Cat fights, bitching, backstabbing and bribery: Secrets of the battle to be Brazil's Miss BumBum laid bare... and nothing is off limits

• Brazil's Miss BumBum rear of the year competition is a fight to the finish where winning means everything  
• Girls will stop at nothing to win with judges being bribed, hair-pulling, dirty tricks and even voodoo employed
• But the competition comes at a price with breakdowns, tantrums and one contestant who tried to commit suicide
• Best bum contestants are whittled down to the final 15 and all live in the pressure cooker Miss BumBum mansion
• MailOnline's Matt Roper went behind the scenes in Sao Paulo to witness the desperate things they will do to win

By Matt Roper In Sao Paulo For Mailonline

Published: 02:45 EST, 24 October 2015 | Updated: 20:28 EST, 24 October 2015

Bitching, backstabbing, claims of dirty tricks and bribery, voodoo magic, and even the police being called after threats to gouge out eyes. In the fight to be named best bottom in Brazil, nothing, it seems, is off limits.

Welcome to the bizarre behind-the-scenes world of Miss BumBum, one of the strangest, yet most fiercely-fought beauty pageants in the world.

For most on the outside, the annual competition, now in its fifth year, seems like nothing more than a bit of tongue-in-cheek, titillating fun.

But in a nation obsessed with the female backside, officially having the sexiest is akin to royalty - and the battle to claim the crown can get very serious, and very dirty.

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Bitching: MailOnline's Matt Roper (pictured centre) went behind the scenes at Brazil's Miss BumBum mansion to lay bare the mind-boggling secrets and craziness of what really goes on at the world's most fiercely-fought beauty pageant

Cat fights: The contestants want to win so badly they will do almost anything to win the crown. Some have even done live stripteases in exchange for votes and one strutted half-naked through a shanty town controlled by gun-wielding gangsters for support

Desperate contestants have been known to go to astonishing lengths to get ahead, from carrying out risky and illegal cosmetic ops on their bodies, to attempts at sabotaging or even disfiguring rivals standing in their way.

This year, some women even allegedly offered live stripteases in exchange for votes, while one hopeful strutted semi-naked through a shanty town controlled by gun-wielding gangsters in an attempt to garner support.

And for those who don't make it, the pain can be unbearable. This week one of the hopefuls who failed to make the competition's final, Fernanda Paulino, reportedly attempted to take her own life.

The 21-year-old, who was representing the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, claimed she took a drugs overdose on Saturday because she 'wanted to disappear' after online voters shattered her lifelong Miss BumBum dream.

Meanwhile, for the remaining 15 girls still in with a chance of claiming the ultimate accolade, the competition has just got more ferocious than ever.

With this year's grand finale just weeks away, MailOnline spent a day in the Miss Bumbum mansion in Sao Paulo, where the finalists have been locked up together filming a reality show.

Catty: Former Pamela Anderson lookalike, Sabrina Boing Boing, 27, told how most of those residing in the Miss BumBum mansion can't bear to even look at each other in the eyes... but all take a good look at each other's bottoms

Firm behind: Finalist Jennifer Camacho told MailOnline: 'It's each girl in her corner. Nobody trusts anyone. There are some really stuck up girls here. They think they'll win just because they've paid to have plastic surgery, but their face still looks like an old passion fruit'

Whittled down from 500 candidates, then from the 27 representatives of every Brazilian state, each of the big-bottomed girls who have made it this far believe they can now go all the way - and admit they will do anything it takes to get there.

And according to the women, that has included a plot to 'rip up the face' of one of the contestants, a witchdoctor's black magic spell to bring calamity to a rival, and even paying thousands of pounds to the event's judges for a podium place.

Lazing on sunloungers or hobbling on high heels around a swimming pool in miniscule bikinis, it is perhaps not surprising, then, that there is a distinct lack of small talk among the contestants at the Miss BumBum mansion.

Sabrina Boing Boing, 27, a former Pamela Anderson lookalike, explains: 'When we all met four months ago on the first day we were all the best of friends. But by the second day that had all gone, and the daggers started.

'No-one is friends with anyone. Most of the women can't bear to even look at each other in the eyes. But when they have passed they take a good look at their bumbum, to check out the competition.

'We might not have got to know each other, but everyone knows very well the other girls' bottoms. A lot of the women spend their time bitching about them on social media, saying this one doesn't have a bum, that one is all cellulite.

'There is a a lot of bottom in the house, but not much personality. Some of the women are downright obnoxious. Some have been acting like they've won right from the start, which makes everyone hate them.'

Jennifer Camacho, 30, adds: 'It's each girl in her corner. Nobody trusts anyone.

'There are some really stuck up girls here. They think they'll win just because they've paid to have plastic surgery, but their face still looks like an old passion fruit.

'This is supposed to be a competition about female beauty, but a lot of these hags look more like transvestites.

'I don't think they should be allowed to go under the knife to win. At least I'm completely natural, I've never had surgery, and I've got a 10-year-old daughter.'

Cacau Oliver, the competition's creator, explains that many of the women have wagered everything on their dream to be Brazil's most desired derriere.

He says: 'The search for fame is like a drug, the more you try it the more you want it. We try to offer guidance but these women aren't able to see limits.

Pressure cooker: As the tension builds in the Miss BumBum mansion in Sao Paulo, there are claims the girls will do anything, even voodoo to win. One woman said a rival offered anyone willing to do it, £80 to gouge her eyes out

'There are girls who have sold everything they have, even their car, or taken out large bank loans to pay for what they need to win. That might mean hydrogel implants or operations, or to finance ways to get more votes.

'There's no use trying to persuade them not to, this is their dream and they'll risk everything to achieve it.'

Asked if anything is prohibited in the race for the title, Cacau shakes his head. 'This is the big difference with Miss BumBum. We let the girls loose and they fight with every weapon they have.'

And no wonder - although the winner's prize is just £8,000, titleholders often go on to become national celebrities, making much more - a fortune for many - in appearances and endorsements.

Last year's winner Indianara Carvalho still regularly appears on magazine covers and in celebrity gossip columns, and is rumoured to have made a shapely sum to boot.

She made more headlines in December last year when she underwent vaginal rejuvenation surgery to become a virgin again so that she could lose it to 'someone special' - who ended up being a stranger who paid her £50,000 for the privilege.

And this Easter she provoked the ire of the country's Catholics after posting a risque photo of her naked body covered with a painting of the Virgin Mary on Good Friday.

Other former contestants have gone on to have successful careers as models, TV presenters and novela actresses, both within Brazil and abroad.

This year's winner will also be the cover of popular men's magazine Sexy's December edition.

For the Miss BumBum hopefuls who have always dreamed of following in the footsteps of Brazil's big buttocked sex symbols, the prospect of unbridled fame and fortune is simply irresistible.

In-fighting: As well as bribes allegedly paid to judges for a place in the final, there is cat calling and nasty comments. Finalist Jennifer Camacho revealed: 'This is supposed to be a competition about female beauty, but a lot of these hags look more like transvestites'

Hotting up: Finalist Debora Dantas (pictured), says they are all willing to do whatever it takes to win. Miss BumBum winners take home an £8,000 prize, but go on to become national celebrities, making much more in appearances and endorsements

And perhaps none have showed more dedication that Debora Oliver, representing the state of Sao Paulo, who recently returned from Colombia, where she paid £17,000 to have two ribs removed.

The 24-year-old, who left a job as an economist to pursue her Miss BumBum dream, says: 'I had to leave the country to do it because it's against the law in Brazil.

'The government health agency don't approve because they say it's too dangerous, both the surgery and the fact that, without your floating ribs, if you ever suffered an accident you have no protection over your vital organs and it could lead to death.

'But for me the result is more important. I wanted to have a slimmer waist to make my bum look bigger. I got a lot of criticism from the other girls at the beginning but after I'd done it all of them shut their mouths. Now they're jealous.'

Ms Oliver also had surgery to lift her eye lids, chin surgery and liposuction - and believes her new look has put her in front of the others in her quest for victory.

She says: 'I've always been super dedicated. I think I'm the contestant who has gone the furthest and been the most daring, I've invested all the money I had. I think I have a big chance of winning now.

'I've dreamed of being Miss BumBum. There's nothing like it. Nothing else would make me famous all over the world.'

Another contestant confident of victory is Suzy Cortez, 25, representing the Federal District, who has had 10 lip augmentation procedures, two boob jobs and two liposuctions, and most recently a coolsculpting procedure on her abdomen to freeze away fat.

She says she also spends £1,500 a month on anti-cellulite creams, dietary supplements and butt-enhancing workouts - and is now on a diet of only chicken and sweet potato.

But she claims she is a victim of a bitter slur campaign by her jealous rivals. She says: 'They've gone to the press and told them that I don't do any exercises, that my body is just a result of plastic surgery.

'They just want publicity and as they can't get any of their own, they're using me because I'm more popular than them. I prefer to ignore all that and focus on myself.' 

Big spender: Suzy Cortez, 25, has had 10 lip filler operations, two boob jobs, two liposuctions and stomach 'coolsculpting'. She spends £1,500 a month on cellulite cream, dietary supplements and butt-enhancing workouts

Strike a pose: Suzy Cortez (left), who is on a chicken and sweet potato diet, claims she is the victim of her rivals' slur campaign. And Luciane Hoepers (right), says the other girls are concocting voodoo spells to try to stop her winning

Violence: Luciane Hoepers, 29, (pictured) claims one competitor offered to pay £80 to anyone willing to gouge out her eyes. She was so terrified that she went to the police and told them 'Miss BumBum had become a criminal organisation'

Luciane Hoepers, 29, representing Brazil's southern Santa Catarina state, claims intimidation by the other girls got so serious she had to call in the police - and now believes they are concocting voodoo spells to try to stop her.

She says: 'The women made a WhatsApp group with everyone in except me, and began to plan to use violence against me. 

'They plotted to grab me on one of the outside shoots, and one of the girls would hold me while the other was going to kick me in the face. They said they wanted to rip up my face. 

'One of the girls even offered to pay 500 reals (£80) to anyone who would gouge out my eyes. I only found out because one of the girls in the Whatsapp group is my only friend and forwarded me the messages.

'I felt threatened and didn't go to some of the shoots because I was so afraid. In the end I went to the police and reported the threats of violence. I told them Miss BumBum had become a criminal organisation, I was in shock.'

She adds: 'That died down, but now I'm sure they're trying to get at me in other ways. Today I was driving here and my car overheated and broke down. My car is new and was working perfectly, so how can that happen.

'I'm sure that was the result of macumba.'

Macumba is a popular Brazilian voodoo religion used by some people to inflict harm, failure or illness on others.

Ms Hoepers also alleged that, during the four months of online voting to choose the final 15 which ended last week, many of the contestants did whatever they could to claim the advantage over their rivals.

During the online voting, there was no limit to the number of votes an individual could cast.

She says: 'There were girls who went to porno sites and offered live webcam strips in exchange for votes.

'Others paid internet cafes to cast votes for them non-stop, or paid people to stay up all night casting one vote after another.

Peroxide and tattoos: The Miss BumBum competitors are filming a reality TV show together in the mansion, which means a lot of strutting around the swimming pool in high heels and laying out on sunloungers

Dirty tricks: Fernanda Abraao said lots of the girls resort to underhand tactics to win. It's not the first time the Miss BumBum competition has been dogged by scandals. In 2013 the contest was rocked when two candidates were accused of bribing judges to rig votes

'There were even contestants who employed PR companies to create stories for them so they would get more exposure.

'I think it's wrong. Not everyone has the same amount of money as some.

'There are girls here who are not here because they deserve it, some of them don't even have a bottom to speak of. It's totally unjust.'

She adds: 'I think I would have a big chance of being crowned the winner if the competition was fair, but it's not.'

Rio de Janeiro's Dani Sperle, 33, complained that the other women 'would do anything to get votes'. 

'If you'd had told them they'd get more votes by walking naked down the street with a pineapple on their heads, they'd have done it,' she said.

'There are girls here who are so dazzled by fame they've lost all notion of reality. The rivalry here is so great most of the girls don't even say "hi" to you when you see them.'

She added: 'I didn't need to make publicity for myself. I've been the official queen of samba school Uniao da Ilha for the last five years, I have a huge fanbase and I just asked everyone to vote for me.'

Another contestant who arrived at this year's competition with a large following is Ms Boing Boing, so called because of her famously-large boobs.

The heavily-tattooed bleached blonde, who has already posed for Playboy magazine in Brazil, is also no stranger to plastic surgery, and carries two litres of silicone in each breast. But she says she now wants to be known for her equally well-endowed booty.

She says: 'I changed my whole training routine to concentrate on my backside, to make it bigger and firmer and reduce the cellulite. I work out for two hours a day. I've removed carbohydrates from my diet and I only consume liquid after 7pm.

'You have to be really focused. I want people to notice my bottom, not just my boobs.

'It is now 44.4 inches in diameter. I know some of the other girls' bums are bigger than mine, but mine also comes with personality which must be an advantage.

Desperate: Rio de Janeiro's Dani Sperle (pictured), 33, complained that the other women 'would do anything' to get votes'. 'If you'd had told them they'd get more votes by walking naked down the street with a pineapple on their heads, they'd have done it,' she said

Body conscious: For Miss BumBum's creator, Cacau Oliver, his world famous competition is simply 'a formula to express Brazilian women's beauty' - and the proof is in its huge popularity

'There's no point winning Miss BumBum if you don't know what to do with it. You have to have creativity and spontaneity. If I win I'll make sure nobody forgets me.'

Ms Boing Boing also claims that one of the girls, who it is whispered is Suzy Cortez, offered money to the Miss BumBum judges to guarantee her the winner's spot.

Ms Boing Boing says: 'Just remember that on the day of the final. She doesn't deserve it, her bum is saggy and ugly, but she is confident of victory.

'If she wins it will be a great injustice.' 

It's not the first time the Miss BumBum competition has been dogged by rumours of dirty tricks, bribery and other scandals.

In 2013, the contest was rocked after two candidates were accused of bribing judges to rig the votes.

A Brazilian newspaper reported that Eliana Amaral, 24, had allegedly paid organisers around £18,000 for second place. Mari Sousa, 25, a former funk dancer, was accused of paying an even larger amount to judges to be the competition's overall winner.

On final day, Ms Amaral came second, just as the vote-rigging allegations had predicted. And although Ms Sousa missed out on first place, it was claimed organisers did a deal with winner Dai Macedo, 25, because she had complained the loudest and had called on fellow contestants to boycott the final.

Ms Amaral was also accused of surgically enhancing her bottom - which would have eliminated her from the competition - and of producing a fake X-ray to prove she had no implants. 

Another runner-up, Andressa Urach, was left fighting for her life last December when hydrogel fillers she had injected into her thighs to lift her buttocks in the run-up to the competition ended up rotting her legs, sending her into septic shock. 

Ms Urach, who achieved international notoriety in 2013 when she revealed sordid details of a supposed affair with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, survived the ordeal and later converted to Christianity. 

Her autobiography released in August this year revealed how winning Miss BumBum turned her into 'one of Brazil's most expensive and desired prostitutes' who would charge up to £7,000 an hour to millionaire clients around the world, including married soccer stars from Brazil's national team.

She claimed she had been paid hundreds of thousands to sleep with 'at least a thousand men'.

Big deal: Diana Nogueria, representing Sergipe state, takes a seat in the mansion garden. In a nation obsessed with the female backside, officially having the sexiest is akin to royalty

For Miss BumBum's creator, Cacau Oliver, however, his world famous competition is simply 'a formula to express Brazilian women's beauty' - and the proof is in its huge popularity.

He says: 'Every beauty pageant sells a certain type. Before Miss BumBum, the Brazilian bottom was already famous, and love for the bottom was already ingrained in Brazilian culture. I just decided to exploit this concept.

'For the winners, the whole world opens up for them. So no wonder these women are desperate to win, and do whatever they can possibly do to achieve their dream. For the girl who is crowned Miss BumBum, anything is possible.' 

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