Miss USA prepares for international competition as her fellow classmates CONDEMN organization

The controversial 2022 Miss USA winner touched down in New Orleans ahead of the Miss Universe pageant as she prepares to fight for the international crown, despite classmates condemning the organization for “exploiting” them.

R’Bonney Gabriel, 28, of Houston, has been in full competition mode since landing in Louisiana on Tuesday ahead of the Jan. 14 Miss Universe pageant, where she’s already asking her fans to “vote” for her. she.

‘The time is now!’ he told her on his Instagram story on Thursday. “Please vote for me for the 71st Miss Universe competition!”

Despite glamorous photo ops of her draped in a US flag and mingling with her fellow international competitors, Gabriel has shrugged off the domestic competition manipulation investigation.

Miss Universe, which owns Miss USA, launched an international investigation shortly after the Oct. 3 coronation after the Class of 2022 claimed Gabriel was the “default winner” and that the competition was rigged.

Last week, the Miss Universe Organization and the Holland & Knight law firm declared the competition “not rigged” and told DailyMail.com that Gabriel would “compete in the Miss Universe competition as Miss USA.”

The former Miss Texas has been focused on winning the international crown, ignoring allegations of manipulation brought forward by the Class of 2022.

The Class of 2022 issued a statement Thursday, claiming that the Miss Universe Organization, which owns Miss USA, “exploits women” and said they were “collateral damage … in the grand scheme of a corrupt system.”

Now, as the former Miss Texas prepares to take on a bigger crown, her classmates of 2022 have released a joint statement, condemning the Miss Universe Organization’s investigation, saying it failed to adequately scrutinize their claims of favoritism.

“It is difficult to express the frustration and disrespect that we, the Miss USA class of 2022, feel surrounding the series of events leading up to, during and after the Miss USA 2022 competition that revealed evidence of alleged favoritism, breaches of contract and conflicts of interest within the system,’ said a statement posted on the Instagram accounts of several contestants.

‘Ongoing third-party investigation by MUO’s [Miss Universe Organization’s] The Holland & Knight law firm concluded that there were no signs of “tampering” in favor of R’Bonney Gabriel. However, MUO CEO Amy Emmerich has told us for months that the investigation was looking into “favouritism” and “conflicts of interest” (not “manipulation”) within the Miss Brand Organization and Miss USA’.

The contestants accused Miss USA owner Crystle Stewart of shortlisting Gabriel to win and said he received special treatment, such as private hair and makeup teams and working with a national sponsor before the competition.

“We were all used as puppets to put on this show,” Miss Montana Heather Lee O’Keefe, 25, of Bozeman, told DailyMail.com exclusively in an interview in October. “We were there like puppets to put on this show to make it look like there was a show.”

Now, the Class of 2022 claims it was “collateral damage” from the scandal-plagued organization, which has had much bad press since Stewart’s acquisition of the pageant in 2020, including the suspension of its Miss Brand over allegations of tampering, which DailyMail .com exclusively revealed, and her husband’s allegations of sexual misconduct from the Class of 2021.

Gabriel, who was crowned Miss USA on October 3 (pictured), was accused by her fellow contestants of being the default winner and breaking her contract and receiving favorable treatment from pageant executives .

Despite the ongoing controversy, Gabriel (pictured Thursday) has been promoting his upcoming competition on his social media, even asking his fans to “vote” for it.

Gabriel never spoke publicly about the internal investigation, but said shortly after his coronation that he would “never enter any pageant or competition that he knew he would win.”

“While we wish Gabriel the best of luck at Miss Universe, we cannot support an organization that claims to be built on integrity, honesty, transparency and women’s empowerment when they have done nothing but hide scandals. sweeping under the rug, silencing the very women who claim to be empowered and behaving in such an unprofessional manner.

“We believe Gabriel is collateral damage, as we all are, in the grand scheme of a corrupt system to exploit women at our expense.”

DailyMail.com has contacted Miss Universe for comment.

The Class of 2022 now demands that future contestants get “fairness and respect, while pursuing their dreams and being treated like the bright young women they are.”

“We will continue to fight for transparency in this system for the women who succeed us,” the statement concluded.

The beauty queens recently took to social media to condemn the December 27 meeting with Miss Universe President Paula Shugart, where they were silenced and not allowed to ask questions.

In the meeting, they were told that the competition was not rigged and that the questions they submitted before the meeting were not answered. In addition, the meeting was supposed to be with Emmerich, but she was “nowhere to be found.”

The contestants publicly stated that they did not think they would receive a ‘copy of [Holland & Knight’s] findings’, and ‘they are still waiting for it’.

Miss USA owner Crystle Stewart (pictured in 2015) was accused of shortlisting Gabriel as the winner. Her brand, Miss Brand, has also since been suspended over the indictment, which DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in October.

Despite the ongoing drama surrounding Gabriel’s coronation, the Miss Universe hopeful has never commented publicly on the investigation or its preliminary findings.

Shortly after his victory, Gabriel told him ME! News’ Summary that she would “never enter any contest or competition that I knew she would win.”

“I have a lot of integrity,” he told reporter Erin Lim.

On the day of the December 27 meeting, unlike her fellow contestants, her Instagram was devoid of any public statement.

Rather, she posted a glamorous photo of herself in a white dress, writing, “Never let anyone change the way you feel.”

Instead, the fashion designer has been focusing on her upcoming competition, showing off the many glamorous outfits she’s worn as she prepares for next week’s big show.