Follow the link and you'll be rewarded with a pic of Koini Vakaloloma.
Fiji beauty contest marred by ugly accusations
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Shiri Ram / Associated Press


Torika Watters, 16, lost her crown as Miss World Fiji after criticism that she looked too Western to represent her country.

First came complaints that the winner of the Miss World Fiji pageant looked too Western to represent her country. Then her age came under scrutiny. And now, with the 16-year-old's crown lost, one of the judges says the contest was rigged from the start.

The pageant has turned into a fiasco in this South Pacific nation of about 900,000. The pageant's director is avoiding questions as fans of the fallen beauty queen, Torika Watters, flock online to support her.

Watters was crowned Miss World Fiji last month by an international panel of judges led by New Zealand supermodel Rachel Hunter, winning the opportunity to represent the country at the world competition in China in August.

Soon after, however, dozens of people posted messages on the Miss World Fiji Facebook page questioning whether Watters, who is of mixed racial heritage, represented Fijian beauty or was simply a mirror of Western ideals.

Two weeks after she won, Watters wrote on her Facebook page, pageant director Andhy Blake told her she couldn't compete for Miss World because she is too young. The international competition requires contestants to be at least 17 years old, but Watters said Blake previously assured her "it was fine" because he had received prior approval for her entry from international organizers.

Organizers of the Fijian event over the weekend announced a new winner: 24-year-old Koini Vakaloloma.

A message on the Miss World Fiji Facebook page Tuesday said Watters had voluntarily stepped down and that reports connecting the decision with racism or her age were untrue.

Another of the six judges, Fijian fashion designer Hupfeld Hoerder, said Wednesday that the judging was a sham.

He said there was no note-taking or judging criteria during the competition and that from early on, Blake had pressured the judges to name Watters the winner. Hoerder said he tried to argue with Blake to no avail and, in protest, refused to attend the final night's crowning ceremony.

Hoerder said the contest has painted Fiji in a bad light and that the country shouldn't send any representative to China.
The bottom line? The Miss World pageant will be in China. It's all part of my master plan behind this thread.