High costs, tough contracts

Senior Investigative Journalist

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Trinidad and Tobago has a proud history in the Miss Universe pageant.

In 1977, Janelle Commissiong became the first woman of African ethnicity to win the contest after taking home the crown in the Dominican Republic, and 21 years later, Wendy Fitzwilliam became T&T’s second Miss Universe in Hawaii.

One year later, in 1999, T&T welcomed 84 pageant queens to Chaguaramas as it hosted the competition—owned then by Donald Trump—for the first time.

Since then, there were six years T&T did not send a representative: between 2015 and 2016, as well as 2018 to 2021.

Three contestants placed in the top ten since Fitzwilliam was crowned—Faye Alibocus in 2003, Danielle Jones in 2004, and Kenisha Thom in 2006—while two contestants placed in the top 15: Magdalene Walcott in 2005 and Tya Jane Ramey in 2022.

During last week’s controversial competition in Bangkok, Miss T&T Latifah Morris did not manage to place.

Morris, who returned home on Thursday morning, had placed as a runner-up in the local pageant.

Sihlé Letren, the winner, resigned as Miss T&T in late September, citing “ongoing challenges.”

According to a Guardian Media investigation, the Miss Universe T&T competition and subsequent preparations for the international competition are full of challenges, which sources say are hurting the chances of a future Miss T&T walking in the footsteps of Commissiong and Fitzwilliam.

The path to the crown is never simple.

With the latest Miss Universe pageant just concluded with controversy, sources involved in the local arm of the franchise have expressed concern about demands, expectations, and practices that they alleged were exploitative of Miss Universe T&T representatives and harmful to the chances of candidates competing successfully in the pageant.

The sources asked for their identities to be withheld, fearing possible professional consequences.

Guardian Media obtained, from a franchise source, a copy of a March 2025 contract proposed by Miss and Mister Trinidad & Tobago franchise holders Crowns and Sashes (C&S) to the winners of Miss Universe T&T 2025, Miss Supranational T&T 2025, and Mister Supranational 2025.

Crowns and Sashes owns all three local pageants.

As part of the contractual agreements that the franchise asked the original Miss Universe T&T 2025 Sihlé Letren to sign, she had to give up a significant percentage of any “compensation or appearance fees.”

Compensation or appearance fees would have included any paying job the titleholder obtained after being crowned, including photoshoots, commercials, model fees, etc.

“In the event that the titleholder will be paid a compensation or any appearance fee(s), etc, it is understood that 40 per cent of all monies will be paid as an agent fee to the franchise, and the balance will be paid to the titleholder in accordance with the Titleholder Rate Card. (RE: Titleholder Management Contract),” the contract stated.

As part of the agreement, the titleholders were also required to seek sponsorship or undertake fundraising initiatives for competition travel and associated costs.

These fundraising initiatives, according to sources, however, were subject to the 40 per cent agent fee.

“Full cost of airfare (to and from) the international competition (host country); full cost of four luggage bags for international travel; full cost of luggage bag fees (per leg to and from the international competition); and to provide and pay for any instrument or props for talent competition,” the contract stated.

According to sources, the estimated cost of travel to and from Bangkok around the competition date was between $22,400 to $27,100. Luggage was estimated to have cost another $8,100.

Given the 40 per cent agent fee the franchise sought in the contract, the titleholder would have had to raise as much as another $14,000 just to cover the $35,200 in travel and luggage.

The titleholder was also expected to “without fail” actively seek sponsorship or undertake fundraising initiatives to secure items for preparation to participate in the international competition. These included national costume, competition wardrobe, shoes, makeup, hair care, as well as souvenirs and gifts for other delegates.

According to the contract, the C&S Academy would be responsible for key items and assist with: the payment of annual national franchise fees, payment of titleholder registration fees to the international competition, payment of medical and travel insurance, management of the titleholder’s itinerary, as well as the official wardrobe and training/development.

Letren declined to comment, saying she was advised by her attorney not to, when approached by Guardian Media.

However, sources, including a former Miss Universe T&T who competed at the international competition, disputed claims that all training/development and wardrobe costs were covered by the franchise.

“I booked my own ticket to fly down. Maybe a few of the other girls did relate to that, but it wasn’t about them personally, just that their franchise holders weren’t amenable to working with them,” she said.

Asking for her identity to be withheld, she lamented that the issues have long been present.

According to the former Miss T&T, she had to pay around $200,000 out of pocket in preparation and travel fees for the international competition.

“I had issues with my contract as well, and I raised them as soon as I saw it. I had an issue not only with the clause stating I’d have to pay the franchise a percentage of what I made on shoots—since they never during the time that I was the queen booked me a single shoot—but also the clause stating all the sponsorship I solicited was to go into an account they would own and operate.

“All my Republic Day and Independence Day photoshoots and all the media I was ‘required’ to do by the Miss Universe organisation were done through my end, and the franchise did not assist with either the planning or footing the bill. Fortunately, I brought my own sponsors on board because if I didn’t, it wasn’t going to happen,” she said.

According to her, much of the support promised by the franchise did not materialise.

“My national costume was already in progress, and they had no part in it. They saw it on the national stage for the first time when everyone else did.

“I kept asking when I’d be having interviews or engagements to attend, and they just didn’t have anything put together. And when I started to do it myself, they tried to stop me,” she said.

The former Miss Universe T&T called for more support to be given to candidates from the early stages of the local competition. She believed it was essential for successful candidates to have a good shot at going far in the international competition.

“They don’t train the girls for the competition. It’s sort of sad. The girls in my year did one shoot, and it was the crown shoot for the final. They received no modelling training. No real question-and-answer training.

“By the time of the final, most of the girls were seeking modelling training outside at their own cost, but that was weeks to the final and sort of too late. They poured a lot of money and time into it, but were done a disservice.

“I won because I was the most prepared, because I sought outside help from early and did not rely on what they could provide,” she said.

The former Miss T&T said she really enjoyed the experience but was too embarrassed to publicly say how she was treated.

“It was an incredible time for me, and I really felt the love from everyone along the way that helped me—my sponsors, anyone who invited me to an event and allowed me to be a part of their story, my designers, hair stylists who saw that I wasn’t being helped and taught me for free, media creators who saw that nothing was happening and came on board to make even a single video or do a last-minute photoshoot. I’m grateful for all of them, but from the franchise,” she said.

Crown & Sashes responds

In response, Miss Universe T&T franchise holder Crowns & Sashes refuted the claims, which it said appeared to be designed to create bacchanal or confusion, or attempt to malign the organisation’s reputation.

Franchise President Stephen Jones said since C&S’s establishment in 2018 it has operated with professionalism, integrity, and transparency, adding that its business model is solid and ethical.

“1. Crowns & Sashes strongly denies any allegation of exploitation. While the titleholder is required to assist with certain aspects of preparation, including seeking sponsorship as part of the collaborative effort to ensure a strong international showing, to characterise this as ‘exploitation’ is wholly incorrect and categorically denied.

All candidates are provided with a detailed contract at the start of each cohort, outlining the rights, responsibilities, and obligations between both parties. Candidates are expressly encouraged and afforded the opportunity to obtain independent legal advice before signing. This ensures that all participants fully understand the terms long before the national competition concludes.

The same contract, which candidates would have reviewed and agreed to at the outset of the competition, is the contract used upon winning the title. There are no surprises, hidden clauses, or last-minute insertions. The process is fully transparent and consistent.

Candidates are not required to personally fund their participation at the Miss Universe pageant. Crowns & Sashes invests significant financial resources in training, production, wardrobe, grooming, coaching, licensing fees, travel, and other compulsory costs mandated by international pageant organisations. Sponsorship-seeking is a standard, global practice in pageantry and supports the extensive preparation required to compete internationally.

Contractual provisions relating to post-competition engagements are standard return-on-investment mechanisms utilised by franchises worldwide. They ensure accountability and protect the substantial investment made into preparing the national representative,” Jones wrote in response to Guardian Media.