Telemundo 'Miss Latina Universo' 2014 Reportedly Canceled Due to Casting Issues, Non US Participants
Telemundo's Miss Latina Universo was said to be canceled because of quality issues, but many are speculating that that is not the real reason.
Telemundo's official statement said, "We have made the decision to postpone production of 'Miss Latina Universo' to assure that the series reflects the quality and standards of the 'Miss Universe' and Telemundo brands," according to El Nacional.
Other reasons given for the cancellation included poor production, exaggerated costs, critique of the chosen judges (the show's judges were to be Miss Universo 1986, Bárbara Palacios, choreographer Javier "Poty" Castilla and Chiquis Rivera) and even pressure from franchises in Latin American countries, TV y Novelas noted.
But a source close to the TV chain said that the real reason the show was canceled was because a majority of the contestants were not legally able to be in the United States. Plus, they were also missing other basic requirements, such as having never been married or having children.
Also, the source said that Osmel Sousa, who is the president of the Miss Venezuela franchise, and Lupita Jones, who works on Nuestra Belleza Mexico, pressured Miss Universo about not having two candidates representing the same country.
Combine that with exorbitant costs, and the show was destined to not succeed, the TVyNovelas source said.
There's also a rumor that Adriana Abascal protested that Chiquis Rivera was chosen as a judge for the show, saying that Rivera knew nothing about beauty.
When Rivera was announced as the judge, she took to Facebook to express her excitement:
"I am so happy and appreciative of God and all of you. Being part of a program like @latinauniverso is a dream come true! I've always liked everything that has to do with beauty, but something that my uncle @juanriveramusic taught me as a young girl is that inner beauty is the most important. And my goal is to guide these beautiful Latinas to understand that and that being Latina is something to be proud of from deep within! I hope to represent my mother and all the Latinas in the United States properly. I love you!!!"
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