‘Votes in pants’, threats: Pacific beauty quest turns ugly

The Miss Pacific Islands beauty contest has ended in uproar and death threats after judges were banned from flying home because of a police investigation into claims of pageant fixing.

The newly crowned Miss Pacific Islands 2025, Litara Leremia-Allan of Samoa.

It was supposed to be a celebration of youthful pulchritude in the serene tropical islands of the South Pacific. But the Miss Pacific Islands beauty contest has ended in uproar and death threats after judges were banned from flying home because of a police investigation into claims of pageant fixing.

The government of Solomon Islands, which hosted the event, said it had finally lifted an immigration “stop notice” on all judges and scrutineers associated with the beauty contest as it investigates allegations of wrongdoing.

Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt of Samoa, the chief judge of the event, says he will sue after he was accused of unfairly awarding the tiara of victory to a woman from his own country.

The controversy erupted on Saturday after voting among four judges revealed a tie between Miss Tonga, Racheal Guttenbeil, and Miss Samoa, Litara Ieremia-Allan. Mr Brunt used his casting vote to award the victory to Ms Ieremia-Allan.

Unsubstantiated rumours began to circulate among Tongan social media posters that the results had been falsified, allegedly after Mr Brunt concealed in his pants the votes cast by the judges.

“The Miss Pacific pageant drama is crazy,” said one poster on X. “Miss Tonga will always be a winner.”

The Miss Pacific Islands pageant board reported that “these ­allegations have escalated to the extent of subjecting contestants to degrading treatment and issuing threats against the lives of certain judges, thereby detrimentally impacting the camaraderie and ethos of the pageant”.

The Royal Solomon Islands police began an investigation into “alleged fraudulent activities during the crowning of the Miss ­Pacific”.

When he tried to board an outbound flight on Tuesday at the airport of the Solomons’ capital, Honiara, Mr Brunt found himself barred from leaving the country.

Samoans reacted with outrage of their own, and their government made a diplomatic request for information. “When someone is held against their will, they are being held hostage,” the Samoa Observer newspaper complained. “The Solomon Islands government was on a witch-hunt and they bought more time to try and burn Leiataualesa at the stake.”

Mr Brunt, a Samoan lawyer and hotelier, said he would begin legal proceedings.

“I will demand an apology from the government of Tonga on behalf of its people for the libel and personal attacks on me, my children, my wife and my late mother,” he said.

“I’m calling on our people from Tonga and Samoa to please be kind to each other … The girls are innocent and we need to help their cause, not be harsh on each other, and keep the Pacific spirit within ourselves.”

The Times