The 2026 Miss Universe Belize pageant has become the center of heated public debate, just months after the national franchise changed hands to new foreign leadership, bringing fresh scrutiny to an event that has been dogged by public backlash for three consecutive years.
Established to celebrate Belizean cultural heritage and feminine beauty, while offering the titleholder a public platform to advance community-focused advocacy work, the Miss Universe Belize franchise has rarely stayed out of the headlines for the right reasons in recent years. In 2024, then-titleholder Halima Hoy drew widespread criticism for a costume design drawing inspiration from the traditional Maya Deer Dance. The following year, the competition’s executive team faced allegations of using AI-generated costume designs for contestants, while 2025 titleholder Isabella Zabeneh sparked public outrage after weighing in on the contentious Mira Millions debate during a political party meeting in Dangriga. Zabeneh later defended her comments, clarifying that she spoke as a private citizen, voter and Belizean exercising freedom of speech, not in her official capacity as titleholder.
The latest controversy unfolded on the night of the 2026 national final, during the highly anticipated announcement of the Top 5 finalists. In an embarrassing live on-stage error, organizers announced six names instead of the planned five. Caleigh Rose-West, who was ultimately crowned the new Miss Universe Belize, was initially called out as the sixth contestant and briefly asked to leave the stage, leaving both in-person spectators and online viewers questioning whether she had legitimately earned a spot in the final five competing for the crown.
Chelsea Muñoz, co-host of the live broadcast, has described the incident as nothing more than an “honest mistake” during a chaotic live production. Speaking to local outlet News 5, Muñoz explained that the hosting team was incorrectly given an outdated tabulation sheet containing contestant scores, and read from the wrong list when rolling out the finalists. “We read a different list from the tabulation scores. So it truly was an honest mistake,” Muñoz stated. She defended Rose-West’s placement, emphasizing that the newly crowned queen had rightfully earned her spot in the Top 5, and the error was simply a misstep in a high-pressure live environment. “It’s easy for people from the outside to look and judge what was happening, without being in that position,” she added.
But members of Rose-West’s own support team have raised questions about how the error was handled post-blunder. Susie Sibrian, a representative for Rose-West’s delegate team, revealed in a post-pageant livestream that organizers privately confirmed the mistake to Rose-West’s camp immediately after the incident, but chose not to issue any public correction or clarification on stage. “The organisation made the decision to proceed with the pageant with all six announced finalists without correcting or naming who was not in fact in the top five,” Sibrian said. “Mistakes happen, but there are things that I think could have been handled differently so that the public can know what exactly was going on.”
The Top 5 announcement error is not the only criticism leveled at the 2026 pageant. Viewers also called out organizers for featuring Guatemala’s iconic Tikal archaeological monument in a pre-recorded segment meant to celebrate Belizean national heritage, a misstep that fueled further skepticism about the new leadership’s familiarity with the country’s cultural identity.
The controversy comes just weeks after the Miss Universe Belize franchise was sold to a new foreign-owned organization based in El Salvador. Even before the competition kicked off, critics raised questions about whether the new executive team had sufficient time to plan and prepare for a national event of this scale. News 5 has confirmed it has reached out to newly appointed National Director Destiny Wagner for additional comment on the controversies, as of publication no response has been issued.