Quoting from my other comment:

All the "regular people" watching the pageant thinking it's a real thing? This kind of information is important to get out because it's what THEY care about. If we show them a little bit behind the curtain, they might look further on their own.

I knew it was manufactured because NPR was actually discussing the Miss Universe pageant.

I am betting poor Miss Colombia wasn't in on it. I hope she is able to sue them for a lot of money.

I called the same thing the second this pageant details were on ESPN.

You mean an easily identifiable and preventable mistake happening during an event that almost certainly has seen a loss of interest over the past 10 years that just happens to go viral instantly and pretty much quintuple the interest in a contest people would have probably never watched isn't a coincidence?

Paranoid much? /s

It was just way, way, way too obvious. If it was a real mistake, then why did they let it linger on so long? Why would they even correct it if they realized they fucked up so badly?

I was also extremely amused by the whole "Look at how confusing the cue card was! Omg that means it's real!"

omg WHO CARES

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. Katy Perry did it in every show including Good Morning America, and Michael Jackson and Slash used to do it at shows including the MTV Music Awards. So, yeah manufactured drama is nothing new.