A former Miss USA contestant says the organization’s ousted president had “something to hide” after the 2022 rigging scandal broke.
Former Miss Montana Heather Lee O’Keefe said disgraced President Crystle Stewart’s body language in the New York Times/FX documentary “How to Fix a Pageant” said “a lot” about the true nature of the allegations.
“I don’t think he was really okay with it,” the 26-year-old Floridian exclusively told The Post on Wednesday.
“I think that shows that maybe he had something to hide, or he’s just trying to cover his tracks.”
Stewart seemed stiff during her interview with the filmmakers and often looked toward her lawyer, Nathan Sheffield, who once had to intervene to teach her how to respond.
Stewart was accused of shortlisting then-Miss Texas R’Bonney Gabriel, who later won Miss Universe, as the 2022 winner.
The allegations would eventually cause Miss Universe, owner of Miss USA, to oust Stewart from her role.
Former Miss Montana Heather Lee O’Keefe said disgraced Miss USA president Crystle Stewart’s body language in the New York Times/FX documentary “How to Fix a Pageant” read “volumes.” Stewart, pictured here in 2008, was accused of shortlisting then-Miss Texas R’Bonney Gabriel, who won Miss Universe, as the 2022 winner.REUTERS
After the parent organization cut ties with Stewart and her Miss Brand pageant training company, it announced it would conduct a third-party investigation through the law firm Holland & Knight.
The only finding that emerged from the months-long deep dive in which O’Keefe spent four hours talking to investigators was that the contest “was not rigged.”
However, the contestants never received a copy of what the firm discovered outside of that, nor did it respond to complaints of favoritism against Gabriel.
Several contestants, including Miss DC Faith Porter and O’Keefe, had heard rumors before the competition that Gabriel would take the coveted crown.
“Of course, being in the industry, you hear rumors that say, ‘Oh, Texas is the favorite, R’Bonney is the favorite for Texas and she’s the favorite for Miss America.’ Even before she won Texas there was talk about it,” O’Keefe recalled.
Porter heard similar things and told the filmmakers: “My whole family came over and they were like, ‘So-and-so said, you know, apparently he’s going to Texas.’ I remember saying: ‘Everyone on the staff really likes her, but I don’t know if they would crown her because the directors are going to get upset.’”
O’Keefe spent four hours talking to investigators and was eventually told that the contest “was not rigged.”
State directors called a meeting with Stewart about Gabriel on September 8, 2022, as the contestants alleged she had special benefits that they were denied.
“We all went into this believing it was fair, and I think the reason we all walked off stage immediately afterward and weren’t surprised at all is because we had this in mind the entire time we watched the special. treatment he had received,” O’Keefe said.
The climactic moment was stark evidence to avid fans of the pageant, who quickly took to social media to point out that the other girls had not celebrated Gabriel’s victory, as is tradition.
Gabriel denied it and told E! News on “The Rundown” at the time that the contest “ran out of time” and “there was no time” for the girls to come down and celebrate.
Gabriel (right) was accused of receiving special treatment, although she denies this. After her coronation, the contestants left the stage instead of congratulating her as is tradition. Finesse Levine
Additionally, O’Keefe called Stewart a “hypocrite” for “directly inquiring” into the documentary’s contestants.
Stewart praised the women for using the voices, but said it was for the “wrong reasons.”
O’Keefe said she felt like it was a “knife straight to the chest” because “she was supposed to be our leader.”
“I thought it was hypocritical of them to say we were using our voice for the wrong reasons because that’s exactly why we take on these roles as champions to stand up for what we believe in,” she said.
A representative for Stewart and Miss Brand declined to comment due to a “pause in interviews.” Miss Universe declined to comment.
The Post also contacted Miss USA for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn