace it guarantees.
By the point Fatima Bosch walked the runway one final time with poise and confidence, it was clear the general public had moved past the drama.
What’s Subsequent for Miss Universe?
The 2026 competitors is about for Puerto Rico, and after this 12 months’s chaos, the brand new management has fairly a job forward.
Expectations for transparency, equity, and psychological well-being of contestants have by no means been increased, particularly after Bosch’s incident began conversations about how girls in pageantry are handled behind closed doorways.
