Ingrid Marie Rivera won the 2008 Miss Universe pageant despite someone trying to sabotage her. Pageant organizers said they hope to catch and expose whoever was responsible for dousing Rivera’s evening gowns with pepper spray and spiking her makeup, causing her to break out in hives. Someone also stole Rivera’s bag containing her gowns, makeup and credit cards. Police have opened have opened an investigation as well.

Pageant spokesman Harold Rosario said, "We thought at first it was an allergic reaction, or maybe nerves, but the second time, we knew it couldn’t have been a coincidence."

Despite having to strip off her clothes and apply ice bags to her face and body, which swelled and broke out in hives twice, Rivera was able to remain composed in front of judges and the cameras during the competition. Rivera said, "At one point I said, ’Am I a masochist?’ I said, ’I am with God and this is my goal, regardless of the results.’"

Someone even called in a bomb threat which forced pageant officials to postpone the last day of competition on Thursday, said Magali Febles, director of the Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant. No explosives were found.

Despite everything Rivera won. You could say Rivera is the bomb.

While the future of ‘The Apprentice’ is uncertain, Donald Trump isn’t wasting any more time with creating a new reality show… this time on MTV. Maybe he’s trying to reach the young and ‘cooler’ audience?

Trump’s new half hour show, ‘Pageant Palace’ is in lineup on the MTV network; focusing on the everyday lives of beauty pageant winners. According to Variety, it will featured Miss Universe and Miss USA sharing a fancy Manhattan apartment, while working their butts off with multiple duties- modeling, charity events and the like.

The new series will feature Miss USA Tara Conner, past winner of the pageant last year who stirred controversy for entering rehab for drugs and alcohol.

The promotion of this show will be a great way to stick it to his archenemy, loudmouth Rosie O’Donnell, who is up for the ‘Price Is Right’ gig herself.  Trump tells Variety magazine, "We’d been thinking about everything that happens backstage and how women like Tara captured the imagination of so many of us, including a slob named Rosie O’Donnell, who didn’t like that I gave Tara a second chance,"

The real estate mogul also co-owns Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA on NBC.

Donald Trump wanted us all to watch Miss Universe. Is he the one responsible for over waxing the stage so Miss USA Rachel Smith would fall on her butt? She really recovered quickly, and that plastic smile never left her face. These girls are real professionals.

Miss Japan, Riyo Mori, was crowned Miss Universe 2007. The last time Japan won the pageant was in 1959 when Akiko Kojima became the first Miss Universe from Asia. (source)