Telemundo first announced the creation of “Miss Latina Universo” during its 2013 upfronts, also plugged it during the 2014 upfronts and two weeks ago announced the launch date, set to be a replacement for “La Voz Kids,” which had its finale on Sunday, June 8.
Just last week, the network revealed the show’s judges would be former Miss Universe Bárbara Palacios, People En Español director Armando Correa, Chiquis Rivera, and Poty, former “Mira Quien Baila” choreographer.
Rashel Díaz, co-host of “Un Nuevo Día” and Raúl González were chosen to be the hosts of the Telemundo beauty pageant.
The show was pitched as the first-ever reality program that after conducting national auditions, a rigorous pre-selection process, and incorporating audience votes, would pick a Latina contestant that would be sent to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.
After much prodding, Telemundo finally released a one line statement that doesn’t address the reasons why the show was postponed or when or if it would return to the network’s programming schedule:
“A decision has been made to postpone the production of Miss Latina Universo to ensure that the series reflects the quality and standards of the Miss Universe and Telemundo brands.”
An inside source told Huffington Post Voces that legal problems, delays in the taping of the program, and a lack of organization within the production team were among the many problems that plagued the show.
It is also speculated that after a Latina was chosen to be Miss USA 2014 last Sunday, there would be a conflict in having a potential second Latina candidate in the Miss Universe pageant.