She won the Miss Earth contest. Instead of congratulations, she was hit by a avalanche of hate.
The Miss Earth 2025 competition was won by the Czech beauty Natálie Puškinová. Her wide smile during the coronation suggested that she was happy. She might have been, but not many people were.
In the twenty-fifth edition of the Miss Earth competition, luck smiled on the Czech Republic. The winner was Natálie Puškinová and after Tereza Fajsková, who won the competition in 2012, she is the second Czech woman who managed to achieve this success. However, soon after the coronation, a discussion ensued on the competition's Facebook pages, which showed that not everyone is enthusiastic about her success. The vast majority of commentators did not save snide remarks, primarily bothered by the fact that the winner is a "blonde" again, and it was frequently pointed out that it is a "cooking show", which is not a reference to a cooking show, but a hint that it is supposed to be a competition that knows its winners in advance.
How (not) to buy victory
This is not the first time that allegations have arisen in connection with this contest about being able to arrange victory in advance. In 2012, an article appeared on Missosology.org about how Lorraine Schuck, the Executive Vice President of Miss Earth, "sold" the title to the Russian side, specifically for 4 million dollars. Russian-speaking journalists approached Schuck with this offer and secretly recorded the meeting, which was then broadcast on Russian television, suggesting that the crown could be bought.
"Miss Earth's victory is not about bribery!"
Shucková announced immediately after for Adventuresofabeautyqueen.wordpress.com, where she also reminded that Filipinos are simply accustomed to acting non-conflictual and kindly, and are always smiling. She believed that just from this the conviction of the other party could arise, that she accepts the offer. But the Russian contestant definitely didn't win back then.
Clouds were gathering over the competition again in 2018, when contestants from Canada, the United Kingdom and Guam complained of inappropriate behavior from a sponsor - according to information on Straitstimes.com, they were offered crowns in exchange for sexual favors.
In addition, the competition has long faced problems with preparation. Last year, when Japanese contestant Ann Furukawa had to pull out Google Translate to answer a question posed in English during an interview and then played her answer, the public did not understand why an interpreter was not provided. According to E.vnexpress.net, contestants also complained in 2022 about the poorly lit and overall dangerous stage, while the audience was dissatisfied with the auditorium, especially the somewhat undignified plastic chairs.
Attention focused elsewhere
This year's event was slightly overshadowed by what happened at Miss Universe. As mentioned by Refresher.cz, the Mexican participant was publicly called a "fool" by the executive director of the competition. She didn't even have a chance to explain why she didn't show up for the photoshoot, as the director criticised her for. Other girls stood up for the Mexican beauty, including the reigning Miss Universe.
Compared to it, Miss Earth was a more calm event, only a small inconvenience caused by Ukrainian contestant who fell on the stage stirred things up. However, as reported on People.com, Mariia Zheliaskova handled it with grace and ended up in second place, right next to our Czech winner.
Miss Environment
So who is actually Natálie Puškinová, who charmed the jury and at the same time upset so many people discussing it? The twenty-one-year-old beauty is a student at Charles University, where she studies marketing communication and public relations.
"Since I was fifteen, I wanted to start with modeling, but nobody wanted me. So I put that dream aside and told myself that I would return to it someday,"
she described her journey in QUEENS TALK PODCAST on the MISS FACTORY channel shortly before leaving for the Philippines. She also revealed that the return to her dream came a few years ago thanks to her aunt, who wrote to her that there is a last casting for Miss Czech Republic in Palladium, and she should try it. Pushkinova seized the opportunity, but she arrived at the casting late and unprepared. She struggled with shame, but she still made it to the semifinals, where she was eliminated in the top forty. Thanks to this, she gained valuable experience, got into a modeling agency, and carefully followed all the girls with whom she competed on social media. In 2025, she made it to the finals and as Miss Earth Czech Republic 2025, she had the opportunity to advance to the international competition.
Miss Earth is an event that differs from other competitions of a similar type in that it has an environmental dimension, so even the participants must prove that this topic is close to them. So it's not just about the most beautiful makeup or dresses, but rather about what makes a girl stand out and what kind of environmental projects she has.
Puškinová, whose strong point is spontaneity and the ability to respond quickly and speak from the hip, focused on a topic that has long interested her, namely food waste.
"Up to sixty percent of all food waste happens in our homes, and that can be changed,"
Puškinová passionately described in the QUEENS TALK PODCAST on the MISS FACTORY channel and confided that she has been used to finishing even the last bite on the plate since childhood. She would also never throw away soup, even if it's been in the fridge for three days. This approach and enthusiasm, combined with perfect English and the fact that she worked directly on the catwalk in Paris, earned her the crown of victory.
Source: author's text, Facebook.com, YouTube.com, People.com, Missosology.org, Adventuresofabeautyqueen.wordpress.com, Refresher.cz, Straitstimes.com, E.vnexpress.net
