The alleged plot to thieve a queen’s crown at tumultuous attractiveness festival

In a tucked-away nook of paradise, overlooking the transparent waters of the South Pacific, a cyclone of controversy used to be about to descend on Fiji’s Pearl Lodge & Spa.

Status on level clutching a bouquet of vegetation, 24-year-old MBA scholar Manshika Prasad had simply been topped Pass over Fiji.

However quickly after, in line with probably the most judges, issues on the attractiveness festival “grew to become in point of fact unsightly”.

Unpleasant is probably an underestimation: what spread out over the following few days would see attractiveness queens topped and unseated, wild allegations thrown round and sooner or later the emergence of a shadowy determine with an excessively private connection to probably the most contestants.

Ms Prasad first discovered one thing used to be unsuitable two days after her win, when Pass over Universe Fiji (MUF) issued a press free up. It mentioned a “severe breach of ideas” had took place, and “revised effects” could be made public in a while.

A few hours later, Ms Prasad used to be instructed she wouldn’t be travelling to Mexico to compete for the Pass over Universe identify in November.

As a substitute, runner-up Nadine Roberts, a 30-year-old fashion and belongings developer from Sydney, whose mom is Fijian, would take her position.

The click free up alleged the “proper procedures” had no longer been adopted, and that Ms Prasad have been selected in a rigged vote which favoured a “Fiji Indian” contestant to win as a result of it might deliver monetary advantages to the development’s supervisor.

A distraught Ms Prasad issued a observation pronouncing she could be taking a ruin from social media, however warned that there used to be “such a lot the general public didn’t find out about”.

The brand new queen, in the meantime, presented a message of enhance. “We’re all impacted by means of this,” Ms Roberts wrote on Instagram, earlier than thanking Pass over Universe Fiji for its “swift motion”.

However those that took section within the contest weren’t happy: there have been too many stuff that didn’t upload up.

“The whole lot have been operating so easily,” says Melissa White, considered one of seven judges at the panel.

A marine biologist by means of industry, she have been flown in from New Zealand to weigh in at the charity and environmental facets of the competition.

“It used to be this sort of nice evening, this sort of a success display. Such a lot of other folks have been pronouncing they’d by no means noticed festival women get alongside so smartly,” Ms White tells the BBC.

As the contest drew to a climax on Friday evening, the judges have been requested to jot down down the title of who they idea must be the following Pass over Fiji.

“Via this level, Manshika [Prasad] used to be the transparent winner,” says Jennifer Chan, every other pass judgement on, who’s a US-based TV host and elegance and attractiveness professional.

“No longer most effective in accordance with what she offered on level but in addition how she interacted with the opposite women, how she photographed, how she modelled.”

Ms Chan says she used to be “100% assured” that Ms Prasad used to be the most powerful candidate to constitute Fiji.

Sufficient of her fellow judges agreed and Ms Prasad used to be declared the winner – receiving 4 of the seven votes.

However because the newly-crowned Pass over Universe Fiji stood on level, beaming in her glowing tiara, the judges sensed one thing used to be unsuitable.

To her proper, Nadine Roberts – dressed in her runners-up sash – used to be “seething”, alleges Ms Chan.

“I take into account going to mattress considering, how may just anyone really feel so entitled to win?

“You win some, you lose some. She’s a seasoned attractiveness festival contestant – for sure she knew that?”

The next day to come, Ms Prasad took a celebratory boat commute with the judges.

“She used to be simply in awe, pronouncing: my existence can be modified now,” says Ms Chan.

“She’s the embodiment of that good-hearted one who merits it – it simply affirmed to me that I’d picked the correct woman.”

However there had nonetheless been no authentic affirmation of Ms Prasad’s victory.

No longer most effective this – probably the most judges used to be conspicuously absent from the commute: Riri Febriani, who used to be representing Lux Tasks, the corporate that purchased the licence to carry Pass over Universe in Fiji.

“I take into account considering that used to be atypical,” says Ms White, who shared a room with Ms Febriani. “However she simply mentioned she had a variety of paintings to do and she or he had to communicate to her boss.”

Ms Febriani says she didn’t cross at the boat commute as she had to leisure – and there is not any approach the others would know who she used to be messaging on her telephone.

However Ms White says she labored out her roommate used to be fielding calls and texts from a person referred to as “Jamie”.

Pass over Universe is a multi-million-dollar industry which operates like a franchise – you wish to have to shop for a licence which allows you to use the logo and promote tickets for the development.

The ones licences are dear and in small international locations it’s laborious to search out someone prepared to fund a countrywide festival – which is why Fiji hasn’t entered a contestant since 1981.

However this yr, one organisation used to be prepared to shop for the licence: belongings construction company Lux Tasks.

Ms Febriani used to be its consultant at the judging panel, but in addition sorted media communications.

“I’d were given on so smartly together with her, she gave the impression an excessively candy individual,” says Ms White.

“However that day when she didn’t come at the boat, her manner more or less modified. She simply stored pronouncing she used to be tremendous busy with paintings, all the time at the telephone with this ‘Jamie’ man.”

It grew to become out that, regardless of having Ms Febriani at the panel, Lux Tasks used to be no longer pleased with the result of the vote.

Its press free up on Sunday mentioned the licensee itself will have to additionally get a vote – one that the reduced in size organiser, Grant Dwyer, had “didn’t rely”.

Lux Tasks would have voted for Ms Roberts, bringing the consequences to a 4-4 tie.

What’s extra, it mentioned, the licensee additionally had the “figuring out vote” – making Ms Roberts the winner.

“By no means at any level have been we instructed about an 8th pass judgement on or any more or less absentee pass judgement on,” says Ms Chan.

“It wasn’t at the web site, it wasn’t any place. But even so, how are you able to vote on a competition if you happen to’re no longer even there?”

Ms White used to be additionally suspicious.

“I did some digging and it seems that Lux Tasks used to be carefully related to an Australian businessman referred to as Jamie McIntyre,” says Ms White.

“And Jamie McIntyre,” she instructed the BBC, “is married to Nadine Roberts.”

Mr McIntyre describes himself as an entrepreneur, investor and “world-leading educator”, who has – in line with knowledge to be had on-line – been married to Ms Roberts since 2022.

He used to be additionally banned from doing industry in Australia for a decade in 2016 because of his involvement in a belongings funding scheme that misplaced traders greater than A$7m ($4.7m; £3.6m). The pass judgement on within the case mentioned there used to be “no proof to signify that a success reform is most likely”.

A senator who wondered him as a part of a parliamentary committee listening to later described him as “probably the most evasive witness I’ve needed to handle – and that is the reason pronouncing one thing”, in line with the Sydney Morning Usher in.

However what used to be he doing right here?

“[Mr McIntyre] is not a director or shareholder of the MUF licensee corporate, however has acted as an adviser, as he’s a shareholder in related firms,” Jamie McIntyre’s representatives instructed the BBC.

Alternatively, the corporate’s Instagram web page does characteristic a video of Mr McIntyre giving belongings funding recommendation, in addition to a hyperlink to twenty first Century College, a Bali-based belongings corporate owned by means of Mr McIntyre.

The BBC additionally understands {that a} “Jamie” used to be at the line right through telephone calls between Ms Roberts and the development organiser, Grant Dwyer.

Mr McIntyre’s representatives insist that allegations that he used to be concerned within the judging controversy are a “conspiracy idea” – even supposing they did concede that he had “supplied recommendation to the licence holder”.

Moreover, the click free up’s allegation that Mr Dwyer had harassed the panel to make a choice Ms Prasad as a result of her race is undermined by means of the truth that Mr Dwyer is known to have voted for Ms Roberts.

“It’s simply gross to even deliver up race,” says Ms Chan. “It used to be by no means, ever as soon as uttered among any of the judges,” she provides.

The BBC has sought remark from each Ms Roberts and Ms Prasad, however neither has spoke back.

A number of of the ones concerned – together with some judges and contestants – had been despatched “stop and desist” emails by means of Lux Tasks, the BBC understands, which were taken as tantamount to gagging orders by means of the recipients.

This scandal in Fiji is on no account the primary to hit the sector of attractiveness pageants, which traditionally has noticed its fair proportion of controversies.

“Pageants are filled with drama, of controversies, of other folks pronouncing the competition used to be a repair,” says Prof Hilary Levey Friedman, writer of ‘Right here She Is: The Difficult Reign of the Good looks Competition in The us.’

“However I will be able to say that during newer years, those problems have transform a lot more pronounced because of social media,” she provides.

Except a vote casting scandal on the Pass over The us contest in 2022, fresh controversies have tended to be in much less advanced portions of the sector.

That is most definitely as a result of they have a tendency to be non-profit affairs in lots of Western international locations, in line with Prof Friedman, whilst pageants in other places have transform extra standard and extra profitable than ever.

“Traditionally, attractiveness pageants had been an incredible device for social mobility for ladies,” says Prof Friedman.

“Except the status and the respect, it provides you with a platform to draw fans and sponsorships. When there’s cash concerned, the stakes are upper.”

For Ms Prasad although, it turns available in the market is a cheerful finishing.

On Friday, she posted on considered one of her social media accounts that she had certainly been re-crowned as Pass over Fiji 2024.

“What an unbelievable adventure this has been,” she wrote on Instagram.

Pass over Universe Group (MUO) has no longer spoke back to a request for remark, however the BBC understands this can be very unsatisfied with the occasions in Fiji and, after having established the information, labored laborious to reinstate Ms Prasad because the island’s queen.

For Ms Prasad there’s elation. For the judges, reduction.

As for Ms Roberts, she is looking herself the “actual Pass over Universe Fiji 2024” on Instagram.

Pass judgement on Ms White says she’s “so happy with how Manshika [Prasad] has carried out herself all the way through this adventure. She’s a super, compassionate, and lovely younger lady, who didn’t deserve this.

“We simply sought after the reality to come back out and now it has.”