Colombia’s Ariadna Gutierrez Snubbing Steve Harvey? Embattled Host Releases First Statement After Controversial Miss Universe 2015 Blunder
Weeks after the controversial and embarrassing Miss Universe 2015 blunder on Dec. 20, highly-criticized host Steve Harvey broke his silence over the issue. During a radio interview on "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," the 58-year-old TV personality recalled the happenings during the pageant's coronation night. Harvey also revealed that in spite of his humility to reach out and talk to Miss Universe runner-up Ariadna Gutierrez of Colombia, the beauty queen is still giving him a cold shoulder.
The Miss Universe 2015 pageant was indeed one of the highlights of 2015 in terms of controversies, thanks to Harvey's misreading of results. And even though the comedic host promptly took full responsibility of his mistake, several beauty pageant enthusiasts and supporters lambasted him for his hosting skills. Now, Harvey is setting the record straight once and for all.
Amid the endless rumors, Harvey denied that accusations that he missed the rehearsals prior to last month's Miss Universe 2015 controversy. Perez Hilton, one of the pageant's telecast judge even accused him of being unprepared, while some people cited his drinking and gambling binge the night before the coronation in Las Vegas, Mercury News noted.
"First of all, I went to more rehearsals than I've ever gone to for anything," he said Monday. "I did the entire table read, which is how they go through the whole script with you, except they don't know the winner yet. Then, on Friday, we did the walk-through, the full walk-through of the show. Then, on Saturday morning ... we did the whole show dress rehearsal. I was there for the entire dress rehearsal."
Harvey stressed that he just read the name on the card. Unfortunately, he announced the wrong contestant as the winner, who was Miss Colombia instead of Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines.
"I said the name that was on the card. When I walked off, everything was cool...and then, after that, all hell broke loose," Harvey said, as per E! News. "All I heard was people say, 'That's the wrong name'...and all I hear is confusion backstage. Now I'm standing here in the wing, so what I did was, I said, 'I gotta go fix it.' Now I got a guy in my ear going, 'We gotta do something! We gotta do something!' That's all I'm hearing, utter confusion."
During those crucial moments, Harvey said he thought of what his father had always told him when making mistakes, which was owning it up and correct it. However, in Harvey's case, not all wrongs could be righted.
"You make a mistake, own up to it, so I went out there and I said I made a mistake. And I tried to fix it, I tried to fix it right there," he shared. "All I could think of was here's a problem. The lady who won Miss Philippines is standing there as a loser and she got all the votes and the points."
While Harvey owned up to his mistake, he felt bad for Guttierez, who hasn't responded to his efforts for apology.
"When I did it, it was horrible for Miss Colombia and she's the only one I haven't had a chance to talk to," he added, as quoted by Latin Times. "I don't feel sorry for me, I don't feel sorry for the pageant -- the pageant will now be bigger than it's ever been. My only regret is how this woman must have felt. And none of us can know what that is. I felt for her more than me, because, look I'm just a man, I'm out here, I ain't been waiting for all my life for this moment."
After his Miss Universe 2015 gaffe, Harvey insisted that he had tried his best to contact Miss Colombia but his efforts were snubbed. He also revealed that he got a chance to talk to Wurtzbach, the pageant organizers and the director.
"I've had a chance to talk to Miss Philippines..." Harvey admitted. "But I haven't been able to reach out and talk to Miss Colombia. Now, have I tried? Yes. But haven't gotten a response."
Despite the overwhelming confusion, Steve Harvey owned up the blunder. Unfortunately, Gutierrez said in an interview that the experience was humiliating for her and her countrymen.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com