A moment meant to celebrate achievement and poise quickly turned uncomfortable during the Miss Grand International competition, as a miscommunication on stage led one contestant to wrongly believe she had advanced to the next round—only to be asked to step back just seconds later.
The incident occurred on October 18 in Bangkok, Thailand, during the announcement of the top 22 finalists from a pool of 76 contestants. Isamar Herrera, the 31-year-old representative of Panama, appeared overwhelmed with emotion when she believed her name had been called as one of the finalists. She made her way to the front of the stage, covering her face in disbelief, then struck a pose, seemingly soaking in the moment.
But confusion spread through the crowd and among contestants when it became clear something wasn’t right.
Host Matthew Deane soon clarified the error: “Aaah, I beg your pardon, I announced Miss Grand Paraguay,” he said after a long pause. Deane added that the loud crowd noise may have contributed to the mistake: “There is a lot of noise in this hall, packed full of fans from all over the world.”
As the correction was made, Herrera gracefully stepped away from the spotlight, visibly disappointed. Paraguay’s contestant, Cecilia Romero, then walked forward to take her place.
The mishap quickly went viral on social media, with clips of the moment racking up millions of views on platforms like TikTok. While some viewers expressed sympathy for Romero’s awkward position, the overwhelming response was one of support for Herrera, who handled the situation with dignity despite the public misstep.
At the Miss Grand International pageant, the contestant from Panama caused an awkward moment when she thought her country’s name had been called, but it was actually Miss Paraguay who was announced. pic.twitter.com/ESy5esJqZ5
— Klaus 🇸🇪 (@Klausfigu) October 19, 2025
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The moment drew a mix of reactions online, with viewers pointing out how easily the similar-sounding country names—Panama, Paraguay, and even Canada—could be confused, especially in a high-pressure, multi-language environment.
“Panama, Canada, Paraguay, sound the same, don’t condemn her,” one commenter wrote. Another speculated, “Maybe she didn’t really understand because of a language barrier.”
Though Herrera did not end up making the final cut, she was widely praised for her composure and presence throughout the competition. One comment read: “You were a good candidate, impeccable every time you came out, and you deserved the classification. I’m sure better things will happen in your life.”
The top 22 finalists ultimately represented Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Martinique, Mexico, Paraguay, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, and Zambia.
The night ended with Emma Tiglao of the Philippines being crowned Miss Grand International 2025, making it the second consecutive year a Filipina has won the title. The 30-year-old news anchor bested four other finalists:
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1st runner-up: Sarunrat Puagpipat (Thailand)
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2nd runner-up: Aitana Jiménez (Spain)
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3rd runner-up: Faith Porter (Ghana)
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4th runner-up: Nariman Battikha (Venezuela)
While beauty pageants are often tightly choreographed and polished, this unexpected moment highlighted the very real emotions—and potential pitfalls—of live international broadcasts. In the end, both Isamar Herrera and Cecilia Romero displayed professionalism and grace under pressure, earning the respect of viewers around the world.
