Dominican Republic robbed of the Miss Universe crown

By Camille Garcia, 10th Grade

The results of this year’s Miss Universe have caused a lot of commotion internationally. This ceremony was held on January 14 of this year 2023 and was the 71st edition of Miss Universe. There are many opinions about who should have won, but what is a fact is that the winner was Miss United States, R’bonney Gabriel. More than shock, this causes much outrage as many believe that she was not deserving of the crown. So much news and people have emerged saying that the United States “stole” the crown from the Dominican Republic. The three finalists were: Andreína Martinez (Miss Dominican Republic), Amanda Dudamel (Miss Venezuela) and the aforementioned R’bonney Gabriel (Miss United States).

For many it was clear who was the winner, but from the moment the results were announced, everyone has shown their anger on social networks. Saying that “the crown was from the Dominican Republic”, “that the crown was stolen” and that “the title was bought”. Many say that from the beginning there was favoritism with the United States, and thanks to this controversy that has grown so much on social networks, the Miss Universe organization assured that they would investigate the case, but there is still no answer. R’bonney Gabriel was even accused by her own teammates, who assure that they could feel the favoritism during the selection contest for the USA, when Texas (R’bonney Gabriel) won.

Three finalists: In sequence from left to right, Amanda Dudamel, R’bonney Gabriel and Andreina Martinez.

In addition to her beauty and charisma, Andreina Martinez, is among the most qualified contestants for this pageant due to the fact that she works to protect immigrant rights, particularly those of women from Latin America and the Caribbean. She did an incredible job in every aspect, runway, answering questions, elegance, charisma, you could see the confidence she had in her country and in herself. Without a doubt, the Dominican Republic was very well represented by this very upright and talented woman. Although everyone agrees that the Dominican Republic was the winner, it has received a great deal of praise and support from many people including Luis Abinader, Amelia Vega herself, and all the Dominican people. Of course, the disappointment will always remain, because the Dominican Republic has not won Miss Universe for 20 years, and seeing the potential that Andreina has, everyone had a lot of hope.

Regarding what Andreína Martínez thinks, she affirms: “The selection committee has criteria, it has guidelines to follow, and I feel that they did what they understood was necessary to have a worthy representative”. “I can’t lie to you, each one of the delegates works so hard, we are inspiring women, their stories really make me feel proud to share with them, and honestly any of us could win”. It is no secret to anyone that Miss Universe did not turn out fairly, since everyone thinks that either Venezuela or the Dominican Republic should have won the crown. We should not spread rumors about fraud yet, as there is no clear evidence that the US bought the crown, however, it is evident. But the contestants who didn’t win get the experience and admiration from everyone, as they receive support and validation that they should have won. Let’s hope that at some point justice can be done, and that they return the crown that should have been ours from the beginning.

References:

Diario, L. (2023) Causa Indignación Que Rd no haya ganado miss Universo, listindiario.com. Available at: https://listindiario.com/entretenimiento/2023/01/15/758015/causa-indignacion-que-rd-no-haya-ganado-miss-universo (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
Caro, S.B. (no date) Aseguran que a andreína martínez “Le robaron la corona” Y Debió Ganar, NOTISANCRI. Available at: https://www.notisancri.com/sociedad/aseguran-que-a-andreina-martinez-le-robaron-la-corona-y-debio-ganar-miss-universo (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
Semana (2023) Escándalo real: Investigan “Favoritismo y fraude” con miss USA, actual miss Universo, Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo. Available at: https://www.semana.com/gente/articulo/escandalo-real-investigan-favoritismo-y-fraude-con-miss-usa-actual-miss-universo/202329/ (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
Miss Universo: ¿Romperá Andreina Martínez la sequía de 20 años sin corona para rd? (2023) Hoy Digital. Available at: https://hoy.com.do/miss-universo-andreina-es-favorita-a-ganar-corona/ (Accessed: January 30, 2023).