Washington: Miss Colombia for Miss Congeniality?
The Internet has had a field day with Steve Harvey's epic mix-up at Sunday's Miss Universe pageant, in which he mistakenly announced the wrong winner. But the contestants at the center of the gaffe - Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez and the actual winner, Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach - have responded with grace.
"Everything happens for a reason, so I'm happy," a teary Gutierrez said backstage, surrounded by a group of fellow contestants who embraced her and yelled "We love you, Colombia!"
In another backstage interview, Wurtzbach, who was crowned Miss Universe after Harvey returned to the stage to say that he'd make a mistake, was basically speechless. (Also Read: Miss Universe 2015 Host Apologises For Mixup, Says, 'I Feel Terrible')
"It's a very non-traditional crowning moment, isn't it?" she said in a conversation with Miss USA. "It's very 2015."
In an interview with , Wurtzbach said there was absolute confusion after Harvey clarified the mix-up.
"I was confused. I wasn't sure what was going on," Wurtzbach said. "I was hesitating as well to go up front because that could have been a mistake as well."
"I can't help but think of Ariadna," Wurtzbach told 's Nischelle Turner, who asked if she'd spoken to Gutierrez after the chaos.
"No, because she was crying and then there was a crowd around her, the girls who were comforting her," Wurtzbach said. "I was going to go to her - I was actually very close to her already, but then I decided that maybe it was bad timing to do it now, to apologize to her for what happened, so maybe I'll do that in the future." (In Pics: How Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez Almost Became Miss Universe)
Harvey has since apologized for his mistake, both during the telecast and on Twitter, but not everyone has been as forgiving as Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that 1969 Miss Universe winner Gloria Diaz called for Harvey to be fined $100,000 for the error.
In an interview posted to YouTube and the Facebook account of a pageant blog called Missosology, Miss Germany Sarah-Lorraine Riek told an interviewer she was unhappy with the results. "I really couldn't believe it, I was so upset," Riek said, adding that she "was really happy for Colombia - she really deserved it."
When the interviewer asked why she and other contestants surrounded Gutierrez instead of congratulating Wurtzbach after Miss Philippines received the crown, Riek said flatly: "Because none of us voted for Philippines. I'm sorry to say that."
© 2015 The Washington Post
The Internet has had a field day with Steve Harvey's epic mix-up at Sunday's Miss Universe pageant, in which he mistakenly announced the wrong winner. But the contestants at the center of the gaffe - Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez and the actual winner, Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach - have responded with grace.
"Everything happens for a reason, so I'm happy," a teary Gutierrez said backstage, surrounded by a group of fellow contestants who embraced her and yelled "We love you, Colombia!"
"It's a very non-traditional crowning moment, isn't it?" she said in a conversation with Miss USA. "It's very 2015."
Advertisement
"I was confused. I wasn't sure what was going on," Wurtzbach said. "I was hesitating as well to go up front because that could have been a mistake as well."
Advertisement
"No, because she was crying and then there was a crowd around her, the girls who were comforting her," Wurtzbach said. "I was going to go to her - I was actually very close to her already, but then I decided that maybe it was bad timing to do it now, to apologize to her for what happened, so maybe I'll do that in the future." (In Pics: How Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez Almost Became Miss Universe)
Advertisement
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that 1969 Miss Universe winner Gloria Diaz called for Harvey to be fined $100,000 for the error.
Advertisement
When the interviewer asked why she and other contestants surrounded Gutierrez instead of congratulating Wurtzbach after Miss Philippines received the crown, Riek said flatly: "Because none of us voted for Philippines. I'm sorry to say that."
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
How A Small-Town Kannadiga Brought India Its 1st Miss Universe Petite Crown Miss Universe Singapore Now Open For Mothers, Married, Divorced Women Indian Student, 23, Goes Missing In US, Was Last Seen In Los Angeles Krishan Kumar's Daughter Tishaa Dies After "Battle With Illness": Family Review: Bad Newz Relies On Vicky Kaushal To Pull It Out Of The Fire Ben Affleck Is "Upset It Didn't Work Out" With Jennifer Lopez: Report Microsoft Outage "Affecting IT Operations" Paris Olympics Organisers In Jaw-Dropping Video, 12-Foot King Cobra Rescued And Released In Karnataka Biden Or Trump, It's Still A Long Wait For Indian 'Dreamers' In US Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.