During the 2025 Miss Grand International pageant, a beauty queen suffers awkward blunder, causing an embarrassing moment to go viral.
Host Matthew Deane was announcing the finalists during the pageant on Saturday, October 18, in Bangkok, Thailand, and called out Miss Paraguay Cecilia Romero as a finalist.
However, Miss Panama, Isamar Herrera, thought her country was called instead, and she did an excited cheer before walking to the front to join the other finalists.
While clapping and completing her pageant walk, the beauty queen posed as the crowd went almost completely silent. This awkward moment turned worse when Deane interjected and said, “Uh, I beg your pardon, I announced Miss Grand Paraguay.”
As Romero walked forward, Herrera awkwardly walked back to her place.
Unfortunately, Herrera didn’t end up making the finals, and Miss Philippines Emma Tiglao was ultimately crowned the winner of Miss Grand International. Herrera handled the mishap with grace, taking the awkward moment in stride.
“These things happen,” she said after the pageant when talking to Daily Mail. “It was a mistake, and this is a competition.”
“You have to know how to lose and recognize the triumph of others,” she continued.
Viewers haven’t blamed Herrera for her blunder, though, with many questioning why Paraguay didn’t step forward immediately and wait until Deane called her name a second time. Others have said it was the organizers’ fault, with one critic saying, “This whole production seems like a mess. They called Paraguay, the camera focuses on Canada, and Panama comes marching in with no one stopping her.”
Even though the beauty queen suffered an awkward blunder, she’s taken the attention to good humor. On Wednesday, October 22, she reposted a screenshot recording of the moment’s widespread media coverage on her Instagram Stories, adding giggling emojis.
And she also reshared a post with a quote that read, “The fact that you’re handling things better than before is already a huge step forward. Give yourself credit. Life is evolution, not perfection.”