Miss Panama Believes Her Name Is Called in Awkward Pageant Moment

Things quickly got awkward at the 2025 Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Bangkok Oct. 18 when Miss Panama Isamar Herrera mistakenly believed her country had been called.

By Sabba Rahbar Oct 23, 2025 9:39 PM

| Updated 2 hours ago

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Miss Panama Mistakenly Believes Her Name Is Called in Awkward Beauty Pageant Moment

At one beauty pageant, things took a turn for the awkward.

During the 13th Miss Grand International pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 18, fans and contestants witnessed Miss Panama Isamar Herrera mistakenly believe her country had been called as one of the Top 20 competitors, when in fact Miss Paraguay Cecilia Romero had actually been called.

As Miss Panama made her way to the front of the stage, the show’s host Matthew Deane took a long pause before acknowledging the mishap.

“I beg your pardon,” he could be heard saying over the mic. “I announced Miss Grand Paraguay.”

Miss Panama quickly turned around and made her way to the back of the group on stage, passing Miss Paraguay as the latter made her way to the front.

“There is a lot of noise in this hall,” Deane pointed out, “packed filled with fans from all over the world.”

The crown ultimately went to Miss Philippines Emma Tiglao, who was given the honor by the previous year’s winner, Christine Opiaza, also from the Philippines. In fact, this marked the first back-to-back title in Miss Grand International history.

As for Miss Panama, she appeared to take the blunder in stride.

“These things happen,” she said shortly after it happened, per the Daily Mail. “It was a mistake and this is a competition.”

The 31-year-old added, “You have to know how to lose and recognize the triumph of others.”

GrandTV/YouTube

And while she seemed to understand that mistakes happen, the incident called to mind the 2015 Miss Universe pageant, when host Steve Harvey accidentally named Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez was the winner, when in fact she was the first runner-up with Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach taking the crown.

And despite the mishap not being his fault—Harvey was given the wrong card—it’s a moment that has stayed with him for years.

“You know, I knew it was bad when it happened,” he explained on SiriusXM’s Comedy Gold Minds with Kevin Hart podcast in 2021. “When I woke up the next morning, it was everywhere. It was the headline in every country. And it was the worst week of my life, man, in show business.”

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