On Sunday, December 20, Steve Harvey made what was made out to be an earth shattering mistake on live television but a lesson is to be learned from it: we are human and humans are not perfect.
At the conclusion of Miss Universe 2015, Steve Harvey announced that Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo had won the title, but the cue card read that she was actually the first runner-up. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Miss Philippines, was the real winner and was crowned shortly after Harvey realized his mistake and attempted to fix it.
Here is the video recapping the mishap (which takes the cake for the most awkward situation aired on live television):
When a mistake like Harvey's is broadcasted on live television it explodes into what seems like an unrecoverable error. When Harvey announced his mistake, of course our jaws hit the floor and the contestants were in shock but Harvey obviously felt awful. He probably felt humiliated once his mistake blew up all over social media. Let's cut Harvey a break.
Donald Trump, former co-owner of the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, tweeted that this would have never happened if he didn't sell the pageants a few months ago. However, it's easier said than done to predict and prevent mistakes from happening.
People are ripping Harvey apart. Yes, his job was to correctly read the cue card but we've all made mistakes under pressure. To put it into perspective, Harvey was under the pressure of 80 countries impatiently waiting for the winner to be announced on live television while also combating the cheers of the live audience. Most of us have made mistakes under far less pressure than Harvey.
Harvey did not hesitate to take charge of the situation. He gave an honorable and genuine apology. Harvey said, "I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake...please don't hold it against the ladies." Another host may not have handled the situation as well as Harvey, so for that we should applaud him.
Harvey also tweeted an apology after the show.
Although it was an emotional roller coaster for Miss Colombia, she said, "everything happens for a reason," in a video posted on Twitter by Miss Universe Pageant. If Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines can let it go so can you.
All of us make mistakes because we are only human. The difference is ours are not usually exposed on live television. The best way to diffuse a situation where you are in the wrong, like Harvey, is to apologize. There is not much more Harvey can do moving forward.
With the new year quickly approaching, we should keep this fault in mind the next time we need to step up and own up to our own blunders. Our mistakes may not be broadcasted for the whole world to see, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't handle them as gracefully as Harvey did. After apologizing, we can only hope for forgiveness like Harvey but apologizing is always a good start. I hope this is the last time you read about Harvey's mistake crowning Miss Universe 2015.
