Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic has cleared the air about the controversial Miss Universe 2015 pageant, saying that the candidates knew that it was Wurtzbach who won the pageant despite the botched announcement made by host Steve Harvey.
In an interview on Australian morning show “Sunrise” posted on Tuesday, Radulovic said that the teleprompter—the device where hosts can read their spiels from—showed that it was Wurtzbach who won the pageant after Miss Universe 2015 first runner-up Ariadna Gutierrez was wrongly crowned as the winner.
Radulovic said that the candidates were confused on what was happening onstage, but knew that Harvey made a mistake when he returned on the stage.
READ: Miss Universe mistake crowns Colombia before Philippines
“The scandal has overwritten everything. It was unbelievable. I really can’t believe that it happened. The girls, the rest of us 77 contestants were on the sideline on the stage and we actually saw the teleprompter. It said, ‘Philippines, please take your first walk as Miss Universe’ after Colombia was crowned. So we we’re looking at each other thinking, ‘What are we waiting [for]?’ Then Steve Harvey made his walk on the runway and we saw the worried look on his face and we knew what happened,” Radulovic said.
Radulovic, who belonged to the pageant’s top five, said that she felt “terrible” for Gutierrez and Wurtzbach.
“It was terrible. My heart goes out to both girls. To Colombia, that feeling of winning and you could see that she was crying of joy and got that taken away; and at the same time for Philippines, she didn’t really have that amazing victory. We girls first ran to Colombia to console her so she didn’t have that congratulatory work that the Miss Universe normally [gets],” the 25-year-old Australian beauty said.
READ: LOOK: Miss Colombia posts photos of ‘shortest Miss Universe reign’
She even wished Wurtzbach good luck for a successful reign.
“Pia, good luck to her. I’m sure she’ll be a great Miss Universe,” she said.
Radulovic’s statement seemed to counter a behind-the-scenes Snapchat which went viral minutes after the announcement which saw Harvey complaining to the producer that it was Miss Colombia who won the pageant.
“The prompter said ‘Miss Universe — Colombia,’” Harvey told a producer in the seven-second video which has since been deleted.
During the pageant, Harvey apologized for his mistake and showed the card containing the results which showed Philippines as the winner.
Wurtzbach is the third Filipina to be crowned Miss Universe, ending a 42-year drought for the country. AJH
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