Another Ms Universe Scandal!

Thomas Spritzler announced yesterday that he’s purchased the rights to the Ms Universe Pageant and will be rebranding the event as Ms Earth. “I’m trying very hard to remove the appearance of impropriety. I also will be removing the nightgown competition as it’s demeaning to women.”.

He confirmed that the pageant will be mc'd by the Dark Lord and is evaluating the inclusion of a gender neutral division.

Miss Universe Selection Committee President Becomes Third Judge to Drop Out of Pageant Days Before Event

The international event is set to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 21

By Zoey Lyttle, People

November 19, 2025

Princess Camilla de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles attends the Societe Des Amis Du Musee D'Art Moderne Dinner on October 21, 2025 in Paris, France.

Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, the president of the Miss Universe selection committee, has dropped out as a judge

Her withdrawal from the judging panel comes one day after Omar Harfouch and Claude Makélélé announced they would no longer be judging the pageant either

The international event is set to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 21

The president of the Miss Universe selection committee, Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, has dropped out of judging just two days before the international pageant is set to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, musician and former judge Omar Harfouch tells PEOPLE.

The princess's withdrawal from her judging position comes one day after Harfouch and French soccer manager and former soccer pro Claude Makélélé announced they would not be judging during the pageant on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The Italian royal figure, Makélélé and the Miss Universe Organization have not yet responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.

In several posts to his Instagram Stories, Harfouch claimed that the Miss Universe Organization formed an "impromptu jury" to choose 30 finalists before participants from 136 countries even took the stage for the preliminary round.

Hours later, Makélélé posted on Instagram to reveal that he will no longer serve as a judge, citing "unforeseen personal reasons."

"Regretfully, I will not be attending Miss Universe 2025," his brief statement began. "Thank you for your understanding and support."

In Harfouch's announcement, he alleged that the unofficial judging panel is "composed of individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some [personal] relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants, including the person responsible for counting the votes and managing the results, which constitutes a further conflict of interest."

On Nov. 18, the Miss Universe Organization posted a public statement on Instagram, refuting Harfouch's claims.

"The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols," the statement read.

"Given [Mr. Harfouch'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 pageant wrote.

Speaking to PEOPLE about two hours after the pageant published its response, Harfouch elaborated on his alleged interactions with Miss Universe officials. Upon hearing rumors that a top 30 had already been chosen, the composer said he confronted organization members, including Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha.

"When I talked to the committee and to Rocha about this matter, he ignored me. He said, 'This is nothing Omar. Everything will be well, you'll judge. You'll see,'" Harfouch told PEOPLE.

He previously mentioned the confrontation in his initial Instagram Stories, and he recounted how the pageant also responded by publishing "a list of names associated with the selection on their Instagram page," though he notes that the post did not specify "the [roles] played by these [individuals]."

Former Miss Universe Judge Claims 'Impromptu Jury' Member Who Pre-Selected Top 30 Is Having an Affair with a Contestant (Exclusive)

Harfouch was likely referring to Miss Universe's recent upload featuring a carousel of selection committee members, which was shared on Monday, Nov. 17. The post was captioned, "Meet the inspiring members of the Beyond the Crown Selection Committee for the 74th Miss Universe Competition✨."

Harfouch continued to question the nature of the committee in conversation with PEOPLE. "They are not judges. They called them 'selection committee,' but selection of what? Nobody knows," he said. "It's published on Miss Universe called 'Beyond the Crown,' they decide. But why [is it] not public? Why [only] now are talking about it?"

Harfouch also expanded on his claim that the unofficial judging panel is "composed of individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest," alleging that a pageant contestant and one of the people included in the "Beyond the Crown" selection committee are involved in an affair.

Harfouch told PEOPLE that he asked Raul to be "transparent" with the contestants, but he allegedly declined to do so, prompting Harfouch to resign.

"The girls that will show themselves on the screen, they believe that we are going to decide, but in reality we'll do fake situation," he continues. "They all believe in what they are doing. They have their families here in Bangkok. Their mother, father and even cousins, they're all in the hotels. They pay the hotel, they pay [for] the trip, they pay everything."

One contestant, who asked to remain anonymous, told PEOPLE that rumors of the covert top 30 selection were "heartbreaking" to learn. They discovered what happened moments after they finished their final rehearsal for the preliminary round.

“Many of us learned through social media, not the Miss Universe Organization, that the preliminary selection for the Top 30 was not only conducted without the presence of the official judges, but before we’ve even competed on stage," the contestant said. "Many contestants in this pre-picked top 30 list violate conflict of interest through personal relationships to people of the organization."

The pageant hopeful also expressed gratitude for Harfouch's willingness to speak out. "We thank Omar Harfouch for standing up for integrity when the organization would not," she said. "He showed the very leadership Miss Universe claims to celebrate.”