Miss Dominican Republic Stripped Of Her Crown

Beauty pageants are always a wee bit better when there’s a scandal involved. Last year at Miss Universe, organizers actually had to hold a meeting to remind the women to wear panties to the promotional events. Thus far this year, a Canadian transgender named Jenna Talackova was at first denied and later admitted to the competition up north, and now the winner of Miss Dominican Republic, Carlina Duran, has just been stripped of her crown after pageant workers discovered she was actually married.

Being a wife might not sound like grounds for expulsion, but it’s specifically written into the rules that all contestants must be single. In fact, Miss USA 1957 Mary Leona Gage got the big ugly axe after her win when the media found out she was actually a married mother of two. Her subsequent appearance on Ed Sullivan attracted huge ratings, but it’s unclear whether the citizens of the Dominican Republic will be as infatuated as our grandparents were.

According to E! News Duran tied the knot all the way back in 2009, but unfortunately for her, the marriage failed almost immediately. She’s reportedly in the process of annulling the union, but since it was still legally on the books at the time of the competition, there’s little she can do to protest.

Runner up Dulcita Lieggi was officially sworn in during a press conference yesterday, and she will represent the nation at the upcoming Miss Universe.