Everything was going well, everything went well that night. The three contestants had already answered the last question and the moment of truth was approaching; Miss Puerto Rico 2000 will be crowned.
The performers of the night, Francisco Zamora and Dagmar Rivera were about to announce the results and until then all was well.
After it was announced that the second runner-up was San Juan, the crown fell to one of the finalists, Vieques, Barbara Serrano or Tua Ata Saribel Villela.
“And the first competition is Miss Vieques,” Rivera and Zamora announced.
Cyrano and Villa, who responded enthusiastically, merged into a hug and then what no one imagined would happen. The outgoing Queen was crowned runner-up instead of the winner.
“It’s Toa Alta,” fan Dagmar, who along with Francisco Zamora were in charge of leading the event, was heard saying.
His animator partner, Francisco Zamora, echoed his words when he realized she was crowning the first runner-up, but no one seemed to be listening to her, and the former 1975 Miss World, Willia Merced, put the tape on her, and they also gave her flowers.
“Gentlemen” Zamora continued to warn before the error that occurred as he walked into the center of the stage where they mistakenly crowned Serrano.
“Wilnelia, it’s Toa Alta, it’s Toa Alta, it’s Toa Alta, Vieques is the first finalist. Toa Alta is Miss World in Puerto Rico, and she is Toa Alta,” Zamora kept echoing the disbelief of everyone on stage, including the rest participants.
After that, Cyrano, who was a famous model for Hector Marcano’s “Super Show”, took off the crown and put it on Villella’s head.
Villella, who was also Miss Puerto Rico Universe in 1996, represented the island that year at the 2001 Miss World competition. The following year, the local organization named Serrano as Puerto Rico’s representative in Miss World 2001.
Serrano is currently working as a celebrity financial advisor advising on Spanish language TV shows.