A Miss Universe judge caused controversy after opting to only follow fellow Latina contestants on social media – leading to fears of biased scores.
Lele Pons was scolded by show bosses for her decision – which garnered even more attention when Miss Colombia, one of only three contestants she followed – came second.
Pons, a Venezuelan-American YouTube blogger, was found to be only following Miss Mexico, Miss Venezuela and Miss Colombia – which some feared meant they were at an advantage.
A Miss Universe judge caused controversy after opting to only follow fellow Latina contestants on social media. Lele Pons was scolded by show bosses for her decision – which garnered even more attention when Miss Colombia, one of only three contestants she followed, came second
Popular vlogger Pons, who makes videos online sending up pop culture, was told by show execs to unfollow the Latina contestants in order to ensure fairness for all entrants.
Lele protested, according to TMZ, arguing that as a Latina woman she naturally followed the people she was most interested in.
Despite this, Pons was ordered to unfollow the three and seemingly complied – no longer following runner up Miss Colombia and the two other entrants from South and Central America.
Meanwhile, Miss South Africa, who was held at gunpoint a month after being named the nation’s beauty queen, eventually took the overall crown.
Pons, a Venezuelan-American YouTube blogger, was found to be only following Miss Mexico, Miss Venezuela and Miss Colombia – which some feared meant they were at an advantage. Miss Colombia, Laura Hernandez (center), came second overall
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who recently earned a business management degree and teaches self-defense courses for women, was crowned Sunday during the event at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
Her passion for self-defense was reinforced when she was carjacked and held at gunpoint in Johannesburg about a month after winning her title as Miss South Africa.
The 22-year-old winner has earned a yearlong salary, a luxury apartment in New York City for the duration of her reign among other prizes.
Miss South Africa, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (centre, with tiara), who was held at gunpoint a month after being named the nation’s beauty queen, eventually took the overall crown
In June, about a month after she was crowned Miss South Africa, Nel-Peters was the victim of a vicious armed hijacking attempt in Johannesburg.
Three armed men approached her car as she was driving on Jan Smuts Avenue in Hyde Park. As they pointed their guns at the beauty queen’s car she managed to exit the vehicle and flee.
A Good Samaritan saw her fleeing the scene and drove her to safety, and she escaped unharmed.
According to a statement from the Miss South Africa office, her purse and car were later recovered in the area by a private security company, which are common in the crime-ridden country.
This year’s Miss Universe competition had the most contestants ever, including the first ever representatives of Cambodia, Laos and Nepal. Ninety-two women from around the world participated in the 66-year-old competition.