After Miss Universe Flub, Conspiracy Theories Abound

Maybe the only thing more unusual than the Miss Universe pageant crowning the wrong winner is that people are actually talking about the Miss Universe pageant. A sampling:

• Pageant truthers: It didn't take long for the conspiracy theories to begin, notes the Washington Post. One tweet with a common sentiment: "I generally don't buy into conspiracy theories, but this is the most attention the Miss Universe pageant has gotten since, well, ever." Others speculated that host Steve Harvey orchestrated it to boost his syndicated talk show.

• Whose mistake? Harvey has now taken full blame for misreading the card he was holding, but USA Today reports that he initially blamed the teleprompter for giving him bogus information.
• Look for the big print: Business Insider takes a look at the card that apparently confused Harvey.
• Trump's suggestion: Donald Trump, no stranger to pageant drama, suggested a solution on the Today show, reports the Daily News. "I would recommend that they go have a beautiful ceremony, which is good for the brand and good for Miss Universe, and do a co-winner. I think something like that could work." But he couldn't resist, in a tweet, gloating that this kind of thing wouldn't have happened if he still owned the pageant.
• Classy response: "Everything happens for a reason," Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez said after her ever-so-brief reign. "I'm happy. ... Thank you all, thank you for voting for me." It was "grace and class," says ET Online, while NBC News rounds up praise from all over on how Gutierrez handled the situation.
• Meet your winner: Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach used to be a child star. E! Online has some other factoids.

(More Miss Universe stories.)