Miss Universe 2023 judge Iris Mittenaere: 'Michelle (Dee) was in my top 5'
At A Glance
- "I know that Michelle is very sweet and please give her a lot of love because she deserves it.'

Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, a Miss Universe selection committee member in El Salvador, said she wasn't aware of the deleted post that went viral. However, Iris said Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee was in her top 5.
The French beauty queen was reacting to an inquiry from a netizen who alleged that the Miss Universe Organization posted an art card of the Miss Universe 2023 top 5 finalists, including Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee.

The original art card had been deleted. But when uploaded again, Michelle's photo had been removed from the top 5 and replaced it by an image of Miss Universe Thailand Anntonia Porsild, who finished second overall in the prestigious pageant. Michelle ended her Miss Universe 2023 journey in the top 10.

Iris wrote on Instagram:
"I have no idea about a deleted post or something. As judges, everything was fair and legal. But to be honest, Michelle was in my top 5.
"I loved her style in an evening gown, and I love her style since I saw her in the Philippines almost 3 years ago. She made no mistakes, so the Philippines should be very proud of her.

"She is beautiful, kind, classy .. the level was really high this year when you see the girls who didn’t make it to the top, there are a lot of amazing contestants …
"I know that Michelle is very sweet and please give her a lot of love because she deserves it. She is the perfect representative for the Philippines. Sweet, kind, true, classy, and hard worker. I hope to see her very soon," Iris also said.