Miss Universe 1996

The title winner was Venezuela's Alicia Machado. Though this hardly sounds like the beginning of a controversy, she made headlines when she reportedly 'gained too much weight' during her reign as Miss Universe. She was then forced to diet and exercise in order to maintain the svelte figure that is demanded of crown-bearers by none other than Donald Trump.

Then she participated in a Spanish reality show called 'La Granja' in 2005 where she was criticized for having sex with one of her roommates in front of cameras. She also became the first ever Miss Universe to pose nude for both US and Mexican versions of playboy.