USA took home the Miss Universe 2022 title after R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned by her predecessor, Harnaaz Sandhu of India, at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in Louisiana, United States, January 15.

Gabriel, 28, is the ninth Miss Universe titlist from USA, blocking Venezuela's chance to keep up on the tally of most number of Miss Universe winners. Incidentally, the Latin American country's representative, Amanda Dudamel, finished second.

It has been days since the Miss Universe 2022 coronation night, but the fever is still on, partly because some fans still scream "rigged" or "unfair." Is it?

In Latin Post's exclusive interview with Emily Austin, one of the judges for both preliminary and finals night, she sets the record straight, once and for all.

"And what's even better is from Top 5, we go to Top 3, and then we don't know who won until she's crowned. And I don't know who the other judges are voting for. So when I had my Top 3, we put them in order: 1, 2, 3. So I put my 1, 2, 3, and I can't see anyone else's screen. And I'm like, 'Oh my God, who won?' So the person that won might not necessarily have been the person I have put first," Emily Austin disclosed.

Miss Universe 2022: Not Rigged, No Cheating

Once and for all, Emily Austin wanted to pacify still angry fans and assure everyone that the whole process of selecting Miss Universe is not rigged.

"Guys, hear it from the judge. It is so fair. There is no cheating whatsoever. The CEO did not care who we voted for. The president didn't care. The manager didn't care. Nobody cared. It was fully up to us. They chose us because they trusted our opinion," Austin said.