- Steve Harvey appeared to call the wrong name while announcing the winner of the National Costume Show at the Miss Universe 2019 pageant on Sunday.
- Harvey announced that the winner was Miss Philippines Gazini Ganados, and a photo of Ganados in her national costume was shown in the broadcast.
- But then the show cut to Harvey next to Miss Malaysia Shweta Sekhon, who was in a very different costume and told the comedian he had made an error.
- Harvey said that the teleprompter had given him the wrong name, much like when he called the wrong name while announcing the winner of Miss Universe 2015.
- But a representative for the Miss Universe Organization confirmed to Insider that Harvey actually said the correct name and that Ganados did win the contest.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Steve Harvey has once again found himself at the center of confusion on the Miss Universe stage.
The comedian repeatedly mentioned his infamous blunder from 2015, in which he incorrectly named Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez as the winner instead of Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach.
But history repeated itself, or at least appeared to, during Miss Universe 2019 on Sunday.
Harvey had taken the stage to announce the winner of the National Costume Show, a preliminary portion of the pageant in which the contestants wear an ensemble that represents their country.
The preliminary contest, which took place on Friday, does not account for the women's scores to make the top 20.
But a winner is still selected from the extravagant display, and this year Harvey revealed it was Miss Philippines.
The broadcast of the pageant then showed a photo of Miss Philippines Gazini Ganados in her national costume.
But when the broadcast cut back to Harvey, he was standing alongside Miss Malaysia Shweta Sekhon, who was in a very different costume.
"It's not Philippines," she told him. "It's Malaysia."
Harvey, clearly confused, said he had merely read what was on the teleprompter.
"Well… let me explain something to you. I just read that in a teleprompter," he said. "You all quit doing this to me. I can read this. They are trying to fix it now. This is what they did to me back in 2015."
"This is Malaysia," he continued. "I really love this National Costume of Malaysia. This is crazy."
A representative for the Miss Universe Organization confirmed to Insider that Ganados did actually win the Miss Universe 2019 National Costume competition.
A source close to the Miss Universe Organization told Insider that Sekhon was also being featured in the broadcast so that viewers could find out more about her elaborate costume, but she was not aware that Ganados' name would be called first — prompting the confusion.
The same source said neither Harvey, the prompter, or producers had made a mistake. They added that Harvey made a joke of the situation "so as not to embarrass" Sekhon.
Sekhon still got her moment in the spotlight as she explained the meaning behind her national costume.
The gown pays tribute to Malaysia's Peranakan culture, and features trays of Peranakan treats. The dress, which weighs 61 pounds, took three months to complete.
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Peranakan refers to "a native-born person of mixed local and foreign ancestry" in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that "there are several kinds of Peranakans, namely Peranakan Chinese, Peranakan Arabs, Peranakan Dutch, and Peranakan Indians," though the term Peranakan is mostly used by scholars to refer to the Peranakan Chinese as they "form the largest and most important group."
Peranakan cuisine combines Chinese ingredients with spices from Malaysia and Indonesia, according to Culture Trip.
After Sekhon finished, Harvey admitted he was scared to say her name for fear he would mess up again.
"Thank you, Malaysia," he added. "An outfit that nice, you ought to wear it again."
- Read more:
- Miss USA Cheslie Kryst wore a Statue of Liberty dress that looked like something straight out of 'Miss Congeniality' to compete in Miss Universe 2019
- The 18 best looks the Miss Universe 2019 contestants wore to compete in the pageant
- The wildest outfits in the history of Miss Universe's National Costume Show
- Meet the 90 contestants competing to be Miss Universe 2019
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