FX's How to Fix a Pageant Makes the Case for Saving Pageantry

The pageantry circuit needs more than a new publicist. Sure, longstanding organizations like Miss USA and Miss Universe have always faced criticism, sparking debates over the ethics and social ramifications of judging women on their bodies. Lately though, it seems like the stage has been rife with scandal that goes a lot further than Steve Harvey accidentally announcing the wrong winner or Rachel Leviss aging out of the competition and having an existential crisis on Vanderpump Rules.

Enter How to Fix a Pageant, the latest chapter of The New York Times Presents, from director Nicole Rittenmeyer (102 Minutes That Changed America). The hourlong doc goes deep into the scandals that rocked Miss USA throughout 2022, including rigging, favoritism, multiple conflicts of interest, and sexual assault under the leadership of then-president and former Miss USA Crystle Stewart.

These headline-generating events began following the crowning of Miss Texas, R’Bonney Gabriel, who controversially won last year’s Miss USA crown. Rather than hugging and congratulating the winner (who would go on to secure the Miss Universe title as well), contestants notably walked off the stage.

The next day, pageant drama TikTok blew up. Contestants came out against the organization and risked their own titles to share suspecting links between Gabriel and sponsors. They called out unconventional practices that took place before the competition. And they pointed out the connection between Gabriel and Stewart, who also hails from Texas and was the state’s last national winner.

In the doc, those allegations are turned over and examined as insiders, contestants, former state directors, and journalists explain why it matters, and how, in an era where the Victoria Secret Fashion Show earns more ratings, this tradition is one worth saving.

The strongest voices throughout the doc are the contestants themselves. Taylor Hale, Miss Michigan 2021; Faith Porter, Miss District of Columbia 2022; and Grace Lange, Miss Delaware 2022, all share their experiences with pageantry and explain the appeal of it in the first place.

Lange, a former Division I college athlete, juxtaposes her experiences as a female in sport and the comparisons to men, versus the uniquely feminine journey she had with the Miss USA competition. Hale highlights the positive role models and change she has seen and experienced, in particular as a Black woman.

To them, these pageants are a deeply feminist movement featuring bright young women with something to say, and they also paint a Miss Congeniality-like picture of sisterhood, friendship and power.

Their case is furthered by Hilary Levey Friedman, the author of Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America. Friedman takes viewers through some of pageantry’s origins, which can be traced back to the suffragist movement. Look beyond the swimsuits and glitter, and this is also a competition that showcases the history and story of American feminism and how far it’s come. Notable previous contestants like Michelle Pfeiffer, Diane Sawyer, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, and Gal Gadot may agree.

That is why there is such a deep sense of disappointment in Stewart, who was the first individual and the first person of color to ever take on the title of national director in 2020.

At the time, the anticipation that a long-awaited revamp of the organization would take place was palpable. Stewart had no previous experience as a state director, but she had done the pageant and sold herself on a mission of change with the #PageantryReimagined slogan. But then she appointed her husband, Max Sebrechts, as the organization’s vice president, and surrounded herself with those closest to her, from chaperones to makeup artists.

Those decisions and practices, along with allegations that began to mount against Sebrechts for sexual misconduct, shrouded the competition in scandal and highlighted the negative aspects so many have been fighting to change.

Equally compelling is the moment when Stewart herself agrees to an interview, roughly 34 minutes in. She’s lawyered up and Rittenmeyer makes the smart decision to include one exchange on-camera in which Stewart’s council stops her from giving an answer, painting the picture of what’s at stake.

Her participation is also essential for balance, given that no one from the Miss Universe organization, nor Gabriel or Sebrechts, give an on-camera interview. That lack of perspective adds to the secrecy of how these organizations function, leading viewers to wonder what they are trying to hide.

Unfortunately, where this doc fails is in the title itself. There are no easy answers on how to fix a pageant. Most of the hour focuses on explaining the inner workings of the competition to an average viewer and homes in on the scandals at hand. While those moments are compelling, the project doesn’t get into the what’s next of it all until the final few minutes, when it shifts focus to Miss Universe and the changes afoot over there.

Still, the doc makes the case for saving pageantry and reframing it as a positive tool for young women to shine. The future may be unclear, trust has to be rebuilt, and viewers need to return, but by banding together for this film, these subjects prove that pageantry is a way to gain a voice and inspire change. More importantly, it gives women an international platform to unify in empowering new ways.

The New York Times Presents: How to Fix a Pageant premieres September 29 at 10:00 PM ET on FX, and streams the next day on Hulu. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Amber Dowling is a Toronto-based freelancer, CCA member and former TCA president. Her work has appeared in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Metacritic, The Globe and Mail, Playback and more. Follow her on Instagram: @amber__dowling.