1 week Ago
A beauty pageant descended into chaos late last week after the winning contestant was dethroned amid an alleged “conspiracy”, according to a judge. Manshika Prasad, a 24-year-old MBA student, was crowned Miss Universe Fiji at the Pacific Island’s Pearl Resort on Friday night - but her celebrations were short-lived. Nadine Roberts, a Sydney-based property developer and model with a Fijian mother, sensationally snatched Prasad‘s crown after it was revealed the student had been “incorrectly awarded” the title, the Daily Mail reports.
After 43 years of not entering the global Miss Universe pageant, this year Fiji was finally able to compete due to Lux Projects Bali, a property development firm, stepping forward to fund the licence that is required to hold a national pageant, FBC News Fiji reports. As Miss Universe operates under a franchise system, each competing country needs to have a licence that allows them to use the organisation’s branding and sell tickets. As the licence is expensive, small countries often struggle to find a business that is willing to fund it - with Fiji unable to do so since 1981.
At the final night of the competition on Friday, Prasad had secured a majority four votes from a panel of seven judges, one of whom was a representative of Lux Projects..
