Miss Universe Judge Perez Hilton Finally Breaks Silence After Beauty Pageant Mess
Famous celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who was one of the four judges in the recently-concluded 2015 Miss Universe event, finally broke his silence following the controversy surrounding the massive announcement gaffe made by host Steve Harvey, The Inquirer reported.
Perez Hilton shared his thoughts on the controversial event via his official podcast The PHP: The Perez Hilton Podcast. In the podcast episode, he voiced out his opinion on why the newly-crowned Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach, deserved to win the title more than first runner-up Ariadna Gutierrez of Colombia.
“Miss Colombia was the most beautiful contestant, but I don’t think she deserves to win the title, and she didn’t win the title, for a variety of reasons.”
EVERYTHING you want to know about #MissUniverse Perez answers on his latest podcast! Listen! https://t.co/nm1lgNm1XZ pic.twitter.com/QXxcDeCtos
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) December 21, 2015
According to Hilton, it all came down to attitude, saying that Ariadna appearing as if “she had already won” made him vote in favor of Miss Philippines candidate Pia Wurtzbach.
“Here’s the difference between Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia. Miss Philippines came to win. Miss Colombia came to lose. Colombia came there as if she had already won. And that’s sexy also and intoxicating that confidence. But I think that she came there thinking she would really win. Whereas Miss Philippines came with something to prove.”
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Perez later added that Ariadna Gutierrez had a real shot at winning the Miss Universe crown and that he considered voting for her. He changed his mind after being pleasantly surprised by how Pia handled herself throughout the entire Miss Universe competition.
“She really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting her to be fierce and fabulous,” the gossip blogger said about Pia Wurtzbach during the swimsuit competition.
I have so many thoughts, observations and insider info on the #MissUniverse pageant and I will share them all on… pic.twitter.com/nvGpo8nzDa
— Perez (@ThePerezHilton) December 21, 2015
Even as Perez Hilton was showering the Filipina beauty with compliments, he conceded that Ariadna Gutierrez edged out everyone in the evening gown round.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The often-controversial blogger later revealed in the podcast that he caught the Colombian beauty giving her translator the “most awful side eye” during the Q&A competition and found it to be a “major turn-off.”
“It wasn’t just that she (Colombia) didn’t give the best answer. And it wasn’t just that she came across not just me, but several of the other judges (as) bitchy and arrogant. It was that Miss Philippines gave a better answer,” he said.
Hilton said that Pia Wurtzbach simply stood out in both Q&A rounds and that he was impressed by her “super competitive” nature.
“It was the second time that she (Pia) gave a great answer, actually a better answer, and by that point, I felt like wow, she really brought her A-game, was super competitive, but also like, she deserved it. Like she deserves it. To me, there’s a real beauty, and grace, and elegance (in Pia). She is Miss Universe.”
Aside from Perez Hilton, the other three judges were former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, actress Niecy Nash, and former NFL football player Emmitt Smith. Perez also revealed that all judges voted unanimously in favor of Miss Philippines, which is why all of them were surprised when Steve Harvey announced Miss Colombia as the new Miss Universe.
After the errant announcement, Perez initially thought that the contest was “rigged,” but later deemed the affair a publicity stunt staged by Miss Universe organizers in an attempt to get more people talking about the pageant.
“I still find it hard that he (Steve Harvey) could have messed up that badly,” Hilton added.
While it appears that Perez Hilton is unfairly critical of Ariadna Gutierrez in the podcast, he did say that she would have a more successful career than the Miss Universe winner after the competition.
“It’s important to know that Miss Philippines won it fair and square. All of the judges thought so. She deserved to win. It’s not just a physical beauty contest,” he said.
“Miss Philippines is perfect for being a Miss Universe, but I think that Colombia can go on like Sofia Vergara and be a crossover success in the US, and be a Spanish-language personality or if her language improves, an English-language personality. She is smoking,” he concluded.
[Photo by John Locher/AP Images]
