WASHINGTON — A cheering audience at the 2015 Miss Amazon pageant in Manaus, Brazil, last Friday was shocked when second-place contestant Sheislayne Hayalla walked up to the winner, Carol Toledo, and ripped the crown off her head at the end of the contest, throwing it to the ground and walking off stage.
Hayalla defended her actions as not impulsive, saying that Toledo’s family basically brought the crown and it was time to take a stand.
“[It] was to show to Manaus, to Brazil and the world, that money can not buy everything,” she told the Brazilian celebrity website Ego. She said it was “not for me but for other candidates, for all we knew that the family Carolina had bought this title…”
Toledo, who will go on to represent Manaus in the Miss Brazil pageant, did not comment on the debacle, and instead reveled in being crowned the pageant’s winner. “It was a magical night, exciting, inexplicable. My dream came true I know a lot of people cheered … for me.”
Watch the video:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
