Miss Universe apologizes to Miss Colombia, Pia Wurtzbach

MANILA, Philippines  — The Miss Universe Organization apologized to Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez and Philippines's Pia Wurtzbach after an error during the announcement of winners at the 64th Miss Universe pageant on Sunday (Monday morning, Philippine time).

Show host Steve Harvey made the mistake of announcing Gutierrez as the new Miss Universe instead of Wurtzbach, leading to a mix-up.

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"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 said in a statement.

"We witnessed that tonight when the wrong winner was initially announced," it added.

It added: "Our sincerest apologies to Miss Universe Colombia, Miss Universe Philippines, their families and fans."

"We congratulate Miss Universe Philippines as Miss Universe 2015.

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In an interview after the pageant, Harvey said no one feels worse than he does about his mistake awarding Colombia the crown at Miss Universe.

Pia, in a video interview posted on the Miss Universe social media accounts, described the incident as a "very non-traditional crowning moment."