New York, September 5 : Business magnate Donald Trump personally helps shortlist six of the 15 finalists in the Miss Universe pageant every year, it has been claimed.

The pageant owner’s involvement as a judge was revealed by the contest’s choreographer Michael Schwandt.

"At all the shows, [Trump] pops up the day before the telecast and we line up all the girls in alphabetical order," the New York Post quoted Schwandt as telling Guanabee. com.

"[Trump] basically walks by and has an assistant who takes notes on all the girls.

“And it''s just kind of common knowledge that he picks six of the top 15 single-handedly," Schwandt added. (ANI)