Miss Universe 2015 Update: Mix Reactions To Host Steven Harvey's Blunder, Apology

By Annie Dee

Miss Philippines is Miss Universe 2015, even though her crowning moment became quite a scandal when the prestigious title was first accidentally given to Miss Colombia. Miss Universe 2015 certainly broke the Internet because of this dramatic ending. Avid fans of the pageant however, remain in good spirits. 

Steven Harvey, host of Miss Universe 2015, may have made the biggest blunder of his life on national TV, but he manned up and apologized. The world may be a bit frazzled that such a thing could happen, but his apology went a long way to saving his reputation. Reactions, in general not hostile at all, abound around the world, from the Colombia leader to avid Filipino fans. 

Harvey, a Christian host, quickly apologized when he realized he announced Miss Colombia as the new Miss Universe and made Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach as the first runner up. While his apology righted everything, Miss Colombian was no doubt hurt because of his mistake. The crown after all, was already atop head before Harvey corrected his mistake. The crown needed to be removed from her head and then transferred to Miss Philippines, which can be quite an ordeal when the crown was highly coveted. Not to mention, the whole thing took place in front of a large crowd and on TV. In addition, President Juan Manuel Santos found himself needing to reverse a celebratory tweet.

Before the error was discovered, Santos tweeted, 'Colombians! The most beautiful in the world. Miss Universe 2016!!!! What pride!" When the error was announced, Santos did not waste time in making Miss Colombia feel better, without criticizing Harvey. Santos wrote to Gutierrez in a subsequent tweet: "For us you'll always be our Miss Universe. We feel very proud."

Filipinos are also very happy with the result, although some avid fans are not too happy that Miss Pia Wurtzbach was robbed of her shining moment. Many took to their social media accounts to bash the host, but there were also some who said they respect the host for admitting his mistake and apologizing, even if staying silent" would have saved him from a lot of ridicule. Some Filipinos called him "honest" and  "down to earth." Below are some of the tweets of a Filipino defending Harvey. 

The Miss Universe Organization has also apologized to Miss Philippines, Miss Colombia ,their friends, and families. "The excitement of live TV was evident tonight on The Miss Universe stage with over 10 million live fan votes tabulated. Unfortunately, a live telecast means that human error can come into play," the organization stated. "We witnessed that tonight when the wrong winner was initially announced," It added: "Our sincerest apologies to Miss Universe Colombia, Miss Universe Philippines, their families and fans." The statement ended with, "We congratulate Miss Universe Philippines as Miss Universe 2015."

Miss Universe 2015 Winner Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach
Miss Universe 2015 Winner Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach

Donald Trump, however, cannot help but diss the new owners of the organization. It could be remembered that Trump sold the Miss Universe Organization to talent agency and entertainment company WME/IMG three months ago. According to Trump, such a major blunder would never happen if the organization is still his. 

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