Brazil's Miss Bumbum competition rocked by allegations of bribery after rivals accuse contestants of paying judges

Competition's winner due to be announced next month



Contestants have accused two finalists of bribing judges with up to £18,000



First place prizes include cash and £20,000 in modelling contracts



Mari Sousa has been accused of bribing judges in a bid to win the Miss Bumbum 2013 competition in Brazil

An annual contest to find the sexiest bottom in Brazil has been rocked by scandal after two of the candidates were accused of bribing judges to rig the votes, it was reported today .

Blonde beauties Mari Sousa, 25, and Eliana Amaral, 24, are among 15 finalists in the running to be crowned Miss Bumbum 2013.

The competition, which is in its third year, has a huge following in the country and around the world, and titleholders often go on to become national celebrities.

The owner of this year's most beautiful backside was due to be crowned at a grand finale next month.

But the contest has been plunged into chaos after rivals accused Ms Sousa and Ms Amaral of paying thousands of pounds to the event's judging panel for the right to come first and second.

Brazil's O Dia newspaper reported that Ms Amaral, a law student representing the northeastern state of Pernambuco, had allegedly paid organisers around £18,000 for second place.

Contestant Poliana Lopes, 23, claimed Ms Sousa, a former funk music dancer representing Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil, had paid an even larger amount to the judges to be the competition's overall winner.

Ms Lopes said: 'It's no longer a secret to anyone that Miss Bumbum has been bought and already has a winner, Mari Sousa.'

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Ms Sousa, a former funk music dancer representing Rio Grande do Sul state has been accused of paying judges thousands of pounds to win the competition

' I'm very sad because the result isn't deserved, and her bottom isn't the most beautiful, which in a serious contest would be more right. I hope filling her pockets with money makes her happy.'

The O Dia newspaper also alleged that Ms Amaral's impressive derriere is not entirely natural - which would eliminate her from the competition - and that an X-ray she says proves she has no implants in her bottom is fake.

Following the furore, another contestant, Sheyla Mell, 24, wrote on Twitter: 'As you know Miss Bumbum already has a winner (not because of her own merits, but by other means).

Eliana Amaral has also been accused of foul play with some contestants suggesting her body is not entirely natural

' I want to thank everyone for voting for me, but we're in Brazil where everything has a price.



'I'm annoyed because all the other contestants have worked hard, only to find out that a winner has already been chosen. Don't waste any more time voting for me.'

Ms Amaral has been accused of paying organisers around £18,000 for second place

Ms Mell called on the other 13 finalists to boycott the competition's glittering grande finale, due to be held in a Sao Paulo hotel on November 15 and attended by journalists from all over the world.

She said: 'Then there would just be the "winner", the judges and the organising committee. Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?



'And we should demand back the money we paid to enter (although I think that will be difficult).'

The Miss Bumbum contest begins with 27 candidates chosen to represent each of Brazil's 26 states and the federal district Brasilia.

The women are then whittled down to a final 15 in an online eliminatory round, before a winner is chosen by a judging panel of six women and five men.

This year's winner will receive around £1,500 in prize money and £20,000 in modelling contracts - but but is also set to earn hundreds of thousands in appearances and endorsements.

Second place has also become a coveted position after previous years' runners up have achieve greater fame than the actual winners.

Last year's winner, curvy model Carine Felizardo, 26, still regularly features on magazine covers and TV shows.

Carine Felizardo (left) won last year's competition though runner-up Andressa Urach (right) has had more success



Last year's winner, curvy model Carine Felizardo, 26, still regularly features on magazine covers and TV shows.

But runner-up, Andressa Urach, achieved more success, going on to star in Brazilian version of reality show The Farm, then claiming she had an affair with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Miss Bumbum organizer Cacau Oliver, yesterday refused to comment on the vote-rigging allegations.