Miss Universe Mexico Director Arrested in Thailand
According to Hola! newspaper, Mr. Jorge Figueroa, the National Director of Miss Universe Mexico, was arrested in Thailand following accusations from Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil, the representative for the Miss Universe 2025 host country, regarding the promotion of a gambling application.
Mr. Nawat had previously initiated legal action to clarify the activities of a gambling application licensed in the Philippines, which was an official journey partner of Miss Universe under an agreement with the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) in New York (USA). However, promoting gambling platforms is prohibited in Thailand.
Jorge Figueroa – National Director of Miss Universe Mexico (left) and Mexico’s representative at Miss Universe 2025 (Photo: MU).
The President of the Miss Grand International Organization filed a complaint requesting the arrest of several individuals, including Mr. Figueroa. He also informed Mexico’s representative that the National Director had been deported from Thailand.
Actress Martha Cristiana, former Director of Miss Universe Mexico, confirmed the incident. Although MUO and the Mexican team have not yet issued an official comment, local sources reported that Mr. Figueroa and his accompanying makeup artist team have been released.
Previously, on November 4, Mr. Nawat and Mexico’s representative clashed during the sash ceremony. The incident led to a continuous online dispute between Mr. Raúl Rocha, President of MUO, and Mr. Nawat. Businessman Raúl Rocha affirmed that he would proceed with a lawsuit.
Parallel to this controversy in Thailand, Mr. Raúl Rocha was also invited to clarify payments related to the competition. According to Thairath, the Mexican businessman holds 50% of MUO’s shares, while it is rumored that the remaining 50% held by JKN Global (the company owning the Miss Universe competition) has been transferred to a Thai-American investor.
Miss Universe Contestants Suffer Food Poisoning
Sanly Liu – representative of Indonesia at Miss Universe 2025 (Photo: MU).
On November 13, Sanly Liu, the representative of Indonesia, stated that she and several other contestants had suffered food poisoning during the competition.
“I just got food poisoning, but luckily, the medical team responded very quickly. I had to cancel my schedule as soon as symptoms appeared and felt very sad that I couldn’t participate in the events,” she shared.
Sanly added that some contestants had to be hospitalized. This information quickly attracted attention, raising concerns about the organizers’ logistics.
The Miss Universe 2025 competition is taking place in Thailand from November 2 to November 21 with 123 contestants. Right from the start, the competition has been plagued by organizational controversies, raising concerns about the quality of the event.
Miss Universe 2025 contestants are currently in Pattaya participating in competition activities (Photo: MUT).
Vietnam’s Representative Maintains Stable Performance
After activities in Bangkok and Phuket, the contestants moved to Pattaya to participate in the final events before the finale. On November 14, the beauties will enter the swimsuit competition – a ticketed event for spectators.
Nguyen Huong Giang – Vietnam’s representative – made a good impression thanks to her confidence and professionalism. She is currently among the contestants with high votes in categories such as: Beyond The Crown (Meaningful Social Project), Most Beautiful People (Inspiring Beauty), and People’s Choice (Most Favorite Contestant).
Huong Giang is the only transgender contestant and also one of the oldest contestants in the competition. She is also the first transgender representative from Vietnam and Asia in a Miss Universe season.
Huong Giang is performing quite well at Miss Universe 2025 (Photo: MUV).
