Miss Palestine accuses Miss Universe of rigging fan vote in ‘Most Beautiful People’ category

Miss Palestine, Nadeen Ayoub, has sparked fresh controversy at Miss Universe 2025, accusing the pageant organisation of rigging its fan‑voting system to block her winning the coveted ‘Most Beautiful People’ category. In a video posted to social media, Ayoub claimed she was leading by a wide margin with only minutes left to vote, only for another contestant to surge by more than 20,000 votes in what she described as an “impossible” shift.

According to Ayoub, she was ahead until just thirty minutes before voting closed, at which point real‑time votes suddenly jumped against her. She said this kind of spike “is not realistic unless it’s done internally,” suggesting the surge could only have come from within the system itself. Even more striking, she noted that the ‘Most Beautiful People’ category was the only app-based voting poll that stayed open while others were closed and yet, no winner was declared.

In her statement, Ayoub was careful to emphasise that her concern is not merely about not winning. “This is not about the award,” she said, framing her fight as a matter of principle. She called her role as Miss Palestine something deeper than a title. For her, the “biggest crown” is being a voice for her people and representing their culture on the global stage.
 

Ayoub’s protest comes at a fraught moment. She is the first-ever Miss Palestine to compete in Miss Universe, and she has spoken publicly about wanting her participation to reflect more than beauty, it is a platform for representation, for justice, for the stories her people deserve to tell. Her stance now raises unsettling questions about fairness in pageant voting systems, especially when digital fan engagement is involved.

Whether Miss Universe will respond with a detailed investigation into her claims remains to be seen. But for Ayoub, the moment is clear: she is not just competing for a crown, she is demanding respect, accountability, and a voice on a global stage.