11 Beauty Queens Who Were Stripped Of Their Crowns

Beauty pageants have no shortage of drama. Between the onstage performances and backstage happenings, there is a lot at stake for the contestants. These women put in years of hard work — all for a title, a scholarship, and a year of fame as one of the most beautiful women in the state, country, or world.

But for some women, that didn't last. And, as seen this year with the Steve Harvey catastrophe, the whole experience can be so upsetting to witness. Imagine getting that close to such a milestone achievement and then having it taken away. That is what happened to Miss Puerto Rico, Kristhielee Caride, whose title was revoked on March 17 after being told she had a bad attitude.

Unfortunately, this has been happening for years, and for an assortment of reasons ranging from hidden pregnancies, to leaked nude photos — much more scandalous reasons than a lack of reading skills. Way back in 1957, Leona Gage was stripped of her crown as Miss USA after holding the position for less than 24 hours. Since then, almost a dozen more women have lost their spots at the top by different pageant organizations.

Here are the 11 beauty pageant contestants who were dethroned while they were reigning beauty queens. They may have been the fairest of them all, but life isn't.