Miss Universe pageant host Steve Harvey makes huge gaffe, names wrong winner
LAS VEGAS - Miss Universe pageant host Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner at the end of Sunday night's big show in Las Vegas and was forced to make an embarrassing apology.
After announcing Miss USA, Olivia Jordan, as the third runner-up, Harvey initially named Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo, as the night's big winner, relegating the remaining contestant, Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurzbach, to the second runner-up spot.
But after Miss Colombia received her crown and a bouquet of flowers, Harvey announced he had made an error and that Miss Philippines was in fact the winner. Harvey, known as the host of "Family Feud" and "The Steve Harvey Show", said it was his mistake and that he would take responsibility for not reading the card correctly.
A stunned Wurzbach, who had taken her place with the other contestants behind Arevalo, then walked out to center stage. Last year's Miss Universe, Colombia's Paulina Vega, then removed the crown from Avrevalo's head and placed it on Wurtzbach instead.
Miss Universe host Steve Harvey says no one feels worse than he does about his mistake awarding Colombia the crown before Miss Universe.
Harvey spoke to reporters assembled at the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino where the pageant concluded with him awarding the crown to the wrong person.
Mark Shapiro of the pageant's new owner, WME ' IMG, says Harvey corrected the mistake on his own when he realized the error on air.