The Miss Universe Fiji licensee has terminated the contract of the organizer for the 2024 Fiji Miss Universe event due to a failure to follow proper protocols, which led to confusion and controversy during the crowning night when the wrong contestant was mistakenly awarded as the winner.
In a statement, MUF explained that while they are entitled to appoint all judges, only one judge was appointed by the licensee, who was present to ensure a fair and transparent process. The licensee expressed trust in the contract organizer to appoint additional judges without bias and to guarantee that the voting was conducted fairly.
However, this trust was misplaced as the organizer did not account for the licensee’s vote, resulting in a tie with four votes for each of the top two contestants. Instead of consulting with the licensee to choose a winner, the organizer hastily declared their preferred contestant, disregarding the established tie-breaking procedure.
An internal review revealed that the votes were not submitted confidentially, which could have influenced other judges to support a predetermined winner. In light of these issues, the organizers have announced that legal action is forthcoming against the organizer for damaging the event’s reputation and have issued an apology to the top two contestants for the mental distress caused by the organizer’s failure to adhere to protocols.