Former Miss USA contestant warns aspiring beauty queens she wouldn’t touch Miss Universe ‘with a 10-foot pole’

The crown may look glamorous, but one former Miss USA contestant is warning aspiring beauty queens that what's waiting beyond the national competition may not be worth the risk.

Taylor Hale, who was crowned Miss Michigan USA in 2021, isn't discouraging young women from competing — but she has a stark warning about chasing the Miss Universe dream.

"I hope you win your state pageant. I hope you are highly competitive at Miss USA," she told Fox News Digital ahead of the premiere of TLC's documentary "Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal."

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Taylor Hale, who competed in Miss USA in 2021, called for sweeping changes at Miss Universe, saying the organization should be "burned to the ground and then rebuilt from the ashes." (Matt Winkelmeyer/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

"And I hope that gets enough eyes on you so that you can achieve whatever it is outside of being Miss USA. Because as Miss USA, you have to go to Miss Universe and that is a whole other ball game that I wouldn't want to touch with a 10-foot pole."

Hale said she still supports women competing on the national stage.

"I really, really like the new director. I think Thom Brodeur is a really great director. He cares about the women and the well-being of all the girls, teen and miss," she said.

WATCH: FORMER MISS USA CONTESTANT HAS WARNING FOR FUTURE MISS UNIVERSE HOPEFULS

But she cautioned that winning a national title shouldn't mean surrendering control of what comes next.

"So, chase your dream, pursue the dream, but also understand that you have to have some ownership and real directorship of where you're going to go afterwards," Hale said. "Because I don't know if Miss USA at Miss Universe is going to fulfill the fantasy anymore."

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Taylor Hale praised changes at Miss USA but questioned whether competing at Miss Universe still offers young women the opportunities they hope to gain from pageantry. (TLC / Taylor Hale)

When Fox News Digital asked whether the organizations could regain contestants' trust, Hale said Miss USA has made strides toward greater transparency.

However, she said Miss Universe requires more sweeping changes.

"Miss Universe has to, I think, be burned to the ground and then rebuilt from the ashes," she said.

WATCH: FORMER MISS USA CONTESTANT SAYS MISS UNIVERSE MUST BE 'BURNED TO THE GROUND' AND REBUILT AFTER SCANDALS

She added that new leadership and management would be necessary to restore her confidence in the global competition.

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While competing as Miss Michigan USA in 2021, Hale said she experienced sexual harassment from Max Sebrechts, then-vice president of Miss USA, the morning after she failed to advance to the finals.

After declining an invitation Sebrechts allegedly sent through a social media direct message to visit his presidential suite, Hale said he approached her at the hotel and twice initiated unwanted, overly intimate embraces. Sebrechts has denied all allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct made against him by former pageant contestants.

Former Miss USA contestant Taylor Hale accused former pageant executive Max Sebrechts of sexual harassment. He denied the allegations. (Justin Baker/Getty Images)

Hale said she wasn't the only contestant to receive his message, calling the experience "so offensive … icky and infuriating." 

She added, "You can do every single thing right and still be put in a position where, 'Okay, great, now I have to deal with this on the backend.'"

Hale said she immediately reported the incident and was promised a meeting with the general counsel for WME-IMG, the entertainment company then associated with the pageant organization. 

However, she said pageant leadership did not provide her with answers before sending a mass email six weeks later announcing Sebrechts' departure.

Alexis Fagan-Williams, Miss Michigan USA 2023 and "Big Brother" winner, Miss Michigan USA 2021 Taylor Hale attend the JOVANI NYFW Show. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for JOVANI Fashion)

Hale called for more accountability, stronger financial backing and major corporate sponsors willing to invest in contestants' safety rather than simply attaching their names to the pageant's glamour.

"We need more sponsors that are not just charitable, but actually invested in real business practices," Hale said.

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Hale pointed to Halle Berry as an example of the opportunities pageants can provide, arguing that young women shouldn't have to choose between pursuing those opportunities and feeling protected.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Miss USA Organization and the Miss Universe Organization for comment.

"Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal" is available to stream on TLC and HBO Max. (TLC )

The three-part documentary, "Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal," examines allegations of rigged competitions, financial turmoil, lawsuits and a battle over who controls the Miss Universe Organization.

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The docuseries also explores the controversies surrounding the 2025 Miss Universe pageant, held in November 2025 in Thailand, according to a news release. The competition faced a series of scandals, including confrontations between contestants and pageant executives, last-minute judge resignations and accusations that the competition was rigged.

Omar Harfouch, a Miss Universe judge who made headlines when he abruptly resigned just before the 2025 pageant, appears in the documentary. Harfouch resigned after accusing pageant organizers of rigging the competition, alleging that the top 30 finalists had been selected before the event began. The Miss Universe Organization has denied his accusations.

Thai business tycoon Jakkaphong "Anne" Jakrajutatip appears at a Miss Universe event in Bangkok. She was reportedly convicted in a fraud case involving a corporate bond investment worth approximately $951,927. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Jakkaphong "Anne" Jakrajutatip, the founder of JKN Global Group, which co-owns the Miss Universe pageant, was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted in a fraud case involving a corporate bond investment worth approximately $951,927, the Bangkok Post reported. The Bangkok South Kwaeng Court handed down the sentence on Dec. 26, 2025, while Jakrajutatip was absent, according to the outlet. Jakrajutatip reportedly remains at large.

The docuseries also examines Miss Universe president and co-owner Raul Rocha, whose bank accounts were frozen as part of a criminal investigation into alleged drug, weapons and fuel trafficking, according to a December 2025 report by The Associated Press. Neither Rocha nor the Miss Universe Organization responded to the AP's requests for comment about the allegations or investigation at the time, the outlet reported.

"Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal," is available to stream on TLC and HBO Max.

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Stephanie Giang-Paunon is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital.