Miss Universe 2015 Update: What’s Next for Steve Harvey, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez & Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach?
In an era of tribal nationalism, the message of winning humbly is lost in many of us. The unexpected turn of events in the recently concluded Miss Universe 2015 competition on Dec. 20 highlighted the traumatic realm of public humiliation that led to hateful web sound bites, mob-like online rant and conspiracy theories.
Despite the ruinous noise of the controversial pageant, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez and Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach showed that there's still grace and humility in losing and winning. So, what's next for the ladies, as well as for the pageant's highly criticized host, Steve Harvey?
Harvey, who had been mocked with a series of memes and comments online after his Miss Universe 2015 flub, recently joked about his disastrous pageant mistake through an Instagram holiday greeting. According to Us Weekly, the comedic host shared a photo of himself, smoking cigar and flashing a peace sign on Dec. 25.
"Merry Easter y'all!" Harvey captioned his Instagram pic.
As for the current Miss Universe 2015 winner Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines, she recently wrote a message on Facebook thanking fans for their support as well as urging them to stop the hate. Wurtzbach even has some nice words for fellow contestant and first runner-up Ariadna Gutierrez of Colombia, as per CNN.
"Words can't describe how grateful I am for this," she wrote. "Now, I finally got the best Christmas gift ever -- and not just for me, for my country. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who believed in my potential and those who supported me from the beginning. To everyone who voted for me, especially to my fellow countrymen, thank you."
In the same post, Wurtzbach sent out words of encouragement to Gutierrez.
"To Ariadna, you are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience," her statement read. "In the last 3 weeks we were together, I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out. You represented your country with honor and I know how proud everyone must be of you. Fate has a plan for you, and I'm excited to see what's ahead."
Following the catastrophic finale of Miss Universe 2015, the online realm was bombarded with hateful comments and accusations. However, Wurtzbach urged fans to stop because it eclipsed the purpose of the pageant.
"And to all the fans who are still fighting about this...Please let's all stop now," she said. "The Miss Universe Organization is about uniting empowered women from all over the world. Arguing and sending hateful messages to each other defeats the whole purpose. You believe in the message of Miss Universe and so do I. Again, thank you for the love."
Meanwhile, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez also broke her silence over the controversial and jaw-dropping conclusion of Miss Universe 2015. On an Instagram post, she thanked her supporters and congratulated the Philippines for Wurtzbach's victory, Daily Mail noted.
"After the storm comes the calm," she wrote on Instagram. "I want to thank each and everyone of you who have sent messages of support and strength. Every one of you has become an incredible human being in my book and I am the most fortunate and thankful for having the support not only from one country but from the whole entire world."
"I also want to congratulate the Philippines for their new Miss Universe," Gutierrez added. "The happiness that you must be feeling must be incredible. Life continues and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen. Thank you all for your LOVE SUPPORT and KINDNESS."
With what had transpired in Miss Universe 2015, from Harvey's mistake to how Wurtzbach and Gutierrez dealt their triumph and loss, it definitely transformed the Miss Universe competition from a beauty pageant of glittery appearances and high-heeled logic into a pageantry of virtues and human decency.
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