The controversial 2022 winner of Miss USA has touched down in New Orleans ahead of the Miss Universe pageant as she gears up to fight for the international crown, despite her fellow classmates condemning the organization for ‘exploiting’ them.
R’Bonney Gabriel, 28, of Houston, is in full-blown competition mode since touching down in Louisiana on Tuesday, ahead of the January 14 Miss Universe competition, where she’s already asking for her fans to ‘vote’ for her.
‘The time is now!’ she said on her Instagram story on Thursday. ‘Please vote for me for the 71st Miss Universe competition!’
Despite the glamorous photoshoots of her wrapped up in a US flag and mingling with her fellow international competitors, Gabriel has ignored the domestic competition’s rigging investigation.
Miss Universe – which owns Miss USA – launched an international investigation shortly after the October 3 crowning after the Class of 2022 claimed Gabriel was the ‘predetermined winner’ and that the competition was rigged.
Last week, the Miss Universe Organization and law firm Holland & Knight declared the competition was ‘not rigged’ and told DailyMail.com that Gabriel would ‘compete at the Miss Universe competition as Miss USA.’
R’Bonney Gabriel, 28, of Houston, (pictured) is in full-blown competition mode since touching down in Louisiana on Tuesday, ahead of the January 14 Miss Universe competition
The former Miss Texas has been focusing on winning the international crown, ignoring the rigging allegations brought forth by the Class of 2022
The Class of 2022 released a statement on Thursday, claiming the Miss Universe Organization – which owns Miss USA – ‘exploits women’ and said they were ‘collateral damage…in a corrupt system’s grand scheme’
Now, as the former Miss Texas prepares to take on a bigger crown, her Class of 2022 classmates released a joint statement, condemning the Miss Universe Organization’s investigation, saying it failed to properly look into their favoritism claims.
‘It’s hard to express the frustration and disrespect we, the Miss USA Class of 2022, are feeling surrounding the series of events leading up to, during, and after the 2022 Miss USA competition that revealed evidence of alleged favoritism, breaches of contract, and conflicts of interest within the system,’ a statement posted to various contestants’ Instagram accounts said.
‘The ongoing third party investigation by MUO’s [Miss Universe Organization’s] law firm Holland & Knight concluded there were no signs of “rigging” in favor of R’Bonney Gabriel. However, we have been told for months by MUO’s CEO Amy Emmerich that the investigation was looking into “favoritism” and “conflicts of interest” (not “rigging”) within the Miss Brand and Miss USA Organization.’
Contestants accused Miss USA owner Crystle Stewart of preselecting Gabriel to win and said she received special treatment – such as private hair and makeup teams and working with a national sponsor ahead of the competition.
‘We were all used as puppets to just put on this show,’ Miss Montana, Heather Lee O’Keefe, 25, of Bozeman, exclusively told DailyMail.com in an October interview. ‘We were just there as puppets to put on this show for them to make it seem like there was a pageant.’
Now, the Class of 2022 is claiming they were ‘collateral damage’ of the scandal-ridden organization, which has seen plenty of bad press since Stewart’s acquisition of the pageant in 2020 – including her brand Miss Brand’s suspension over the rigging allegations, which DailyMail.com exclusively revealed, and her husband’s sexual misconduct allegations from the Class of 2021.
Gabriel, who was crowned Miss USA on October 3 (pictured), was accused by her fellow contestants of being the predetermined winner and that she broke her contract and received favored treatment by pageant executives
Despite the ongoing controversy, Gabriel (pictured on Thursday) has been promoting her upcoming competition on her social media, including asking her fans to ‘vote’ for her
Gabriel has never spoken publicly about the internal investigation, but did say shortly after her crowning that she would ‘never enter any pageant or any competition that I would know I would win’
‘While we wish Gabriel the best of luck at Miss Universe, we cannot support an organization that claims to be built upon integrity, honesty, transparency, and women’s empowerment when they have done nothing but sweep scandals under the rug, silence the very women they claim to empower, and conduct themselves in such an unprofessional manner.
‘We believe Gabriel is collateral damage – as we all are – in a corrupt system’s grand scheme to exploit women at our expense.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Miss Universe for comment.
The Class of 2022 is now demanding future contestants get ‘fairness and respect, as they pursue their dreams and to be treated like the bright young women they are.’
‘We will continue to fight for transparency in this system for the women who come after 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 muted and not allowed to ask questions.
At the meeting, they were told the competition was not rigged and the questions they submitted prior to the meeting were not answered. In addition, the meeting was supposed to be with Emmerich, but she was ‘nowhere to be found.’
Contestants publicly stated they didn’t think they would receive a ‘copy of [Holland & Knight’s] findings,’ and are ‘still waiting’ for it.
Miss USA owner Crystle Stewart (pictured in 2015) was accused of preselecting Gabriel as the winner. Her brand Miss Brand has also since been suspended over the allegation, which DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in October
Despite the continuous drama surrounding Gabriel’s crowning, the Miss Universe hopeful has never publicly commented on the investigation or its preliminary findings.
Shortly after her win, Gabriel did tell E! News’ The Rundown that she would ‘never enter any pageant or any competition that I would know I would win.’
‘I have a lot of integrity,’ she told journalist Erin Lim.
On the day of the December 27 meeting – unlike her fellow contestants – her Instagram was void of any public statement.
Rather, she posted a glamorous shot of herself in a white dress, writing: ‘Never let anyone change the way you feel about yourself.’
The fashion designer has instead been focusing on her upcoming competition and showing off the many glamorous outfits she’s worn as she preps for next week’s big show.