Miss Universe contestant from Argentina suggests pageant is rigged and is stripped of her crown

The beauty pageant Miss Universe 2024, which was won by Denmark's Victoria Kjaer in front of 50,000 people at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico last November, was called into question by contestant Magali Benejam, who said it was rigged, a comment that cost her dearly and she was stripped of her Miss Universe Argentina title

During a live interview on YouTube with content creator King Lucho, Magali Benejam questioned the final results and hinted that in her perception the show is fake, as she detected that the judges looked at each other with strange faces when the Top 5 was announced.

"They started to look at each other as if to say, 'This is not what we chose, this is not what I chose.' That's what I felt from the outside and that's when I said, 'Okay, this is fixed.' It was always fixed, every year," according to a translation from the Latin Times.

The contestant who finished in 12th place added that the new Miss Universe, Victoria Kj?r, had at least three security guards with her in the last few days, a sign that the Argentine interpreted as that she already knew she would be the winner.

Already on a roll, according to a translation by the Daily Mail, Benejam also lashed out at Puerto Rico's representative, Jennifer Colon, for wearing the "worst" dress at the gala and for not being friendly with her: "I talked to her a couple of times, but in the last few days she decided to stop talking to me, I don't know why."

Miss Universe reacts and takes the crown from Magali Benejam

The comments did not go unnoticed by the Miss Universe Organization and in the first days of 2025 it issued a statement in which it announced the withdrawal of the title of Miss Universe Argentina from Magali Benejam

"Following a thorough review of recent public comments made by Miss Magali Benejam, and based on our core principles, we have decided to immediately withdraw the title of Miss Universe Argentina from Miss Benejam," the statement said.

The organization emphasized that the action was taken to protect the integrity of Miss Universe and the opportunities it provides to women around the world, adding that all its members must reflect "unwavering principles", including respect.

"The decision was made after careful consideration and is in line with our commitment to uphold the highest standards of personal and professional conduct," the organization added.