Most outrageous beauty pageant controversies: From catfights on live TV to diamond crowns lost

Dubai: Beauty pageants promise poise, talent, and the occasional weepy "world peace" speech — but they also deliver the kind of drama that would make reality TV blush.

From catfights on live TV to crowns lost over Snapchat scandals, here’s a round up of the most ludicrous, jaw-dropping controversies that prove sometimes the pageant world is less poised princess and more primetime soap opera.

1. The crown snatching heard around the world

In what looked more like a WWE stunt than a pageant finale, Caroline Jurie literally ripped the crown off 2021’s Mrs. Sri Lanka winner Pushpika De Silva’s head, claiming she was divorced. De Silva insisted she wasn’t, sued, and Jurie was arrested. It was chaos — but we ate it all with a side of pop corn.

2. Miss Teen Louisiana's dinner gone wrong

A dine-and-dash gone wrong: Lindsey Evans skipped out on a restaurant bill, left her purse behind — with her ID and weed inside — and got booted from her Miss Teen Louisiana title. According to TMZ, it didn't go down too well. Beauty, brains… and bail was Lindsey's credo.

3. Fake cancer fundraiser queen

We can't possibly make this stuff up. According to Centre County DA, Weaver-Gates went full soap opera villain: shaved her head, faked leukemia, scammed donors — and ended up with a prison sentence for theft.

4. Weight of the world on Miss Universe

When Alicia Machado reportedly gained weight after winning Miss Universe in 1996, Donald Trump, the then-owner of the pageant, body-shamed her publicly, calling her 'Miss Piggy.' According to AFP and People magazine, she later became a U.S. citizen and campaigned against him during the 2016 election.

5. The legendary Steve Harvey mix-Up

In 2015, Steve Harvey declared Miss Colombia the winner of Miss Universe — before awkwardly correcting himself live and giving the crown to Miss Philippines. A pageant moment for the history books… and the memes. And when I spoke to Steve Harvey in Abu Dhabi, he had an interesting take on the goof-up. He claimed when he asked God to “increase his global brand,” he wasn’t expecting divine intervention in the form of an on-air disaster.

“I asked God to increase my global brand — and He made me the host of Miss Universe in 2015,” Harvey told me, laughing from the gut. “I said the wrong name, and within 48 hours, I was Googled 4 billion times. I became the most Googled person on Earth… but I didn’t exactly appreciate how God did it.” The self-made billionaire, born poor and known for wearing his faith on his designer sleeve, admits the blunder humbled him and built resilience like nothing else. It was less of a crowning moment, and more of a crowning mess — but one that made pageant history.

6. Snapchat scandal takes down Miss Kentucky

Ramsey Carpenter-Bearse, a former Miss Kentucky, ended up in court after sending nude selfies to a 15-year-old student. According to reports, She pled guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison.

7. Miss USA or Miss Judge-y?

Miss USA 2018 Sarah Rose Summers mocked non-English-speaking contestants on Instagram. She later apologised for the “misinterpreted admiration.” Girl, no.

8. Miss Zimbabwe: Nudity, again

Emily Kachote, according to reports, was dethroned after nude photos surfaced — the second Miss Zimbabwe in a row to lose her crown over naked pics. Moral: Always read the fine print.

9. Beauty Queen meets Meth lab

Katherine Rees, ex-Miss Nevada, had a long rap sheet of drama — from being stripped of her crown for explicit photos to meth-related charges. She was once a beauty queen. Now she’s just infamous.

10. Miss Florida’s rapid reign

Elizabeth Fechtel, according to People Magazine, was crowned Miss Florida 2014, only to be told five days later: “Oops, scoring error. You’re actually runner-up.” She handled the loss with more grace than the judges.

11. Why can’t Americans locate the U.S. on a map?

Miss Teen South Carolina Caitlin Upton’s infamous 2007 geography gaffe — including the phrases “such as the Iraq” and “Asian countries” — broke the internet before viral fame was even a thing.

12. Vanessa Williams' past catches up

The first Black Miss America, Vanessa Williams, was forced to resign in 1984 when Penthouse published nude photos from her past, according to People Magazine. Decades later, the pageant apologised. But she’d already turned into a Grammy-nominated superstar by then. So, talk to her hand moment.

13. 'Me Too, Amy' – Skit gone wrong

In 2018, a Miss Massachusetts stage skit mocked the #MeToo movement. Survivor and contestant Maude Gorman walked off the stage — and the pageant. Social media agreed: not funny.

14. Too old to be Miss Delaware?

Amanda Longacre won Miss Delaware 2014 — then lost her title because she would turn 25 just a month after Miss America. She sued. Pageant rules said nothing doing, give up the crown.

15. Rehab, anyone?

Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006, was caught partying hard and tested positive for cocaine. Instead of dethroning her, Donald Trump sent her to rehab. Plot twist: it worked.

16. Racial slurs surface after crown

Karlie Hay was freshly crowned Miss Teen USA 2016 when her old tweets with racial slurs were discovered. She kept the crown but got schooled on consequences.

17. Makeup Gate

Génesis Dávila was stripped of her Miss Florida 2017 title after allegedly hiring professional makeup help — which was apparently a capital offense in pageant land, according to Miami Herald.

18. Miss USA Steals Headphones?

Lu Parker, Miss USA 1994, was arrested in LA after allegedly walking off with another passenger’s $200 headphones. No charges were filed, but it's not a good look on any beauty pageant winner.