What’s the most awkward, cringe-worthy thing the host of a Miss Universe pageant can do on live TV? Survey says: not read the winner’s ballot properly.
That’s exactly what happened during Sunday night’s Miss Universe contest when host Steve Harvey misread the ballot card, and announced the wrong pageant winner.
The Colombian contestant was already wearing this year’s Miss Universe crown when Harvey returned to announce he had mistakenly read from a cue card. The contestant from the Philippines was actually this year’s winner.
“Listen, folks, let me just take control of this,” Harvey said. “This is exactly what’s on the card. I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake, it was on the card,” the host said, holding the ballot card in front of broadcast cameras.
“Horrible mistake, but the right thing. I can show it to you right here,” Harvey said. “The first runner-up is Colombia, it is my mistake. Still a great night, please don’t hold it against the ladies, please don’t. We feel so badly.”
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The comedian and host of gameshow Family Feud also apologized on Twitter, but at first misspelled the home countries of both contestants before also fixing that. “I’d like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia & Miss Philippines for my huge mistake,” he wrote. “I feel terrible.”
–with a file from the Associated Press
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