In a stunning exposé that’s shaking the glitzy foundations of the global pageant industry, former Miss Grand International 2024, Rachel Gupta, has come forward with a harrowing account of alleged abuse, manipulation, and commodification within the Miss Grand International (MGI) Organization — a powerhouse long seen as a glamorous gateway to global recognition. Instead, Gupta paints it as a gilded prison.
Her hour-long emotional tell-all, released on May 29, doesn’t just lift the veil — it rips it off. With trembling lips and tear-filled eyes, the Indian beauty queen accuses MGI, led by flamboyant president Nawat Itsagrisil and chief operations officer Teresa Chaivisut, of treating her not as a reigning queen, but as a disposable asset.
“They only care about money. Girls are nothing but mannequins for profit,” Rachel says in the video. “I wasn’t their queen — I was their product.”
From crowning glory to claustrophobic captivity
Rachel’s nightmare allegedly began moments after the crown was placed on her head in Bangkok last October. The fairytale quickly devolved into what she now calls “mental torture.”
She claims she was crammed into a tiny hotel room with barely enough space to open her suitcases, followed by relocation to a run-down house an hour from the city, isolated and unequipped — no basic utensils, no food support, and no dignity.
“I was starving, depressed, and alone. They wouldn’t even stock my fridge with fruits,” she revealed. “And when I spoke up, I was shamed and ignored.”
A queen forced to peddle products
Far from the advocacy platform she was promised, Gupta says she was turned into a livestream salesperson, hawking low-quality merchandise on TikTok.
“They made me sell cheap, tacky products. I’m an actress and an entrepreneur in my country — and they reduced me to a desperate salesgirl,” she fumed. “I felt like I was scamming people.”
Worse still, the organization allegedly blocked her from charity work, including visits to blind orphanages and slum communities she had previously served.
“They said it wasn’t profitable. Advocacy doesn’t make money, so it didn’t matter to them,” she said.
“You’re fat” – the alleged body shaming culture
Gupta also detailed humiliating experiences of body shaming. She recalls being physically pinched and told to lose weight from specific body parts — not in private, but in front of others.
“They made me feel like a shameful object. I was pinched and measured like cattle,” she says. “How can an organization that claims to empower women treat them like this?”
Broken promises and financial starvation
Rachel says she was promised a $40,000 prize but soon discovered the money would only be paid at the end of her reign — a reign she never got to complete.
“They only gave me my stipend once — for November 2024. After that, I was begging my parents for food money,” she admitted. “It was humiliating.”
Her claims of financial manipulation include being denied travel and media opportunities unless they were approved — and profitable — for the organization.
“They used the crown like a collar. Dethronement was their leash,” she said. “I had major interviews lined up, but I was forced to cancel them. They wanted control over everything.”
The final straw: Public humiliation and internal terror
Rachel recounts an incident where Teresa Chaivisut allegedly screamed at a national director until she cried — an act that made Rachel realize how expendable she truly was in the eyes of the organization.
“If they could treat that woman like trash, what was I to them? Nothing.”
She also denied MGI’s public claim that her lack of travel was due to visa issues.
“I have long-term visas to the U.S., UK, and Canada. I wasn’t grounded by paperwork — I was grounded by politics.”
Termination or liberation? The battle for narrative
Shortly after Rachel’s bombshell video, MGI retaliated with a cold statement: she was terminated — not resigned — citing failure to fulfill duties and unauthorized external projects.
Rachel, however, says she stepped down voluntarily after months of psychological warfare.
“I felt like I was drowning. Now, I can finally breathe.”
Her supporters are rallying behind her, with many demanding accountability, transparency, and a boycott of MGI’s future pageants.
Meanwhile, eyes are now turning to the likely successor: first runner-up Christine Juliane “CJ” Opiaza of the Philippines. But critics warn she may be stepping into a gilded cage.
A pageant industry reckoning?
Rachel Gupta’s revelations may be the spark that ignites a broader movement across the beauty pageant world — one that forces organizations to confront outdated, profit-first models masquerading as women’s empowerment.
“I hope my truth helps even one girl avoid what I went through,” Rachel concluded. “Because crowns shouldn’t come with chains.”
As of writing, MGI has yet to release a detailed rebuttal. But for now, the world is watching — and perhaps, for the first time, questioning the real cost of the crown.