Miss Information: Show host’s gaffe sees wrong Universe winner crowned

The Miss Universe pageant descended into farce as the wrong winner was crowned last night. Host Steve Harvey incorrectly announced that Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez had won the 64th edition of the contest, broadcast live on the Fox television network. But she had to give up the crown and hand it over to Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, a 26-year-old actress and model from the Philippines. It was the first edition of the annual beauty show since it was thrust into controversy when then co-owner and U.S. presidential candidate, Donald Trump, made disparaging remarks about immigrants.

I’d like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines for my huge mistake. I feel terrible.

Host Steve Harvey

Wurtzbach appeared to take the blunder in her stride. "It’s a very non-traditional crowning moment,“ she said backstage afterward in a video clip of a conversation with Miss USA posted by the Miss Universe pageant on its Twitter feed. "It is very 2015." #MissUniverse2015 also became Twitter’s biggest trend of the night as thousands of social media users began to express disbelief using jokes and memes.

Celebrity MissUniverse2015