“An Honest Mistake” or a Miss Universe Belize Riddled with Controversy?

Crowning the new Miss Universe Belize came with as much excitement for Caleigh-Rose West’s supporters as it did controversy and backlash towards the new executive team leading the Miss Universe Belize Foundation this year.

Miss Universe Belize is a relatively young pageant franchise intended to celebrate Belizean beauty and heritage while giving its titleholder a platform to rally causes and community work. But it’s also a franchise that has faced several moments of public backlash.

In 2024, Miss Universe Belize Halima Hoy faced backlash after wearing a costume inspired by the Maya Deer Dance. The following year, Miss Universe Belize 2025 executive faced criticism over allegations that AI-generated costume designs were used for the competition.

That same year’s MUB Isabella Zabeneh got herself in hot waters for giving her opinion in the Mira Millions during a People’s United Party National Party Council meeting in Dangriga, which she later said her comments were made not as a titleholder but as a “private citizen”, “voter”, and “Belizean” exercising her right to participate in public debate. 

The latest controversy unfolded Saturday night during the Top Five announcement for the 2026 competition. 

As organisers prepared to reveal the finalists, six names were called instead of five. The confusion left spectators present at the event and viewers questioning whether West had actually secured a place in the Top Five, after she was initially called as the sixth contestant and asked to leave the stage. 

The incident, according to co-host Chelsea Muñoz, boils down to “an honest mistake”. 

Muñoz told News 5 that the hosts were mistakenly given a tabulation sheet containing the contestants’ scores and read from the wrong list when announcing the finalists. “We read a different list from the tabulation scores. So it truly was an honest mistake,” she said. 

The incident left many questioning whether West had actually qualified for the Top Five. However, Muñoz insists West had earned her place and said the mistake was made during a chaotic live production environment. 

“Caleigh-Rose West, she earned her place in the top five,” Muñoz said. “Unfortunately, the mistake, which is an honest mistake, you know, reading out from that list, calling out the six delegates, it just so happened that Caleigh was to be on the top five.”

“It’s easy for people from the outside, to look and judge what was happening, without being in that position,” she added. 

Meanwhile, one of West’s delegate support team members, Susie Sibrian, said in a livestream statement after the event that an organiser approached the team and privately confirmed the mistake to West’s camp but did not correct it 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 Five confusion was not the only criticism surrounding Saturday’s pageant. Viewers also questioned the use of Guatemala’s Tikal monument during a segment intended to celebrate Belizean heritage. 

This latest controversy also comes weeks after the Miss Universe Belize franchise changed hands to foreign ownership to an organization based in El Salvador. At the time, questions were raised over whether the new organisers had sufficient time to prepare for a national competition of this scale.

News 5 has reached out to the recently appointed National Director of MUB, Destiny Wagner, for comment.