Miss Panama issues response after awkward onstage mix-up during pageant goes viral

Miss Panama Isamar Herrera has issued a playful response after going viral this week for a rather awkward mix-up.

We’ve all experienced those moments of such excruciating embarrassment that we can only be thankful they happened with no one else around.

Yet in the age of social media, your cringe-worthy blunders are more likely to go viral than ever before. But you know what they say - it's not about the fumble, but how you recover from said fumble that matters the most.

And Herrera has chosen to look at the lighter side after she mistakenly believed she'd made the final of Miss Grand International.

On Saturday (October 18), 76 beauty queens were whittled down to 22 finalists at the prestigious pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. Host Matthew Deane did the honors of announcing the finalists and confirmed Paraguay's contestant had made it through.

As the crowd erupted in applause, Miss Panama's Herrera instead made her way to the stage, strutting past her fellow contestants.

Obviously elated that she'd made it through, she posed for 10 seconds, with almost another 30 seconds passing until the blunder was realized.

"Aaah, I beg your pardon, I announced Miss Grand Paraguay," Deane said of the mix-up.

He added: "There is a lot of noise in this hall, packed full of fans from all over the world."

The clip has since gone viral, giving viewers a case of toe-curling secondhand embarrassment.

Sadly, Herrera didn't even make the final, but she has acknowledged her newfound internet fame.

Taking to Instagram, Herrera saw the funny side by resharing a meme made by Todo a Dollar, Panama's largest retail store.

It showed a Powerpuff Girl answering the phone and saying: “Hello, Paraguay?”

“No, Panama... goodbye," comes the response.

The brand then added: "Let there be no confusion. Keep your ears clean with Protouch," a brand of cotton buds - suggesting that if Herrera had cleaned her ears, she might've avoided the blunder.

Herrera reposted the meme, adding: "They’re killing it @todoadollar1," with a laughing face emoji. "Loved it!"

In the next story, Herrera shared a video of her scrolling through all the headlines written about her.

She added an awkward grin emoji, a laughing emoji and the Panama flag.

Nobody likes a sore loser, and if anything Herrera's hilarious response will have earned her even more fans.

How's that for a smooth recovery?

In case you were curious, the Philippines' Emma Tiglao won Miss Grand International, giving her country its second consecutive win.