Miss World was canceled at the last minute when at least 23 girls came down with COVID-19, causing the organization to lose millions, a source tells Page Six.
“They lost … the millions in set cost to produce the pageant,” said a source of the event — which judges contestants on their philanthropic work, not how they look in a swimsuit. We hear the production cost is around $5 million.
The pageant was set to go ahead on Dec. 16 in in Puerto Rico, but was canceled just hours before showtime.
A rep for the pageant tells us, “The safety of all involved had to be paramount, even if it means additional costs.”
According to reports, 23 of the 97 contestants tested positive along with at least 15 members of the staff.
Beauty guru Peter Thomas Roth was on the island to act as a judge, telling us that when he got there a few days before, “eight of the girls had already tested positive.”
COVID wasn’t the only problem the show encountered during the week leading up to its air date. They also ran out of power.
Roth tells us, “Everything kept getting postponed because the hotel power kept going out and they didn’t have a generator. Events were late a few hours because the girls needed to do hair and makeup and need electricity.”
The show, which counts Halle Berry and Lynda Carter as former winners, has now been rescheduled to take place at the Puerto Rico Coliseum Jose Miguel Agrelot on March 16.
“We are sure the event will be a huge success in March and we thank everyone for their support and understanding,” the show’s rep said.
Roth insists despite the drama, he will go back.
“It was fun being there for a week. I wasn’t nervous, I am vaccinated. I had COVID.”