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Romeo Escobar, the national director of Miss Universe Belize for the past five years, announced his withdrawal from the Miss Universe Organization in an official statement released on Thursday, February 16. He mentioned MUO's recent "changes and implementations on its business model including franchise bidding under JKN Global Group's ownership" as the reason for his decision to give up his national franchise. The three-time Emmy Award winner and "Survivor 42" runner-up added, "This does not align with the way I conduct business and I believe it is not a sustainable way to keep a partnership long-term with its directors." He also confessed to struggling to get the financial backing needed to run the national pageant organization because, according to his statement, "no one cared or wanted to be associated with pageants in Belize at all." His message for the next national director: "I hope the next person who takes on the Miss Univers

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has just announced her engagement to Filipino-American actor and musician Sam Milby. The former beauty queen turned singer and TV personality went to social media on Thursday, February 16 to share the news. She wrote in her caption, "Living in an answered prayer with my best friend. I love you, fiancè." Several of her Miss Universe queen sisters such as Pia Wurtzbach, Harnaaz Sandhu, Demi-Leigh Tebow, and Natalie Glebova sent their congratulatory messages and well wishes in the comment section. The beautiful couple was first romantically linked in 2019 and went public official with their relationship in 2020. "Our best chapter yet," Catriona captioned another post with photos of her diamond engagement ring and her future husband. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Catriona Gray (@catriona_gray) Photos: Catriona Gray / Instagram

After four hectic but wonderful days in Bangkok, Thailand, the 71st Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, February 16. Alongside her Miss Universe 2022 sisters from the Dominican Republic, Andreína Martínez Founier, and Curacao, Gabriëla Dos Santos, she will be attending the official launching of Miss Universe Malaysia which was acquired by a new organization. The beauty queens were greeted with bouquets of flowers by excited fans and members of the press during their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. This official visit is part of their Asian tour that kicked off last Saturday. They are expected to continue their trip to two more stops within the month. "I spent four amazing days in Thailand, they were super busy, super jam-packed. Khun Anne had us doing so much and I am so thankful for it. Luckily last night we had the night off and I slept in. I slept about 8 hours just to catch up," R'Bonney shared before de

Reigning Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel, second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier and Top 5 finalist Gabriëla Dos Santos spent the Valentine's Day meeting with Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok. The beauty queens looked stunning in their traditional Thai outfits during their visit to the Government House where they were accompanied by the owner of the Miss Universe Organization Anne Jakratutatip and executives of JKN Global Group. They were also joined by the Thai Minister of Culture Ittipol Khunpluem and according to JKN18 News, part of their discussions was hosting the 73rd Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2024) edition in the country. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JKN18 (@jkn18official) Since R'Bonney and her queen sisters kicked off their official Asian tour in Thailand on Saturday, they have been busy doing fittings, media interviews, photoshoots, and private dinners. While also in Bangkok during the day of hea

Former Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Panlilio was spotted applying for Miss Universe Philippines 2023 on Monday, February 13 at Estancia Mall in Pasig City. The 27-year-old entrepreneur and advocate of sustainable farming hinted at her return to pageantry by not only moving the glass (of champagne) but smashing it to pieces in a post on her social media. Whatever it means, the Cavite-born Filipina is back to shoot for the stars, and if fate allows, she may represent the Philippines at Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador. Not a stranger to pageantry, Samantha bagged the Miss Grand Philippines title at Binibining Pilipinas 2021 and went on to represent her country at Miss Grand International in Bangkok, Thailand. She holds a bachelor’s degree in information management from the University of California Irvine and has earned business-related work experience from various companies in the US and the Philippines. Besides being a Viva Artists Agency talent, she also runs her own businesses, an

The search for Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2023 has begun and one notable aspirant who went to audition is former Miss Supranational Puerto Rico Karla Inelisse Guilfú Acevedo. From Supranational to Universe, Karla hopes to represent Puerto Rico at Miss Universe 2023, and with the strong track record she holds in pageantry, she could be the one. The 24-year-old hails from Patillas and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology. She was named Puerto Rico's representative for Miss Supranational during Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico 2020 and went on to bag first runner-up at Miss Supranational 2021 in Poland. Prior to her success on the global stage, she also held the title Miss Teen Mundial Puerto Rico 2018 and finished in the Top 12 at the international Miss Teen Mundial pageant held in El Salvador. In May last year, she stood alongside Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu, and Miss International 2019 Sireethorn Leearamwat during a visit to Indonesia for the 25th Puteri Indonesia pageant. W

Miss Vlaams-Brabant, Emilie Vansteenkiste, was crowned Miss Belgium 2023 in a glittering competition held on Saturday, February 11 at the Proximus Theater in De Panne. The 21-year-old Latin dancer and occupational therapy student originally from Elewijt in Flemish Brabant bested 31 other contestants to win the national title. She will either represent her country at Miss World or Miss Universe or both. Claire Lansenebre and Victoria Kembukuswa were named the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Cécile Deltour, Haifa Salem Ali, and Lena Forseille rounded out the Top 6 finalists. Last year's winner, Chayenne van Aarle was not able to pass the crown to her successor as she is still recovering from a serious car accident that happened a few days before the final competition. The show went as planned but faced some delays due to an arrest of a man in his 40s near the venue. He was suspected of an attack as he found a weapon in his possession and a second one in his vehicle.

Following her trip to Lombok, Indonesia for a commercial shoot, the 71st Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel continued her official Asian tour to Thailand. The Filipina-American beauty arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Saturday, February 11 following the arrival of her queen sisters — second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier from the Dominican Republic and Top 5 finalist Gabriëla Dos Santos of Curaçao. Venezuela's Amanda Dudamel who placed first runner-up announced she will not be able to join them as she has already started working on some personal projects in her country but she hopes to reunite with them soon. Details of their itineraries have yet to be revealed but to start off R'Bonney gave a little glimpse of her suite at Hotel Muse Bangkok overlooking the beautiful city. She also shared the framed artwork she received from a fan at the airport. "I have not been to Bangkok since 2019 so it's been about three years and this is my second time here. It

Yayasan Puteri Indonesia was surprised, Miss Universe's license was taken by another organization The Yayasan Puteri Indonesia (YPI) the organization behind the annual Puteri Indonesia pageant revealed in an official press release they were shocked by the news that the Miss Universe Indonesia license has been taken over by PT Capella Swastika Karya. According to the Head of Communication for the Puteri Indonesia Foundation, Mega Angkasa, he was surprised by the statement from another organization claiming they have the license at a press conference on Wednesday, February 8 in Jakarta. "The Puteri Indonesia Foundation was surprised because at that time we were still waiting for confirmation from MUO's Director for Global Franchise, Carlos Capetillo, regarding the continuation of the license like the previous year," he said. He continued: "On January 25, 2023, YPI received information from the Miss Universe organization that there would be bidding to extend the 202

MALZ Promotions, under the leadership of Menaye Donkor Muntari officially announced their decision to renounce their license for Miss Universe Ghana. The reason was due to "the new and sudden implementation of the Miss Universe Organization business model under the JKN Global Group's leadership" which according to them is "not aligned with MALZ Promotions' brand objectives." "MALZ Promotions regrets any inconveniences that their decision may cause to fans and enthusiasts and wishes the Miss Universe Organization the very best in their future endeavors," they said in an official statement released on Friday, February 10. "Miss Universe Organization's dedication to women empowerment is greatly appreciated and MALZ Promotions is thankful for their help to highlight the unique qualities of our country, Ghana, in the global arena," they added. Read their full statement below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by