Ah, Miss Universe pageant, we’re not entirely sure if you’ve made another mistake or if you’re actually just kidding around, but it seems like announcing the wrong winner is becoming a tradition on the internationally renowned show!
This time around, their returning host Steve Harvey had announced Miss Philippines, Gazini Ganados as the winner of the national costume contest. But, lo and behold, the actual winner that was standing next to him was none other than… *drum roll please* Miss Malaysia!
Source: Facebook
Miss Malaysia, Shweta Sekhon, who was standing right next to the 62-year-old TV personality, was clearly a different woman from Miss Philippines, in a very different outfit. But yet, Harvey had addressed Miss Malaysia as Miss Philippines, prompting her to correct him in front of the audience, cameras and judges.
“Here’s a look at the winner, Miss Philippines,” he said while gesturing to Miss Malaysia, to which she responded by asking for the microphone so that she could kindly correct him.
“It’s not Philippines, it’s Malaysia,” she said, according to E!Online.
Source: E Online
Her correction caused Harvey to get flustered and admit that he had just read whatever the teleprompter told him before diverting attention to the Miss Universe organization, jokingly claiming that they’ve been setting him up with mistakes on the teleprompter since the controversial Miss Universe 2015 incident, where he had read out the wrong winner, said Huffpost.
“Well, let me explain something to you. I just read that in a teleprompter. You all quit doing this to me, I can read this, they’re trying fixing it now. This is what they did to me back in 2015,” he said. Maybe it’s about time the Miss Universe association looks into hiring a more culturally-inclined host.
Thankfully, our graceful Miss Malaysia distracted everyone from the debacle by taking the initiative to explain the deep-rooted cultures and heritages that went into the creation of her Malaysian national costume.
“This represents one of the states in Malaysia, which is the state of Melaka and its historical heritage in my country. So, what you see here are 5 tables filled with food that we have during the high tea sessions. And what I’m wearing is the bride’s outfit of the mixed marriage between the Malays and the Chinese, and the wings define the tail of the goldfish, which they believe is a sign of prosperity,” she beautifully explained.
Her incredible vibrant and colourful costume was created by the marvellous Malaysian couturier, Carven Ong, whose creations have been featured in the Hollywood blockbuster film, Crazy Rich Asians. Affectionately named ‘A Peranakan Indulgence’, Ong was clearly inspired by the rich heritage of the Peranakan community and its bridal traditions.
Source: TheStar
Despite the somewhat embarrassing moment on Harvey’s part, our Miss Malaysia carried herself with nothing but complete grace and confidence.
And let’s not beat around the bush, our national costume was a winner from the beginning and truly deserve the honour.
Way to go, Carven and Shweta! You’ve made your country proud.
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