Producer blamed for Sarah Murdoch's wrong winner announcement on Australia's Next Top Model

Producer blamed for Sarah Murdoch's wrong winner announcement on Australia's Next Top Model

Australia's Next Top Model Amanda Ware (L) and Kelsey Martinovich with Sarah Murdoch, who announced the wrong winner to the model talent show.

Host Sarah Murdoch & finalists Amanda Ware and Kelsey Martinovich during the announcement of the winner of Australia's Next Top Model

A PRODUCER of Australia's Next Top Model, not host Sarah Murdoch, is to blame for the wrong contestant being named as the show's winner, Foxtel and production company Granada say.

A major blunder on one of the country's most watched reality TV shows led to the wrong victor being announced - sparking outrage against Australia's Next Top Model.

In a statement today, the two companies said they had conducted an investigation and taken responsibility for the bungle.

"It has been confirmed that it was human error, and not a technical glitch, which caused the incident," they said.

The statement comes three days after the embarrassing gaffe in which Murdoch announced Sydney girl Kelsey Martinovich, 19, as the winner during the live finale, but moments later had to correct herself - the actual winner was 18-year-old Gold Coast contestant Amanda Ware.

Earlier this week, Murdoch told A Current Affair that the mistake occurred when she was forced to go with earlier information because of technical difficulties during the announcement.

But Foxtel's executive director of television Brian Walsh said inquiries had revealed that neither Murdoch nor technical problems were the reason for the error.

"We have confirmed that the fault was a human communications error to the host Sarah Murdoch and that an assumption had been made by the producer which has now shown to be incorrect," he said.

Walsh said allegations that it was a publicity stunt were also unfounded.

"Live television can be unpredictable and people can be forgiven for making a mistake," he said.

"What isn't acceptable, though, is any suggestion that the host, Sarah Murdoch, was at fault or that this was a publicity stunt.

"Nothing could be further from the truth and we apologies to Sarah for any embarrassment it, and the subsequent publicity, has caused her."

He said they had also apologized to Ware and Martinovich.

Granada Productions managing director Leonie Lowe said the person responsible for the error had "conceded the mistake" and personally apologized to Murdoch.

"The show's finale was a flawless piece of television up until that last moment when one producer simply got it wrong," she said in the statement.

Australia's Next Top Models all emerge winners

All good ... ( L-R) Joanna Broomfield, Kelsey Martinovich, Sophie Van Den Akker, Amanda Ware, Kathryn Lyons, Jessica Moloney ......

Winner of Australia's Next Top Model Amanda Ware (L)with runner-up Kelsey Martinovich in Sydney..

IN an unprecedented move, nine of this year's Australia's Next Top Model contestants have been served with modelling contracts despite the controversy that turned Tuesday's live finale into an international talking point.

While runner-up Kelsey Martinovich still emerged as a winner - taking a $25,000 cash bonus, a trip to New York and half the Harper's Bazaar cover after host Sarah Murdoch mistakenly announced her as the victor instead of Gold Coast student Amanda Ware - she, along with Ware and seven of their peers, are now officially working models with the same agent.

Leading Australian model manager Priscilla Leighton-Clark, who is only officially obliged to represent the winner of the reality series, has scooped the pool of talent, stating the "calibre of girls this year was incredibly high".

Martinovich along with Sophie Van Den Akker, Joanna Broomfield, Jessica Moloney, Kathryn Lyons, Chantal Croccolo, Brittney Dudley and Ashton Flutey are all on the books. It is believed the most Leighton-Clark had signed in the six-year history of the show was three in one year. Judge Charlotte Dawson agreed: "We've had an amazing cast."

The Foxtel femme conceded the finale blunder, which was last night tipping three million YouTube views, had come full circle.

"It was a mistake and no one wants that to happen, especially Sarah, but the fact that it may have turned into a worldwide sensation is a positive thing," she said.

Most to benefit was Martinovich, who will share part of the winner's prize - a Harper's Bazaar cover - after the magazine announced it would produce two covers.