Miss Panama Isamar Herrera’s awkward mishap during a major pageant has gone viral.
Herrera took the stage Saturday at the final event of the Miss Grand International 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, among 76 other contestants. At one point, participants were hoping for their country to be called, so they’d be named one of the 22 finalists in the competition.
When host Matthew Deane was announcing the finalists, he called out for Miss Paraguay, represented by Cecilia Romero. However, Herrera instead clapped in excitement and made her way towards the front, seemingly mishearing who the announced finalist was, as the audience went silent.
She also took a moment to strike a pose before walking down the runway and once again smiling for the crowd. However, Deane then stepped in to correct the error.
“Ah, I beg your pardon, I announced Miss Grand Paraguay,” she said, resulting in continued awkward silence among the contestants.
Romero then strutted down the runway as Herrera walked back to her spot with the rest of the group who had not yet been announced as finalists.
After that, 10 more contestants were called out to complete the group of 22 finalists, but Herrera was not one of them.
On X, many people said they felt bad for Herrera’s onstage mistake. They also questioned whether she misheard the host because of a language barrier.
“What an embarrassing moment! The poor thing misunderstood, thought the name called was hers—she confused Panama with Paraguay—and ended up going,” one wrote. “But the blame wasn't even on the host, it was just a misunderstanding. What a moment!”
“Poor thing, the pronunciation confused her,” another tweeted.
Herrera spoke about the viral incident moments later, according to the Daily Mail, saying, “These things happen. It was a mistake, and this is a competition,” she said.
“You have to know how to lose and recognize the triumph of others.”
There were 22 finalists in the Miss Grand International 2025 Grand Final, representing countries including Belgium, the United States, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Spain, Tanzania, Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
It was Miss Philippines, Emma Tiglao, who was ultimately crowned the winner of Miss Grand International. Sarunrat Puagpipat of Thailand was named first-runner-up, and Aitana Jiménez of Spain was the second-runner-up.
Tiglao celebrated the win on Instagram, sharing a photo from the event, where she was joined by last year’s winner, Christine Juliane Opiaza, who also represented the Philippines.
“History has been made!” she wrote. “The Philippines achieves the first-ever back-to-back victory in Miss Grand International history! Two Golden queens, one proud nation — this is the power of the Filipina!”
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