Miss Universe denies claims of an 'impromptu jury' that will 'select finalists' before coronation night

In a statement, the organization said it wanted to clarify the official judging processes of the competition and explained that they have a so-called "Beyond the Crown Program" that operates entirely separately from the Miss Universe competition and from the official judging panel.

They described it as "an independent social impact initiative designed to promote leadership, service, education, health, inclusion, and meaningful support for charitable causes."

"Mr. Omar Harfuch, who had previously agreed to serve as one of the eight official members of the Miss Universe judging panel, published a statement expressing confusion and claiming lack of understanding regarding the scope and nature of a social impact program such as Beyond the Crown," the organization said.

"His comments incorrectly suggested that an unauthorized or impromptu jury had been formed and that the official judges had been excluded from the selection of finalists," they added.

Miss Universe went on to stress 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 organization has now acknowledged Harfouch's resignation and has prohibited him from using, displaying, referencing, or associating himself with any Miss Universe trademarks, service marks, logos, titles, or registered properties in any format.

"Any continued use will be considered unauthorized and subject to the applicable legal actions and protections afforded to the Miss Universe Organization," they said.

They requested the public to rely solely on verified Miss Universe communications for accurate information regarding the competition.

In a separate statement, the organization further explained that the eight-person committee of the Beyond the Crown Program "does not evaluate the performance of the delegates" during the competition "nor do its decisions grant any additional points toward the final results."

"Delegates participating in the Beyond the Crown Program do not receive personal monetary awards or benefits in kind. Any recognition derived from this initiative is granted solely to the charitable institutions and social organizations supported by each delegate as part of her personal commitment to meaningful causes with real social impact," they stated.

This is the latest issue that has hounded this year's Miss Universe pageant. Previously, tensions erupted when Miss Universe Thailand national director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly reprimanded Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch at a pre-pageant event for missing a sponsor shoot.

After a tense exchange, Bosch walked out along with a few other delegates, including reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig. 

This prompted Rocha to limit Itsaragrisil’s involvement in the remaining activities of the competition, saying in a statement, he felt “great indignation toward Nawat for the public aggression he committed against Fátima Bosch, whom he humiliated, insulted, and showed a lack of respect.” 

Following the restriction, Itsaragrisil has since apologized both on social media and at the Miss Universe Host Country event. 

The 2025 Miss Universe pageant is slated for Nov. 21 with Ahtisa Manalo as the Philippines' representative.