It has all the hallmarks of a bad reality TV script.
A Miss Universe beauty pageant contestant is crowned the winner, then days later in a press release, the runner-up is declared “the real winner”.
But in this case, it actually happened.
The drama over the winner of the Miss Universe Fiji contest has played out with multiple twists and turns over the past two weeks.
There has been accusations of racism, vote-rigging, conflicts of interest and “conspiracy theories” — and that’s just from the “official” Miss Universe Fiji organisation.
The scandal has created global headlines.
And today, two weeks on, both contestants and their backers are still claiming to be the rightful winner.
The Miss Universe Fiji contestants during the competition. (Supplied: Miss Universe Fiji)
In Fiji, the saga is triggering a different kind of response: one of embarrassment and anger.
For Fiji — and the Pacific more broadly — pageantry is incredibly popular and considered an important part of the cultural calendar.
And locals are now questioning how a pageant that’s supposed to be a celebration of Fiji and its culture can be so easily trashed.
“At the end of the day, the Miss Universe [winner] is carrying forward Fiji’s name,” well-known Fiji pageant director Andhy Blake told the ABC.
“So there should be strict regulations, and not only by the Fiji’s government — we as Fijians have a responsibility, because at the end of the day, [the winner] is our representative.”
Will the ‘real’ Miss Universe please stand up?
The drama stems back to June when it was announced the Miss Universe Fiji competition would be held at the Pearl Resort in Fiji’s Pacific Harbour.
Miss Universe was “returning to Fiji after 43 years” its PR campaign proudly stated, with three days of competition that will include “captivating entertainment and stunning fashion”.
After voting was collated on the final night of competition late last month, organisers announced 24-year-old Sydney-based, Fiji-born Manshika Prasad as the winner.
But her crown was soon under a cloud.
Manshika Prasad was originally announced as the Miss Universe winner. (Supplied)
Two days after her win, Miss Universe Fiji said a “breach of protocol” had occurred, and later announced “runner up” Nadine Roberts as the real winner.
Ms Roberts, a self-described “singer-dancer-model-brand ambassador [and] property manager”, was formerly based on the Gold Coast and has a Fijian mother.
Since the alternative winner was announced, a tit-for-tat of epic proportions has played out.
On one side is Australian Grant Dwyer, the one-time licence holder of Miss Australia, who once threatened to sue former Miss World Jennifer Hawkins. Dwyer was the contracted organiser of the three-day Miss Universe Fiji event.
He says Manshika Prasad is the winner.
On the other side is Lux Projects Fiji and Bali – an international property development company that bought the licence to the Miss Universe pageant.
It says Nadine Roberts is the real winner.
Lux Projects, which offers “luxury property developments”, is linked to Jamie McIntyre — a former Australian-based property developer now banned from conducting business in Australia.
And here’s the kicker: McIntyre is married to Nadine Roberts.
Nadine Roberts with Jamie McIntyre, who was banned from running any Australian business for 10 years in 2016 after investors lost $7 million in dodgy property developments. (Instagram)
Mr McIntyre has been banned from corporate life and offering financial services since 2016 after being convicted in the Federal Court of spruiking dodgy land developments.
An ABC investigation also tied him to a sunken superyacht marooned off the coast of Yeppoon in Queensland in 2022.
He has denied any wrongdoing over Miss Universe saga, says he is not a shareholder or director of Lux Projects and says he’s separated from Nadine Roberts.
Miss Universe is a multi-million-dollar franchise business, meaning individuals or organisations can buy the licence for the pageant and sell tickets to the Miss Universe event in a country.
And it is this fact — and the subsequent drama — that has caught the eye of Fiji’s government.
The ABC can reveal it is now investigating the licensing arrangements and backers of the Miss Universe Fiji competition.
“We need to look into this,” Maciu Nalumisa, the Fijian minister responsible for events, told the ABC.
“[If we don’t] this incidence that has occurred will continue to [happen] in the future. So to avoid that, we need to have the right structure in place so people understand the process behind all these events.”
Pageantry in the Pacific
The Miss Universe drama has triggered a storm of commentary on social media in Fiji, with most furious over the saga tarnishing Fiji’s name.
In the Pacific region, pageantry is part of life — and it means much more than just a crown.
The annual Miss Pacific Islands contest, the premier region-wide pageant, is one of the most watched events across in the Pacific. And Pacific countries hold multiple hotly contested local competitions — Fiji held eight major pageants in the past two months.
But rather than a just a beauty contest, pageants in the region are used as a form of cultural celebration and to spread a message.
And it is why some, including the government, are questioning the motives behind Miss Universe Fiji and its Australian backers.
“It’s a way of promoting our culture, promoting our identity [not] only our pacific island neighbours but to the world,” Mr Nalumisa said.
“The local people need to be part of it.
“Because when you promote Fiji you need people from within Fiji to understand why we need to promote [certain] values, to promote our identity and the cultural aspect of things.”
For Andhy Blake, considered a pageant expert in Fiji, the drama surrounding Miss Universe Fiji is overshadowing the important message of pageant competitions.
Andhy Blake is heavily involved in Fiji’s pageant scene. (Supplied)
“I still believe that this can be fixed,” he said.
“We just need to have the right people with the passion and the heart for Fiji, and then we’ll be able to get this Miss Universe Fiji pageant back and up and running.”
Ignoring the drama surrounding the Miss Universe event, Mr Blake said pageant culture across the Pacific was “alive and vibrant”.
“The culture is very much alive in Asia, and when I say Asia, I mean countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and then in South America, Venezuela was always the powerhouse of beauty, as they say, in pageantry,” he said.
“But I think what really makes our pageants more relevant is the fact that we promote and celebrate our culture.”
For Brianna Fruean entering a pageant was an opportunity.
Brianna Fruean was concerned about the “toxic” nature of pageants. (Supplied)
Ms Fruean, a globally renowned climate activist, has attended many more meetings with global leaders than pageants.
But she decided to enter last weekend’s Miss Samoa pageant — an event unaffiliated to the Miss Universe organisation — despite her reservations.
“I knew how toxic the pageantry world can be because it has built-in toxicity from Western beauty standards,” she said.
“But I always had my eye on the better side and on the other side, which was the hope and the encouragement that I received.
She said for her it was about reaching a bigger crowd that might not hear her message.
“We knew that our communities move in crowds, towards our faith, towards our communities, to our churches, to rugby and to pageants,” she said.
“I came here to start something that would allow other young women to feel like they can also be in this space.”
The drama continues
Back in Fiji, the Miss Universe saga continues to play out.
Nadine Roberts is still claiming to be Fiji’s Miss Universe winner and is posting on social media about her plans to head to Mexico for the global Miss Universe event in November.
And so is the Miss Universe Fiji Organisation.
“The events of the Miss Universe Fiji 2024 competition have brought to light serious misconduct and breaches of trust,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
“We are working diligently to rectify these issues and to support Nadine Roberts as the rightful winner.”
Meanwhile, Grant Dwyer, the event organiser, is adamant Manshika Prasad will be heading to Mexico to represent Fiji.
On Thursday, Ms Prasad posted to social media with a simple line: “Unbothered”.
