Former Miss Grand International Rachel Gupta has spoken her truth in a tell-all video online, detailing the issues and challenges she went through during her reign as the pageant’s queen.
In a YouTube video posted on Thursday, May 29, the beauty queen detailed her experience with the Miss Grand International (MGI) Organization in the past months.
“I know this is gonna come as a shock to all of you, my decision to step down, return the crown, and give up my title. But I also know at the same time, that a lot of you knew that something wasn’t right,” Gupta said, adding that she is aware that her followers knew her reign was not going very well.
Gupta emphasized that she wants the reasoning behind the video to be “completely transparent,” so that girls around the world are informed on the truth about the organization. More than anything, Gupta said that she’s decided to speak out because of the girls all over the world who share the same dream as hers.
For the beauty queen, she had several goals: to win the first crown for India, to continue her advocacy, and to amplify the voices of the marginalized.
“I want those girls to know the truth about this organization, about the people who have created this system. I want them to understand what they’re signing up for. Because when I started, and when I joined, and when I won, nobody told me, nobody warned me. I had to figure it out on my own,” she explained.
The Silent Struggles
“I don’t want any other girl to find herself in the same position that I’ve been in because these have been the worst few months of my life. I have been at rock bottom. The last time that I was truly happy was the night I won,” she said, on the verge of tears.
“Since then, it’s been going downhill, [and] it’s been getting worse and worse. And I’ve spent he last few months just completely depressed and alone and I wouldn’t wih that on my worst enemy. So I want you to know the truth,” she continued.
Gupta stated that it has taken her a lot of courage to give up the crown — one she has worked so hard for. To talk about it openly, she said, is the way she knows that would prevent it from happening to other girls.
“All I’ve gotten in return is just constant harassment, mental torture, [and] mistreatment, and it’s all in a systemic level, I don’t think they can ever change this,” she said, stating that she has put a lot of effort from the beginning, a truth for many girls who join MGI.
Her silent struggles were kept under wraps as cameras were always pointed at her. For the pageant queen, she had to make it seem like everything was okay.
“Who is the common problem?”
She recalled knowing bout the alleged vote buying in the pageantry scene. Gupta mentioned that the organization considered so-called donations in exchange for votes.
She claimed that countries pay huge amounts of money for votes, and if their girl does not win, she thought the countries would get upset and expect something in return.
“The only reason I won is because of the amount of public support I had,” she said, stating it still gives her goosebumps.
She then questioned who the common problem was and pointed out that some directors, who had been in the business for years, gave up or lost their licenses this year.
“Truly, it is impossible to work with the Miss Grand International Organization, the way that they are [and] the way they treat people. They only care about money,” she said.
The House Overseas
Following her triumph as Miss Grand International, Gupta said the organization did not provide her with the proper amenities. Right after her win, they moved her to a cramped hotel room where she could barely open her suitcases because there was not enough space.
Soon after, they switched the place up and moved her into a “dilapidated house” in Thailand, which is secluded from everything. She recalled being stuck inside the house with no mode of transportation, no outside contact, and food provided by the organization.
She explained that she had to buy a Thai phone number to stay in touch with her family and friends. There were also no pots and pans provided, so she could not cook. She detailed that her mother messaged the organization, asking if the staff could bring fruits, so that she could have something to eat.
As a result, she had to order Grab food everyday, which she noted takes two hours to come, as the place was secluded. Sometimes, the drivers would end up cancelling her order, so she had to eat “whatever junk” she had.
She was paying for almost everything, except for her accommodation and flights, Gupta said.
“I expected that after I won that I would be able to support myself financially, with the prize money and everything. It’s like a dream come true. Obviously, you don’t try and win for the prize money but it adds to it like “yeah, you won something big,” she said.
“It’s only after I won that I realized their contract says the prize money will be paid in its entirety at the end of your reign. Before that, there’s only like a monthly stipend of a small amount,” she added.
Differing Visions
Besides this, Gupta recalled the times when she had to sell products on TikTok.
“They made us sell these cheap, tacky products on TikTok like we were salesgirls. You’ve crowned queens. We have careers in our country, we do things, we’re well-respected, and they’re making us sell cheap products on TikTok because it makes them money,” she explained.
“And you can’t say no, because the boss asked you to do it. But I used to feel so guilty, people are spending their hard-earned money to buy these disgusting, cheap products. And nobody has the power to say no,” she said, adding that if she was directed to show up at the TikTok live, she would show up and just do it.
Gupta said she felt guilty for misleading the fans, explaining further that fans would buy the products she sold to support her. Although she recalled it was special and amazing that people would make that effort, she also pointed out that it baffled her that the organization was willing to go to that extent to make money.
Women who join the pageant are there because they want to speak up and talk about issues the world is facing, she explained. Just like them, Gupta said she also wanted to create change in the world and had several ideas for philanthropic work. However, the organization thought otherwise.
“I had so many ideas to work with underprivileged children, which I was already doing in my country, and also in Thailand. I worked with an NGO, which I really love, and I wanted to raise awareness. Because now, I have the followers, and that’s what I always wanted,” she said.
“You guys know, in my interviews, I said the reason why I wanted to win is to bring attention to these matters, is to use my advocacy. Otherwise, what’s the point. I’m not doing this for the money, because I never got the money. I’m not doing this for the fame, because you have to be popular before you win MGI,” she added.
What Pageantry is About
“The only reason I’m doing this is so that I can use my voice in a way that matters. Not selling on TikTok, but actually working with charities, like they use all these “stop the war and violence” thing, but it’s all fake. It’s a facade. Where is the advocacy work for that?” she said.
“I’m right here, I’m ready to use my voice, I’m ready to work with an NGO [ non-government organization], but they don’t want to do that because it doesn’t make any money for them. I’ve heard them say and now it literally says that this is useless, people don’t care about it, and it’s not entertaining and it doesn’t make money so we’re not gonna do it,” she added.
“That’s not what pageantry is about. It’s about being a global public figure who uses her voice for good. Not these cheap entertainment tactics,” she continued.
When she held the title as Miss Grand International, Gupta mentioned that she wanted to go to charities, visit an orphanage, and other slum areas she had worked in before. However, she said the organization made up reasons not to because it wasn’t paid.
“When they gave the contract, it was like a gun to the head. It was their pen, their paper, their office, their contract, their rules; and we were expected to just sit down, shut up, and sign it. That’s it,” she recalled.
Gupta said she stepped out of the meeting with all the girls to discuss their contracts and questioned why hers was different. She said she wanted to see if she could negotiate because it was one-sided, and was only there to protect and benefit the organization.
Tension During Her Reign
Another point she made was the issue between her country’s national director and the MGI organization.
“When I competed at Miss Grand India, I competed under Glamanand [Group], who is the Indian national director organization, and I signed a contract with them, as every girl does in every country,” she explained.
“After I won, they had a personal issue with Miss Grand International, they had a falling out like so many national directors did. They lost their license for India. Although I was signed to them in India, Miss Grand [International] would not allow me to work with them at all. So, I could not work at all, basically,” she added.
“I remember I had been queen for less than two months, the first time they threatened to dethrone me. They just used this thing of dethronement, of taking the crown away, as blackmail. And they use it to manipulate me for everything,” she continued, stating it got impossibly difficult for her.
Tearing Other People Down
When Gupta first joined, she believed the organization, like other pageant groups, championed women. However, that judgment was broken down when she realized they were only pretending to be body positive.
She stated that when women compete there, they are letting themselves be judged from top to bottom “in the most disgusting way.”
“I frankly cannot be a part of that. I am not a woman who will tear down another woman because part of her body is not completely perfect,” she said.
“They don’t care about how you speak, they do not care about what you think, the only thing they care about is what you look like. That’s why they used to send people to pinch different parts of me and tell me to lose weight here,” she added.
“The whole time that I was working with Miss Grand International—the last seven months—I was constantly harassed, manipulated, ignored, and left to fend for myself. All while dealing with the intense and immense scrutiny of the public eye and all the attention that it brings,” she continued.
Her reign as Miss Grand International has been the hardest few months of her life. Gupta highlighted that she is aware that MGI would go to great lengths to defame her, malign her name and image, and destroy her credibility.
“They will say anything. Frankly, anything. A lot of people will choose to believe them. A lot of people won’t. I hope you see for yourself and you recognize the pattern of disrespect and the systemic failures in their system,” she said.
“I, of course, don’t have the same resources as this huge public limited company that’s been operating for so many years. But what I do have is the truth. I have integrity, and I will stand by that, and I will stand by myself,” she added.
Giving Up the Crown
“I think the mistake that MGI made is that they didn’t realize that when they crowned me, that they’re not just crowning Rachel, [instead], they’re crowning a daughter of India. They’re crowning somebody who will speak for her country and her people fiercely,” she emphasized.
“They’re crowning somebody who will be supported and loved by so many people who care about integrity and honesty, and who care about humanity. That’s what this is about at the end of the day,” she added.
Although she expected numerous people to speak negatively about her, she never saw the immense amount of support she was going to get.
“I can’t say thank you enough, because if the response had been different, I don’t know how I would handle it right now. I’m so grateful for your support, your love, your trust in me, and I want you to know that you matter. Your attention matters. So, please don’t give your attention to this horrible organization because they’re gonna do the same thing to queens years on years,” she expressed.
She elaborated that if people stop giving their attention to the organization, then maybe girls would stop applying, and they wouldn’t have the power to treat women the same way.
“I truly believe that a pure heart and honest intentions would always be rewarded. I believe that good things happen to good people. I want you to know that this decision I made to give the crown back did not come from a place of pain, but it came from a place of strength,” she said.
“I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. I feel like I’ve gained everything,” she added.
“I feel free. For the first time in months, I feel free and I feel like I can breathe. And I’ve just been drowning for so long and now, I feel like I’ve come up for air and I have my life back and I’m so grateful for that,” she continued.
In the YouTube video’s description, Gupta wrote that she has receipts and screenshots for everything, but is not willing to “stoop to that level.” She indicated that people who believe her will do so regardless of proof.
The public feud blew up after MGI announced the termination of Gupta's title as Miss Grand International 2024.
As of writing, Nawat Itsaragrisil, the MGI organization’s President, uploaded a series of Instagram stories with screenshots of Gupta’s flight details, stating his side of the public feud.
