Oops... It looks like the official organization of Miss Universe El Salvador had their "Steve Harvey moment" during the Miss Universe 2023—and Michelle Dee expressed her strong sentiments about it.
Five days after the competition, the Miss Universe El Salvador issued an apology on Instagram following their wrong post regarding the Top 5 finalists.
The organization which was doing a live social media coverage last November 18 in El Salvador, indicated in a post that Michelle was part of the Top 5. Immediately, the organization deleted it and replaced it with a correct art card that included Miss Thailand Anntonia Porsild already instead of Michelle.
According to their statement, the organization "accidentally mixed up" Anntonia and Michelle's names and it was a "simple error" due to their speedy coverage. They clarified as well that they did not have special access whatsoever during the competition.
However, pageant fans were super quick to take a screenshot. The screenshots went viral online and resulted in some supporters thinking that there was something fishy during the competition. Most fans also expressed their dismay over Michelle not landing a spot among the Top 5 finalists.
On November 23, Michelle issued a statement saying that in a global competition like Miss Universe, there is no room for error. Although she believes that everything happens for a reason, she reminded the organization to be "more cautious and respectful" not just to the delegates but more importantly, to the pageant fans.
"I'm one that believes everything happens for a reason, even their 'mistaken post' happened for a reason. And it's just a matter of seeing it as a lesson or a blessing," she said.
Michelle added, "If anything, though, especially in a prestigious pageant like Miss Universe and most especially from the official host country's official Instagram page, they should be more cautious and respectful not just to the delegates but the supporters that are truly passionate about this platform."
In a graceful closing statement, Michelle asserts that with or without the crown, she has made her fellow Filipinos proud after her iconic Miss Universe 2023 bout. "Ultimately my goal was to make my country proud and I believe I achieved that with or without the crown. There should be no room for error, but the reality is that we live in an imperfect world," the beauty queen declared.
