This was the first year the Miss Universe pageant involved Steve Harvey or the Planet Hollywood Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Planet Hollywood Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas was the scene of a pop culture controversy on Sunday night. The 2015 Miss Universe Pageant was held at the Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip, but a mixup with the teleprompter caused host Steve Harvey to announce the wrong contestant as the winner.
Steve Harvey held a card with the correct information on it, identifying Miss Philippines as the winner of the 2015 Miss Universe crown. But the teleprompter said: “Miss Universe — Colombia” on it, so that is what Steve Harvey said.
After being informed of his mistake, Steve Harvey shocked the crowd when he said, “I have to apologize….The first runner-up is Colombia. Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.”
Steve Harvey Tweets an Apology
A few minutes after the incident, Steve Harvey posted on his Twitter page (@IAmSteveHarvey), “I want to apologize emphatically to Miss Philippians (sic) and Miss Columbia (sic). This was a terribly honest human mistake and I am so regretful.”
The tweet was later deleted and replaced with a corrected copy, along with additional regrets. It said, “I want to apologize emphatically to Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia. This was a terribly honest human mistake. I am so so regretful.”
Later, the Miss Universe Organization released a statement via Fox representative Joanna Wolff. The press release said, “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. We witnessed that tonight when the wrong winner was initially announced.”
MUO gave their regrets to the contestants, saying, “Our sincerest apologies to Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, their families and fans. We congratulate Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach as Miss Universe 2015.”
Donald Trump No Longer Associated with Miss Universe
2015 is the first year since 2002 the Miss Universe pageant has not been associated with Donald Trump and NBC, who each owned 50% of the Miss Universe Organization. The contest has existed since 1952, though its relevence to the times has sometimes been questioned. The winner of Miss USA goes on to compete in Miss Universe, though the Miss USA pageant has often has been overshadowed by the Miss American pageant in the United States in the past.
Donald Trump brought a certain glamour to the event in the past dozen years or so, but he sold his shares in the Miss Universe Organization in order to run for president. For three days, Donald Trump owned 100% of the company, after NBC sold out its half in September 2015. Then he sold the entire organization to WME/IMG for an undisclosed amount.
Viewers immediately took to the Twitterverse to offer their opinions on the gaff. Conspiracy theorists suggested the gaff was staged to gain free publicity. Other people suggested the mistake never would have happened on Donald Trump’s watch.
Donald Trump Tweets His Sadness
Donald Trump was one of those giving his opinion. The Republican presidential candidate tweeted from his official account (@realDonaldTrump): “Very sad what happened last night at the Miss Universe Pageant. I sold it 6 months ago for a record price. This would never have happened!.”
He later retweeted other posters who gave similar opinions.
For a short time, it appeared as if Miss Colombia had won the contest two years in a row. The tradition is to have the new crown winner crowned by the previous year’s champion, so 2014 Miss Universe Paulina Vega was on the stage to crown the champion. She gave the crown to 2015 Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, only to have to remove the crown from the confused contestants head moments later.
Then she crowned the real champion, 2015 Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. The half-Filipino, half-German champion seemed equally confused by the mistake, but quickly began beaming as she realized she had won after all.
Steve Harvey Took Responsibility
Meanwhile, Steve Harvey took full responsibility for the confusion. He pointed out that the contest organizers had put the correct information on the card he was holding in his hand. Had he looked down to the card instead of the teleprompter, he would have seen the correct info.
He said to the audience, “Let me just take control of this. This is exactly what’s on the card. I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake. It was on the card.”
About Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey is one of the most-loved comedians of the past generation. His standup act led to recognition by the year 1990, including a long stint on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo”. In the 1990s, he starred on sitcoms like “Me and the Boys” and “The Steve Harvey Show”.
Steve Harvey also appeared on The Original Kings of Comedy Tour in 1998 with Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, and D.L. Hughley. He’s had a successful syndicated radio show (“The Steve Harvey Morning Show”) and a TV talk show (“Steve Harvey”). The comedian also hosted the Family Feud for a number of years.
Las Vegas Strip Tragedy
On the same night as the Miss Universe fiasco, a more tragic scene played out on the Las Vegas Strip. A few hours after the Miss Universe pageant ended, a lone female driver drove up on the sidewalk on Las Vegas Boulevard in front of Paris Hotel, intentionally running over 37 people. One pedestrian was killed, 6 were removed to the hospital, and 30 others were injured.
Police arrested the woman, who was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile registered in Oregon. The woman, who is described as a mid-20s female, was arrested and is being questioned by police. The driver, who had a 3-year old child in the car when she drove onto the sidewalk, is said to have moved to Las Vegas recently. Police say the incident is not terrorism-related, but the tragedy was intentional. She is said to have driven on the sidewalk 2 or 3 additional times, in an apparent attempt to target bystanders.
