Wildest Beauty Pageant Mistakes, Flubs & Scandals: Steve Harvey & More Moments

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December 15, 2022 1:00PM EST

With Miss America 2023 tonight, we’re looking back at the biggest pageant drama. From mistaken winners to strange speeches, click through to look back at some of the wildest mistakes in pageant history.

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Steve Harvey, Miss Universe 2015

Steve Harvey, Miss Universe 2015
John Locher/AP/Shutterstock

There is no shortage of drama at beauty pageants and through the years the competitions have been the site of more than a few high-profile mistakes. From confusing speeches to mistakenly crowned winners, we’ve seen it all.

One of the pageant world’s most memorable flubs came in 2015 when Steve Harvey incorrectly announced Miss Colombia Ariana Gutierrez as the winner at the Miss Universe pageant, in Las Vegas.

According to the pageant, a misreading led the announcer to read Miss Colombia as the winner before they took it away and gave it to Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

Looking back on the incident in May 2021, he told comic Kevin Hart, “It was a painful night there, dog. Oh God. I didn’t know the pain I was in. I didn’t know how bad the mistake was.” He later added, “It was the worst week of my life.”

Click through to see more bumbled beauty pageant moments through the years!

December 10, 2021, 5:11PM
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The Miss Universe 2015 Debacle

The Miss Universe 2015 Debacle
John Locher/AP/Shutterstock

That’s gotta hurt! 2014’s Miss Universe Paulina Vega, center, removed the crown from Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, left, before giving it to Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, right, at the Miss Universe pageant, in Las Vegas in 2015. Miss Colombia was incorrectly named the winner before Wurtzbach was given the Miss Universe crown.

December 15, 2022, 12:37PM
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Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984

Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984
Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock

Vanessa Williams made history as the first Black Miss America when she was crowned in 1984. Her tenure was cut short by controversy, however. The actress/singer was forced to resign after Penthouse magazine published explicit photographs of her taken during her modeling career.

Vanessa and Miss America eventually made amends. In 2016, she became the pageant’s head judge. That year, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell publicly apologized for the agency’s treatment of her.

December 15, 2022, 12:32PM
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Nadia Mejia, Miss USA 2016

Nadia Mejia, Miss USA 2016
James Atoa/UPI/Shutterstock

At Miss USA 2016, Nadia Mejia struggled to answer the question, “How do we narrow the gap between the rich and the poor?” The contestant — who is the daughter of “Rico Suave” one-hit-wonder Gerardo Mejia — was silent for about ten seconds before finally responding, “When it comes to social and economic inequality, I think that the rich and the poor need to stop being so segregated. I think there is a middle class. I think that the rich need to…” She paused again at this point, before rushing to finish her response, and it was pretty uncomfortable to watch.

She was able to poke fun at herself after the ceremony when she caught up with Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough and sang “I don’t know about the economy” to the tune of his band’s hit “I Want It That Way.”

December 10, 2021, 7:14PM
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Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996

Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996
Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

Alicia Machado was crowned Miss Universe at age 19 in 1996. While she was honored by the title, she had to deal with some unexpected baggage. Then-owner of the Miss Universe organization brutally bullied the beauty over her weight. He even publicly called her “Miss Piggy” for her figure and then “Miss Housekeeping,” because of her Venezuelan accent. Yuck.

December 15, 2022, 12:31PM
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Carrie Prejean, Miss USA 2009

Carrie Prejean, Miss USA 2009
Justin Lane/EPA/Shutterstock

During Miss USA 2009, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was asked by judge Perez Hilton if she thought every state should legalize gay marriage. “I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other,” she said. “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.”

Later that year she would complain about being put on the spot during an interview with the ‘Today’ show. “I was being dared—in front of the entire world—to give a candid answer to a serious question,” she recalled.

“I knew if I told the truth, I would lose all that I was competing for: the crown, the luxury apartment in New York City, the large salary—everything that went with the Miss USA title. I also knew, or suspected, that I was the frontrunner, and if I gritted my teeth and gave the politically correct answer, I could be Miss USA.”

December 10, 2021, 5:04PM
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Leah Cecil, Miss America 2013

Leah Cecil, Miss America 2013
Mandatory Credit: FayesVision/WE

Leah Cecil’s flub came during a pre-pageant interview ahead of Miss America 2013. She was asked how she felt about legalizing euthanasia, and answered, “That’s one of the things I’m not educated on, so I need to look up exactly what that means. But I do know that’s a vaccine, correct?”

December 10, 2021, 5:04PM
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Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen 2007

Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen 2007
Rachel Worth / WENN/Newscom/MEGA

During the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant, Miss South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, gave an embarrassing, rambling response when asked why she thought 1/5 of Americans couldn’t point out the U.S. on a map. “Uh, some, uh people out there in our nation don’t have maps,” she said. “And, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and uh Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should…” It was so bad, that Caitlin said she went through a period of depression after the pageant.

She was given an opportunity to answer the question again during an appearance on the ‘Today’ show not long after. There, she told the hosts, “Well personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don’t know anyone else who doesn’t. And if the statistics are correct, I believe that there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better.”

December 10, 2021, 5:04PM
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Marissa Powell, Miss USA 2013

Marissa Powell, Miss USA 2013
David Becker/UPI/Shutterstock

At Miss USA 2013, Marissa Powell was given a question about the gender pay gap, and her answer simply made no sense. “I think we can relate this back to education and how we are trying to strive…to figure out how to create jobs right now,” she stammered.

“That is the biggest problem. I think especially the men are seen as the leaders of this so we need to figure out how to create education better so that we can solve this problem.”

She later joked about the flub with Miss USA, telling the org, “1st rule of an interview… LISTEN TO THE QUESTION before you answer!!!!”

December 10, 2021, 5:09PM
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Nia Sanchez, Miss USA 2014

Nia Sanchez, Miss USA 2014
Jonathan Bachman/AP/Shutterstock

Who thought residency requirements could cause so much drama? That’s exactly what happened after Miss Nevada USA Nia Sanchez won her state title in 2014. She was accused of faking her residency in the Silver State after failing to win Miss California USA in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The scandal eventually blew over, and Nia went on to win Miss USA that year.

December 15, 2022, 12:34PM