The ousted Miss USA president ripped contestants within the 2022 pageant for accusing her of rigging the competition in favor of Miss Texas, a latest documentary revealed.
Crystle Stewart, 42, who lost her position over the accusations, slammed the wonder queens for accusing her of preselecting R’Bonney Gabriel because the winner.
Stewart – who held her position for 3 years before being permanently removed – sat down with filmmakers for her first interview involving the 2022 scandal to handle the claims multitudes of contestants accused her of.
“I would like tell them that I actually commend them for using their voice and coming together,” the 2008 Miss Texas winner, who appeared stiff throughout her interview, told filmmakers of The Recent York Times and FX documentary.
“It shows that if we unify and work together, how it might probably amplify your voice,” Stewart continued, as she often glanced toward her lawyer, Nathan Sheffield, off-camera. “But they used it for the fallacious reason.”
After the 2022 pageant, contestants took to social media to say the competition was rigged in favor of then-Miss Texas, R’Bonney Gabriel, who went on to win Miss Universe.
“My whole family got here they usually were telling me: ‘So-and-so said, you recognize, apparently it’s going to go to Texas,’” Miss DC Faith Porter told Find out how to Fix a Pageant filmmakers. “I remember saying: ‘Everyone really likes her within the staff, but I don’t know in the event that they would crown her because the administrators are going to riot.’”
They claimed she was given favored treatment, including a hair and makeup team, and the ladies had heard rumors throughout pageant week that the Texas-native and dressmaker was the one to be crowned.
Stewart denies any favoritism or rigging occurred, telling filmmakers she was “under no circumstances” involved in picking the winner. An independent investigation by Holland & Knight – who didn’t publicly share their findings – found that there no rigging involved.
Nonetheless, documents provided to filmmakers by Stewart claimed she was flagged about favoritism concerns on Sept. 8, 2022 – roughly a month before Gabriel would crowned the winner.
Three state directors, who weren’t identified, told filmmakers that there was a gathering held about their concerns surrounding Gabriel’s treatment. As for the outcomes of that meeting, it was not revealed.
Nonetheless, Stewart told filmmakers prior to sending over the documents, she was blindsided by the hefty allegations some contestants, like Miss Montana Heather Lee O’Keefe, who was probably the most vocal, placed against her.
“After the winner was chosen, every little thing seemed high-quality, after which I got a phone call in regards to the video at Nizuc [Spa].”
Nizuc, a national sponsor, had posted an ad featuring Gabriel shortly after her crowning. Contestants aren’t allowed to work with national sponsors prior to being crowned Miss USA. The ad set off many contestants, who accused pageant officials of preselecting her, which might have allowed her to film the video prior.
Gabriel – who has only spoken once in regards to the scandal and didn’t attend the 2023 competition last night – claimed she was working with MIA Beaute, a state sponsor, who had opened a salon at Nizuc and had flown herself to the Mexican resort.
Gabriel told The Post on the time in an emailed statement that the competition was not “rigged.”
Now, almost a yr later, Stewart still questions how the entire scandal blew as much as such large proportions, telling documentarians: “How did we discover ourselves here? I didn’t understand it would blow up the way in which that it did.”
The ousted Miss USA president ripped contestants within the 2022 pageant for accusing her of rigging the competition in favor of Miss Texas, a latest documentary revealed.
Crystle Stewart, 42, who lost her position over the accusations, slammed the wonder queens for accusing her of preselecting R’Bonney Gabriel because the winner.
Stewart – who held her position for 3 years before being permanently removed – sat down with filmmakers for her first interview involving the 2022 scandal to handle the claims multitudes of contestants accused her of.
“I would like tell them that I actually commend them for using their voice and coming together,” the 2008 Miss Texas winner, who appeared stiff throughout her interview, told filmmakers of The Recent York Times and FX documentary.
“It shows that if we unify and work together, how it might probably amplify your voice,” Stewart continued, as she often glanced toward her lawyer, Nathan Sheffield, off-camera. “But they used it for the fallacious reason.”
After the 2022 pageant, contestants took to social media to say the competition was rigged in favor of then-Miss Texas, R’Bonney Gabriel, who went on to win Miss Universe.
“My whole family got here they usually were telling me: ‘So-and-so said, you recognize, apparently it’s going to go to Texas,’” Miss DC Faith Porter told Find out how to Fix a Pageant filmmakers. “I remember saying: ‘Everyone really likes her within the staff, but I don’t know in the event that they would crown her because the administrators are going to riot.’”
They claimed she was given favored treatment, including a hair and makeup team, and the ladies had heard rumors throughout pageant week that the Texas-native and dressmaker was the one to be crowned.
Stewart denies any favoritism or rigging occurred, telling filmmakers she was “under no circumstances” involved in picking the winner. An independent investigation by Holland & Knight – who didn’t publicly share their findings – found that there no rigging involved.
Nonetheless, documents provided to filmmakers by Stewart claimed she was flagged about favoritism concerns on Sept. 8, 2022 – roughly a month before Gabriel would crowned the winner.
Three state directors, who weren’t identified, told filmmakers that there was a gathering held about their concerns surrounding Gabriel’s treatment. As for the outcomes of that meeting, it was not revealed.
Nonetheless, Stewart told filmmakers prior to sending over the documents, she was blindsided by the hefty allegations some contestants, like Miss Montana Heather Lee O’Keefe, who was probably the most vocal, placed against her.
“After the winner was chosen, every little thing seemed high-quality, after which I got a phone call in regards to the video at Nizuc [Spa].”
Nizuc, a national sponsor, had posted an ad featuring Gabriel shortly after her crowning. Contestants aren’t allowed to work with national sponsors prior to being crowned Miss USA. The ad set off many contestants, who accused pageant officials of preselecting her, which might have allowed her to film the video prior.
Gabriel – who has only spoken once in regards to the scandal and didn’t attend the 2023 competition last night – claimed she was working with MIA Beaute, a state sponsor, who had opened a salon at Nizuc and had flown herself to the Mexican resort.
Gabriel told The Post on the time in an emailed statement that the competition was not “rigged.”
Now, almost a yr later, Stewart still questions how the entire scandal blew as much as such large proportions, telling documentarians: “How did we discover ourselves here? I didn’t understand it would blow up the way in which that it did.”
