Nadine Njeim, 20, was crowned Miss Lebanon on Friday night during a Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) live event.

Instead of offering her congratulations however, the first runner-up, Lamitta Franjieh, stormed off the stage, refusing to receive her title.

Franjieh, mistakenly thought by some to be the odds-on favorite because of a rumor that she is related to prominent Lebanese politician Suleiman Franjieh, refused to talk to reporters on her way out, saying only that she would hold a news conference shortly to explain her behavior.

Carine Bejjani, one of the participants who had been previously voted out and who excitedly cheered for Franjieh, said her second place finish was "not fair."

"Lamitta should have been crowned the queen," she said.

Njeim, a model and first-year student of Information and Documentation at the Lebanese University, was also chosen as "Miss Self-Confidence" during the pageant, while the second runner-up for the Miss Lebanon title went to Cynthia Saade, 19.

The celebration, which was sponsored by the Tourism Ministry, brought a large crowed of prominent figures from the entertainment world - such as international Lebanese music composer Gabrielle Yared - together with members of the media, political circles, and elite society in general.

The guest of honor was Lebanese singer Nawal al-Zoghbi, who sang a collection of her songs from her latest album.

The crowning of the queen, witnessed by parents and friends alike, came after the women had spent a month and a half together in one house, living the reality television experience for the competition's second consecutive year.

The show, which was hosted by former Miss Lebanon Nisrine Nasr and presenter Antoine Honein, kicked-off with the six women (10 had been voted off before the pageant) entering the gold tiara-shaped stage, smiling despite the apparent stress and tension.

After short video clips of the six talking about their aspirations and life were shown to the audience, the women promenaded with fabulous Robert Abi Nader designs, posing before the jury after answering various questions.

After going through four different tests, Njeim was chosen the winner based on a combined score from the judges' panel and the public's voting.

Unlike last year, when the public's vote constituted 50 percent of the final score, widespread complaints led to the downgrading of public opinion this year, with only 25 percent of the final mark allocated to the public.

The other 75 percent this year was based on the women's answers to questions from the eight-member jury, as well as their scores in the swimsuit and designer gown competitions.

Jury members, among them Yared, international designer Yara Lapidus, Lebanese TV director Simon Asmar, and Naseeb Gemayel, owner of Gemayel Jewelry, asked the six finalists a series of questions, some more challenging than others.

In answering one question, finalist Sandra Sayegh, told Gemayel that she "preferred to get a work contract over a diamond necklace," because work would allow her to get the diamonds latter.

"I have always said that Lebanese women rank among the most beautiful and intelligent in the world," said Lapidus, clearly ebullient over all of the women's' performances