The 74th Miss Universe pageant, hosted in Thailand, has spiraled into unprecedented chaos just three days after contestants arrived. A dramatic feud has erupted between the host organization, led by Nawat Itsaragrisil (CEO of MGI and the Miss Universe Thailand license holder), and the global Miss Universe Organization (MUO), co-owned by Raul Rocha Cantu.

For international fans trying to understand the conflict, here is a timeline of the events.

1. The Special Dinner IP Dispute

The conflict began on November 2, 2025. Nawat launched a “Special Dinner” campaign, allowing fans to vote via “Likes” for contestants to dine with him and the reigning Miss Universe 2024, Victoria Kjær Theilvig.

MUO (led by Raul Rocha) immediately issued a statement from “New York-Bangkok,” declaring the activity “not officially authorized.” MUO accused Nawat of infringing on its intellectual property (IP) by using the brand’s name, logo, and trademarks without written permission. The statement ended by reserving all legal rights.

Nawat fired back the same day. He rejected the accusations, insisting the “Like” vote was part of the official, pre-authorized marketing plan under his host country contract. He accused MUO of creating a public misunderstanding and stated his legal team was reviewing the incident for a potential countersuit.

2. Raul’s Personal Attack on MGI Stock

Shortly after MUO’s statement, Raul Rocha Cantu personally escalated the feud. He posted a screenshot of the stock performance for Nawat’s company, MGI (Miss Grand International PCL), on Yahoo Finance.

The image highlighted the stock’s -36.36% drop over the past six months, with a circle emphasizing its current price was near its 52-week low. Nawat quickly responded by re-sharing Raul’s post with a “thank you” message after the stock rebounded the following Monday.

3. Nawat’s Revenge. The Casino Police Raid

On the afternoon of November 3, Nawat made a shocking move. He invited Thai police officers to the official pageant hotel.

Nawat alleged that the central MUO staff (separate from his Thai team) had directed several contestants to participate in a promotional photoshoot for “PlayTime,” an online casino platform from the Philippines. All forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand.

Nawat claims he had warned MUO months prior that this sponsor was problematic under Thai law, but the organization ignored him.

4. Nawat’s livestream “Betrayal” and Accusations

Following the police incident, Nawat held an emotional livestream. He revealed he had paid $2 million USD (approx. 70 million THB) for the hosting rights and felt “betrayed” (using the Thai word nerakhun, meaning ungrateful) by MUO.

Nawat claimed that MUO CEO Ronald Day has a pending sexual harassment case against him. Nawat stated such a person should not be involved in a women’s pageant and he did not want him in Thailand. He accused MUO of disrespecting Thailand by promoting the 2026 host, Puerto Rico, during the Thai pageant.

He claimed MUO was actively blocking him from conducting activities with his own sponsors, making it impossible to recoup his investment.

Nawat defended his “Special Dinner” vote, saying a “Like” vote was a fair system, preferable to him picking favorites, which would cause more problems.

5. Raul’s Counter: A Letter to Contestants

In response, Raul Rocha Cantu circulated an official welcome letter to all 2025 contestants. While welcoming them, the letter contained clear strategic messages.

It emphasized that the contestants’ “dignity, integrity, and well-being” were the top priority. Crucially, it stated:

“To ensure fairness and transparency, we reaffirm that the competition consists of four official evaluation rounds: Personal Interview, National Costume Presentation, Evening Gown Presentation, and Swimsuit Presentation. These are the only moments the official committee will consider… No contestant will receive special privileges or advantages outside of these four judging criteria.”

This was widely seen as a direct invalidation of Nawat’s “Special Dinner” voting campaign.

6. The Final Straw Contestants Walk Out on Nawat

The tension finally exploded at the official sash ceremony on November 4. During the meeting, Nawat publicly confronted Miss Universe Mexico, Fatima Bosch, demanding answers about her work with the controversial casino sponsor.

Eyewitnesses report Nawat “screamed” at Bosch, causing her to break down in tears. He allegedly ordered security to remove her from the room.

In response, dozens of other contestants stood up in solidarity and began walking out of the meeting en masse. As they left, Nawat reportedly ordered the staff to “close the doors” and instructed the remaining women to “sit down if you want to stay in the competition.”

7. The Aftermath: “Sisterhood” vs. The Host

The walkout immediately became an international incident.

• Miss Mexico: Fatima Bosch spoke to the press outside, stating, “He screamed at me… He is having issues with the [main] pageant… I was treated unreasonably, disrespectfully, and unfairly.”
• Miss Universe 2024: The reigning queen, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, joined the walkout and spoke to the media: “This is about women’s rights… This is not how you treat other women… Enough is enough.” She later posted a photo of the contestants on Instagram with the caption: “This is women empowerment. This is sisterhood. Forever and always @missuniverse.”
• Miss Universe Mexico Org: The national organization released a forceful statement, calling the incident “unacceptable.” It stated, “No woman… deserves to be humiliated or demeaned… The behavior of an individual who is not part of Miss Universe (MU) does not represent… the spirit of unity and respect we defend.”

Chaos erupts at Miss Universe as contestants walk out after clash with Thai organiser

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