By Diana Falzone From FOX NEWS

Steve Harvey mistakenly crowns wrong ‘Miss Universe’

Steve Harvey took the blame for perhaps the most epic beauty pageant host blunder of all time on Sunday night’s Miss Universe 2015 Pageant, but some are pointing to a backstage Snapchat video as proof the mistake may have been someone else’s.

A seven-second behind-the-scenes video shows Harvey immediately after naming the wrong winner — Miss Colombia instead of Miss Philippines — pointing to a cue card and talking to an unidentified person saying: “The teleprompter said Miss Universe – Colombia.”

Snapchat is a social media platform that features user-generated short videos. The video in question looks as if it were posted on the Miss Universe Snapchat channel, but it is no longer there. It has however been shared multiple times by users, including a pageant queen from the Miss America organization, Miss Alabama Meg McGuffin, who wrote: “Watch the Miss Universe snap story…Harvey says, “The TelePrompter said Miss Universe-Colombia”…someone in production is fired….”

Sports Illustrated writer Kenny Ducey tweeted, “Conspiracy theory #2 – the teleprompter.”

Another social media user, Taylor Ramsey, weighed in: “Teleprompter was wrong. Yes he had a card, but we all know the card is just for show…from #Miss Universe snapchat.”

Harvey immediately apologized for the mistake calling it a “human error,” and apologized on Twitter.

“I’d like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia & Miss Philippines for my huge mistake. I feel terrible.”

The Miss Universe organization issued a statement on Sunday night for the mix-up without placing blame on any particular individual.

“The excitement of live TV was evident tonight on The Miss Universe stage with over 10 million live fan votes tabulated. Unfortunately, a live telecast means that human error can come into play. We witnessed that tonight when the wrong winner was initially announced. Our sincerest apologies to Miss Universe Colombia 2015, Ariadna Gutierrez-Arévalo, Miss Universe Philippines 2015, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, their families and fans.”

Steve Harvey and the Miss Universe organization didn’t immediately return requests for comment.

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2015/12/22/was-miss-universe-pageant-disaster-really-steve-harvey-fault/

Related story:

Donald Trump: Make Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines ‘co-winners’

By Brian Stelter From CNN

Donald Trump, who sold his stake in the Miss Universe pageant earlier this year, thinks Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines should be named “co-winners” in light of Sunday night’s crowning mistake.

Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, was briefly named the winner before the host Steve Harvey corrected himself and said the real winner was Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

On NBC’s “Today” show Monday morning, Matt Lauer asked Trump what his solution would have been.

“I’ll tell you what I think I’d do. I think I’d make ’em a co-winner. It’d be very cool,” Trump said.

“I would recommend that they go have a beautiful ceremony, which is good for the brand and good for Miss Universe, and do a co-winner,” he added.

Trump also suggested, via his Twitter feed, that Harvey’s screw-up wouldn’t have happened if he was still involved.

“Very sad what happened last night at the Miss Universe Pageant,” he tweeted. “I sold it 6 months ago for a record price. This would never have happened!”

Very sad what happened last night at the Miss Universe Pageant. I sold it 6 months ago for a record price. This would never have happened!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2015

Trump actually sold the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants three months ago.

It was an awkward moment for the businessman because a campaign controversy had imperiled the pageant organization.

The pageants were co-owned by Trump and NBCUniversal. But NBC broke off its ties with Trump in June amid widespread criticism of the candidate’s comments about Mexican immigrants. The network decided not to televise the Miss USA pageant in July.

Trump indicated that he would take legal action against the network, but the dispute was resolved in September when he purchased NBC’s half of the pageant organization.

Then he promptly sold it to the giant talent agency WME/IMG.

“My friend, @AriEmanuel of @IMG, bought the Miss Universe pageants from me and they are on tonight on #Fox! Tune in!” he tweeted on Sunday night before the snafu.

Trump said on “Today” that the new owners are “tremendous people” and that Harvey is a “great guy.”

It was a “terrible error,” he said, but “things happen. It’s live television.”

For more on this story and video go to: http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/21/media/miss-universe-2015-donald-trump/

See also iNews Cayman related story published December 202015 “Miss Universe ends in shock. Host reads out wrong name and wrong contestant gets crowned” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/miss-universe-ends-in-shock-host-reads-out-wrong-name-and-wrong-contestant-gets-crowned/