Mistakes in the workplace are often easily forgivable. Maybe someone forgot to punch in on time, or a report didn't get sent in time. For the most part, they aren't dire enough to warrant a pink slip.
When Colombian "Price is Right" model Manuela Arbelaez gave away a car last week, she must have thought her fate was sealed. When contestant Andrea selected the wrong price Arbelaez removed the wrong card. She also inadvertently removed the correct card.
Arbelaez quickly covered her mouth and hid behind the game board. Showrunners had no choice but to award Andrea a $21,906 Hyundai Sonata.
"I was mortified," Arbelaez told "Inside Edition." "I was on autopilot. After I heard the buzz I thought ok, the game was over. What I didn't realize was that she had two more chances." Arbelaez though she was as good as fired. Instead, show producers understood that mistakes happen and "though it was the funniest moment."
Host Drew Carey played it off playfully congratulated Arbelaez for giving away the car. "Drew could not have been more supportive. Same with the producers. They embraced it and said, 'We're not going to pick it out. We're going to air it as it happened," Arbelaez said.
Social media users are just as understanding as Carey, tweeting messages of support and comic relief.
Born and raised in Medellin, Arbelaez moved to the United States in 2006. She placed sixth on Univision's long-running Nuestra Belleza Latina and place among the top five in The Price is Right model search contest just two years later. She didn't either competition but caught the eye of numerous film and television producers.
Soon, Arbelaez appeared on stalwart television soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful." She made her motion picture debut in "Jack and Jill," and appeared in music videos for Drake and Robin Thicke. In 2012, Arbelaez finally - and justifiably - came out on top in a competition. Complex magazine's crowned the 26-year-old atop their 25 Hottest Game Show Eye Candy list.
Despite her success, Arbelaez may be remembered more for her "Price is Right" slipup than anything else.