Poll: Conspiracy behind the Rihanna-Chris Brown fiasco at BET Awards?

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BET executive Stephen Hill is taking the blame for the fiasco over who really won the Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award –- Chris Brown or Rihanna -- at the BET Awards, calling it “human error.” But do you believe it?

It’s amazing to think that such a fluke could occur –- that the teleprompter accidentally declared Rihanna’s “What’s My Name” to be the winner while Brown’s “Look at Me Now” was cited as champ on the computer tablet onstage. As a result, Brown was initially named the champ, then Rihanna. Since Rihanna wasn’t present to accept, the award was claimed by her collaborator Drake. At the end of the ceremony, host Kevin Hart said that Chris Brown really won.

Why wasn’t one of the other four nominees named winner by accident: Trey Songz (“Bottoms Up”), Nicki Minaj (“Moment 4 Life”), Mindless Behavior (“My Girl”), Lil Wayne (“6 Foot 7 Foot”)?

The incident has bred all kinds of juicy conspiracy theories. Maybe Rihanna really did win, but BET chiefs nullified her victory because she wasn’t present at the awards ceremony? After all, she also lost her two bids for best collaboration (“What’s My Name” with Drake, “All of the Lights” with Kanye West).

Or maybe it was all a publicity stunt to draw attention to the BET Awards?

Take the poll and tell us what you think.

-- Tom O’Neil

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