Viewers of the Miss Univers 2019 Pageant are still confused over host Steve Harvey‘s announcement of the National Costume winner. The game show host sent some mixed signals in the reading, but it is now clear that Miss Philippines, Gazini Ganados won the award. At the time, however, fans were had reason for the misunderstanding.
Harvey announced that Miss Philippines had won the National Costume Contest live on air at Miss Universe 2019. The screen then shifted to a photo of the winner in her silvery winged costume. However, Harvey turned back to Miss Malaysia, Shweta Sekhon, who was standing beside him on stage. The way he spoke with the model, it seemed to some like she was the winner.
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“May I say something?” Sekhon asked, reaching for the microphone. “It’s not Philippines, it’s Malaysia!”
Wait sorry am still confused. So why did Steve Harvey announce that Philippines won Best National Costume, and it was Gazini in the photo on screen, but it was Malaysia who was physically beside him? Miscomm ba? Prank ba? #MissUniverse2019
— Bianca Gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) December 9, 2019
“Okay, well, let me explain something to you, I just read that in the teleprompter,” Harvey said, pointing toward the camera. “Y’all gotta quit doing this to me. I can read, now — see, they’re trying to fix it now!”
Harvey played the moment off, saying that this had happened to him before. He went on to compliment Sekhon’s costume, though some were left unclear about which of the two costumes had really won the category.
Insiders at the Miss Universe 2019 pageant confirmed that Miss Philippines Ganzini Ganados was, in fact, the winner, according to a report by Deadline. The sources said that there was a miscommunication as Sekhon was sent out on stage to help Harvey present the award.
HOY STEVE HARVEY!!! NATIONAL COSTUME ANG PILIPINAS 😭🇵🇭#MissUniverse2019#GaziniGanados5#MissUniversePhilippines2019 pic.twitter.com/6jXW1ZcFrB
— kinel 🥀 (@knnlleop_) December 9, 2019
“Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados is the winner of the Miss Universe 2019 National Costume contest. As part of the broadcast, we also featured Miss Universe Malaysia Shweta Sekhon’s national costume,” they explained. “Miss Sekhon wasn’t aware we’d be announcing Philippines first, so she jumped the gun when Mr. Harvey started with that news. Mr. Harvey made a joke of it, but no mistakes regarding the national costume winner were made by him, the prompter or production.”
Harvey got off easier this time than in 2015, when he accidentally announced the wrong winner of the Miss Universe pageant altogether. At the time, Miss Philippines had won the year, but Harvey accidentally announced runner-up Miss Colombia as if she had the title.
This year, Miss Universe 2019 is Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi. The first runner-up is Miss Puerto Rico, Madison Anderson, followed by Miss Mexico, Sofía Aragón.
