The biggest upset at the Oscars on Monday (Feb 27) was not Moonlight winning Best Picture, but La La Land losing an award it was never supposed to win in the first place.
Embarrassment all around as the mistake was realised mid-acceptance speech and the real winners took to the stage.
Unfortunately, gaffes during live awards ceremony are only too common, as these five other examples show:
1. Miss Universe pageant
Miss Colombia was stripped of her crown minutes after host Steve Harvey awarded her the title in 2015.
As viewers around the world watched stunned, she had her crown removed and given to Miss Philippines.
The cringe-worthy episode was entirely Harvey's fault and left Colombians indignant on social media.
"I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake; it was on the card," Harvey told the live audience.
2. Australia's Next Top Model
In yet another beauty contest, a mix-up in the winner led to shocked gasps and dawning disappointment.
Host Sarah Murdoch suddenly revealed the mistake after Kelsey Martinovich was announced as Australia's Next Top Model in 2010.
"Oh my God, I don't know what to say right now. I'm feeling a bit sick about this... I'm so sorry about this... it was fed to me wrong," said Murdoch.
The victorious Amanda Ware could not suppress a little cheer, and Martinovich herself was gracious in her loss, repeatedly saying: 0"It's fine, don't worry."
ITV subsidiary Granada Media Australia, the production company behind the show's past six series, subsequently lost the contract, reportedly due to the cock-up.
3. NRJ Music Awards
Singer Katy Perry suffered some disappointment after she was made to hand back a trophy meant for fellow artist Rihanna.
Host Nikos Aliagas announced the wrong winner for Best International Single at the French music award ceremony in 2009.
However, Perry did not go home empty-handed - her album, One Of The Boys, won for Best International Album.
4. MTV Video Music Awards
Michael Jackson couldn't win this award - because it didn't exist.
Singer Britney Spears was on stage to present the King of Pop a giant cake to celebrate his 44th birthday in 2002, calling him the "artist of the millennium".
The phrase made Jackson think that he was the recipient of the award, and he proceeded with an acceptance speech.
"Thank you very much... when I was a little boy in Indiana, if someone had told me that one day I would be getting - as a musician - the Artist of the Millennium award, I wouldn't have believed it," he gushed.
Turns out his younger self would have been right.
In any case, the audience gave him a screaming cheer.
5. Academy Awards
The motion picture awards ceremony had dished out yet another awkward moment back in 1933, this time in the Best Director category.
Two nominees' names both started with "Frank" and announcer Will Rogers made it more confusing by saying: ""Come on up and get it, Frank!"
Frank Capra begin making his way to the stage, but had to do a U-turn after he realised it was in fact Cavalcade director Frank Lloyd who pipped him to the award.
Capra, who was nominated for his film Lady For A Day, described it as "the longest, saddest, most shattering walk of my life".
"I wished I could have crawled under the rug like a miserable worm," he said.
"When I slumped in my chair I felt like one. All my friends at the table were crying."
SOURCES: BBC, The Guardian, The Rolling Stone, The Telegraph
