Fiifi Coleman has been a judge on several beauty pageants in Ghana
In the past few weeks, as “dark truths” about some beauty pageants in Ghana continue to surface, filmmaker and director Fiifi Coleman has added his voice, drawing from his experience as a judge on several reality shows and pageants in the country.
Speaking on Joy FM on February 28, 2026, Coleman said issues of vote manipulation are actually the least of the problems within the beauty pageant space.
“It is funny when people talk about vote manipulation, because that is the least of the issues,” he said.
The filmmaker noted that he has sat in auditions where judges carefully deliberate and agree on contestants they believe deserve to make it through, only for organisers to release a final list that excludes those very names.
‘Dark truths’ behind beauty pageants and reality shows in Ghana
“I have sat in auditions where you are clearly asked to make a choice. Let’s say you bring me in as a judge and I select Person A. We all agree on a list. They take that list to go and make the announcement, and suddenly the person we selected is not even on it. Not that their name was mentioned and dropped. It is simply not there,” he shared.
According to Coleman, such experiences raise questions about transparency and the role of judges in some of these competitions.
He went on to recount a troubling practice involving contestants being asked to wear specific items that are allegedly unavailable in Ghana.
In one instance, he said participants were told a particular shoe required for a segment could only be sourced from London, where the organiser resides, and were instructed to pay money for it to be brought in.
“They will define a specific shoe for a segment and say the shoe is in London because the owner of the pageant is in London. Then they tell the contestant to pay a certain amount of money in Ghana to someone, and when the organiser returns, they will bring the shoe in that size,” he narrated.
Coleman further alleged that some contestants are tasked with going out to “engage” people and raise money, with those who generate the most funds gaining a clear advantage in the competition.
“Why do we send contestants to car washes, claiming they are raising money? After they raise the money, where does it go? Why do we send them to casinos to engage people? And the one “who is able to engage people and bring in the most money is almost guaranteed a top three spot. You can see where this is going,” he added.
While acknowledging that voting is often presented as part of the competition structure, Coleman maintained that he is fundamentally opposed to any pageant or reality show model that ties victory to paid votes.
“It is not just about voting. The voting thing is the least. I’m against any pageant that somebody has to vote to win something. Whatever it is, that somebody has to vote to win something out. I’m against it. If the voting is free, they don’t take money out of anybody’s pocket, just the audience just watching and say, it’s a free vote. I like it. Let’s do it that way,” he concluded.
AK/EB
