Former Miss Hispano-America Illinois Bridget Ruiz was the fourth contestant to be eliminated from the ninth season of Univisión's "Nuestra Belleza Latina," the Spanish-language television channel revealed.

Ruiz's defeat means Nathalia Casco remains in the competition. Representing Honduras, the 28-year-old received the support of 72 percent of "Belleza" viewers who phoned in to vote for their favorite beauty.

But as Casco and her fellow contestants prepare for this season's ninth episode, which is set to air on March 15, their worries may be compounded by an announcement head judge Osmel Sousa made on the show, and shared on the "NBL" Twitter.

"Next week, TWO (participants) will be eliminated," the pageant director revealed. "One (picked) by the viewers, and the other eliminated by ME."

The double elimination may add to an atmosphere already marked by plenty of tension. Though the cliffhanger of whether Lisandra Silva would test positive for nicotine was resolved (she did not), Sousa told the Cuban beauty she was no use on the catwalk and that he considered her a disappointment.

And to make matters even worse, certain "compromising photos" of the second runner-up of 2010's Miss Atlántico Internacional popped up. Casco's triumph over Ruiz, who had represented Mexico in "Nuestra Belleza Latina," was apparently not well-received by the remaining competitors.

With the exception of Miss United Continent 2014 winner Geisha Montes, none of the beauty queens wanted to so much as give Casco a hug. Once the cameras were off, the gloves came off between Clarissa Molina, Cynthia Perez and Casco -- and matters got even worse.

As if this week's episode couldn't dramatic enough, Luis Coronel also dropped by and was kissed by one of the contestants.

This week's nominees -- who in the meantime will be anxiously awaiting the voters' verdict -- are Silva and Miss Universe Puerto Rico contestant Catherine Castro Roldan. But given Sousa's revelation of a second elimination, none of the participants can sleep easy. This might be particularly true for Silva, who faces both the viewers' choice and the judge's ire.

The winner of "Nuestra Belleza Latina" is set to take home up to $200,000 in cash and prizes and become one of the new personality faces on many of Univisión's programs. The show airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET time.

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