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 Crown swiftly removed from Miss Colombia and given to Miss Philippines after host realises his mistake at the end of the ceremony in Las Vegas 
 
 The Miss Universe 2015 contest has ended in confusion and disarray after the host mistakenly named the wrong woman as the winner. 
 
 Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo from Colombia had already been crowned and was standing on stage to cheers from the Las Vegas audience when mortified host Steve Harvey returned to announce the error. 
 
 “OK, folks, um, I have to apologise,” he said, walking back on stage while Arevalo was proudly waving to fans, holding the winner’s bouquet and wearing the Miss Universe sash. “The first runner-up is Colombia,” he went on, “Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.” 
 
 The camera panned straight to a stunned Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who started slowly walking to the front of the stage. For a few awkward moments the two women stood side by side, in front of a TV audience of millions from around the world, before Harvey explained that he read the card naming the winner and runner-up in the wrong order. 
 
 “I will take responsibility for this, it was my mistake,” he told the crowd. “It’s on the card ... horrible mistake, but I can show it to you right here,” he said, holding up the card. 
 
 “It is my mistake, but it’s still a great night.” 
 
 “Please don’t hold it against the ladies, please don’t. I feel so badly but it’s still a great night.” 
 
 As he spoke, a former Miss Universe winner quickly removed the crown from Arevalo and placed it on Wurtzbach. The broadcast ended moments later. 
 
 The reaction on social media was swift, with viewers expressing dismay at the “fail of the decade”. 
 
 Later, Wurtzbach told reporters that she wished Arevalo well. 
 
 “I’m very sorry. I did not take the crown from her,” she said. “None of this was done on purpose. It was an honest mistake.” 
 
 Harvey’s mistake is not the first time the wrong woman has been named the winner of a high-profile beauty pageant. In 2010 during a live television broadcast, Australian host Sarah Murdoch read out the wrong name in the finale of Australia’s Next Top Model. 
 
 
 
 The competition started with women representing 80 countries between the ages of 19 and 27. For the first time, viewers at home weighed in, with their votes being tallied in addition to four in-person celebrity judges. 
 
 NBC Universal and Donald Trump co-owned the Miss Universe Organization until earlier this year. The real-estate developer offended Latin Americans in June when he made anti-immigrant remarks in announcing his Republican presidential run. 
 
 That led Spanish-language network Univision to pull out of the broadcast for what would have been the first of five years airing the pageants and NBC to cut business ties with Trump. 
 
 The former star of the Celebrity Apprentice reality show sued both companies, settling with NBC in September, which included buying the network’s stake in the pageants. 
 
 That same month, Trump sold the organisation that includes the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to entertainment company WME-IMG. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Associated Press contributed to this report 
 
 

 LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Miss Universe contestant from the Philippines is this year's winner but for one brief moment Sunday evening, it appeared as if it might be a repeat win for Colombia. 
 
 Former Miss Universe Paulina Vega, center, takes away the flowers and sash from Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, left, before giving them to Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, right, at the Miss... (Associated Press) 
 
 From left, Miss USA Olivia Jordan, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez and Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach react as they make the final three at the Miss Universe pageant Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in Las... (Associated Press) 
 
 Steve Harvey holds up the card showing the winners after he incorrectly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner at the Miss Universe pageant on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in Las Vegas. Miss... (Associated Press) 
 
 Former Miss Universe Paulina Vega, center, removes the crown from Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, left, before giving it to Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, right, at the Miss Universe pageant... (Associated Press) 
 
 Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, left, and Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach react as they make the final three at the Miss Universe pageant Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) (Associated Press) 
 
 Other contestants comfort Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, center, after she was incorrectly crowned Miss Universe at the Miss Universe pageant on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in Las Vegas. Miss Philippines... (Associated Press) 
 
 Colombia contestant Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo was already wearing the crown as this year's Miss Universe winner when host Steve Harvey returned to apologize. 
 
 Harvey says it was his mistake and that he would take responsibility for not reading the card correctly that named contestant Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach this year's winner and Colombia the first runner-up. 
 
 A mystified Wurtzbach appeared stunned as she walked to the front of the stage alongside the crown-wearing Arevalo before last year's Miss Universe from Colombia removed the crown and placed it on Wurtzbach's head instead. 
 
 The competition started with women representing 80 countries between the ages of 19 and 27. For the first time, viewers at home weighed in, with their votes being tallied in addition to four in-person celebrity judges. 
 
 NBCUniversal and Donald Trump co-owned the Miss Universe Organization until earlier this year. The real-estate developer offended Hispanics in June when he made anti-immigrant remarks in announcing his Republican presidential run. 
 
 That led Spanish-language network Univision to pull out of the broadcast for what would have been the first of five years airing the pageants and NBC to cut business ties with Trump. 
 
 The former star of the "Celebrity Apprentice" reality show sued both companies, settling with NBC in September, which included buying the network's stake in the pageants. 
 
 That same month, Trump sold the organization that includes the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to entertainment company WME-IMG. 

 Billionaire presidential candidate Donald Trump reacted to the Miss Universe pageant catastrophe after host Steve Harvey mistakenly named Miss Colombia the winner. The crown was eventually taken away from Miss Colombia and given to Miss Philippines after Harvey admitted his mistake. 
 
 “It certainly was a terrible error, terrible for the young woman from Colombia, but, you know, things happen, it’s live television,” Trump said, in an interview with the Today Show’s Matt Lauer this morning. 
 
 Trump advised the pageant organizers to host a ceremony and give Miss Colombia a crown too. 
 
 “I tell you what I think I’d do, I think I’d make them a co-winner, it would be very cool,” he said. 
 
 He described the situation as “devastating” for the people of Colombia, who were already struggling with a chaotic political situation in their country. 
 
 “I would recommend that they go have a beautiful ceremony, which is good for the brand, and good for Miss Universe and do a co-winner,” he said. “And I think something like that could work maybe.” 
 
 Trump praised Steve Harvey as a “terrific” guy and the new owners of the pageant as “tremendous people” but admitted that mistakes happen on live television. 
 
 On Twitter, Trump also weighed in: 
 
 “Very sad what happened last night at the Miss Universe Pageant,” he said. “I sold it 6 months ago for a record price. This would never have happened!” 

 Twitter roasts Steve Harvey over Miss Universe mistake 
 
 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Miss Universe Host Steve Harvey explained that he made a mistake and didn't read his entire card when he announced the wrong pageant winner. He named Miss Colombia Miss Universe before realizing his error and announcing that Miss Philippines had won. AP 
 
 Steve Harvey had one job. 
 
 As the host of Sunday night's Miss Universe pageant, it was his duty to announce the 2015 winner (Miss Philippines). Not only did he crown the wrong woman and A-Town stomp on all of Miss Colombia's hopes and dreams, he also misspelled both countries (Philippians though, Rev?) in his initial apology tweet, which he then promptly deleted... but not before #SanctifiedTwitter got these jokes off. 
 
 .@IAmSteveHarvey Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. — Victoria M. Walker (@VikkieNotVicky) December 21, 2015 
 
 Now, there's still debate surrounding the controversy (Does Steve need eyeglasses? Was the teleprompter really wrong?) but in the end, it didn't even matter. Folks still let the choppa fly. Here are the best tweets from tonight's drag. 
 
 All of the trophies to this man with the smooth Family Feud allusion... 
 
 WE ASKED ONE HUNDRED AMERICANS WHAT'S THE WORST THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO AT A BEAUTY PAGEANT — Langston Taylor (@LangstonITaylor) December 21, 2015 
 
 To the Colombians who were really 'bout that life... 
 
 Colombians in Steve Harvey's mentions lmaoooooo " never come to Colombia " pic.twitter.com/yxAwOMseAf — Ashley (@ashleyyc__) December 21, 2015 
 
 To this woman who remembered the real travesty here... 
 
 Steve Harvey should host the Oscars, maybe Leonardo DiCaprio will win one. — yung gahlyc (@rhishmannon) December 21, 2015 
 
 And to this philosopher with the DJ Khaled reference... 
 
 They don't want you to be Miss Universe — max (@MaxRappaport) December 21, 2015 
 
 Oh, and we can't forget about the real winner here. 
 
 Brush your shoulders off, Steve. Chrissy Teigen cares, if don't nobody else care. 
 
 I will say whatever a TelePrompTer wants me to, even if my surroundings and cards say otherwise. Because I am afraid, of robots. — christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) December 21, 2015 
 
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 / Updated By Richie Duchon 
 
 "I have to apologize." 
 
 Those are the words Miss Universe host Steve Harvey was forced to utter — and may regret for years to come — after mistakenly crowning Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez-Arévalo, as the winner of the 2015 beauty pageant. 
 
 She wasn't. 
 
 After Gutierrez-Arévalo was crowned and was performing the ritual wave to the audience inside the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Harvey came back on stage to deliver the awkward and devastating news. 
 
 "The first runner-up is Colombia," Harvey said. 
 
 That's when the real winner, Pia Alonzo Wurztbach of the Philippines, began to look around stunned and wondering what had just happened. 
 
 "Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines," Harvey said, ending the suspense. 
 
 "Listen, folks. Let me just take control of this," Harvey went on to tell the bewildered audience. "This is exactly what's on the card. I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake." 
 
 Outgoing Miss Universe Paulina Vega, ironically also from Colombia, fulfilled the dubious obligation of removing the crown and placing it on the rightful winner. 
 
 The response on the Internet was swift and unkind. 
 
 Harvey attempted an apology on Twitter. That did not go well, either, when he misspelled both Colombia and Philippines in the tweet, which has since been deleted.
– In what must rank as one of the biggest beauty pageant blunders of all time, Miss Colombia was named Miss Universe in Las Vegas on Sunday night and was still basking in the glory when host Steve Harvey returned to the stage to admit he had screwed up. "OK, folks, um, I have to apologize," he said, explaining that he had misread the card and that Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo was actually the runner-up and the real winner was Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, the Guardian reports. In front of a global TV audience of millions, last year's winner, Paulina Vega, took the crown away from her fellow Colombian and placed it on Wurtzbach's head, reports the AP. Twitter users dubbed the mistake the "fail of the decade" and mercilessly mocked Family Feud host Harvey, with one user tweeting: "We asked one hundred Americans what's the worst thing you could possibly do at a beauty pageant," USA Today reports. After the pageant, Wurtzbach said she wished Arevalo well, the Guardian reports, while former pageant co-owner Donald Trump gloated, retweeting the comment: "DonaldTrump must be overjoyed that as soon as he sells the pageant it goes off the rails." Steve Harvey tweeted apologies for his "huge mistake," though NBC News reports that a now-deleted initial tweet did not go down well because he misspelled the names of both countries involved, apologizing to "Miss Philippians and Miss Columbia." (Here's what else Trump had to say after the mess.)