(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Viewers of last night's BET Awards were left confused over whether Chris Brown or Rihanna had won the Viewer's Choice Award.
This year's edition of the ceremony, established by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate the successes of African Americans and other minorities in entertainment, was broadcast from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
One of the most hotly anticipated gongs of the nights was the Viewer's Choice Award, and there was some confusion over whether Chris Brown of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna had won the prize due to problems in the announcements. Initially, Chris was declared the victor, although this was then retracted with Rihanna being announced as the winner. Rihanna could not be present at the awards, with rapper Drake collecting the prize on her behalf. The songstress expressed her excitement via Twitter.
"#RihannaNavy thank you for proving what I tell the world everyday! Nobody fans go harder dan YALL!!! Thx 4 pickin that up @drakkardnoir 1LUV (sic)," she wrote.
However, at the end of the ceremony host Kevin Hart appeared on stage with Chris, revealing he had in fact been the true winner of the gong for his track Look at Me Now.
"All these awards tonight are for my fans! I'm so grateful to have you guys (sic)," he tweeted.
He had also scooped the Best Collaboration prize for Look at Me Now, which featured Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, as well as Best Male R&B Artist.
The star-studded ceremony boasted performances from the likes of Mary J. Blige, with musicians such as P. Diddy to Justin Bieber in attendance.
Key winners of 2011 BET Awards
Best Male R&B Artist: Chris Brown
Best Female R&B Artist: Jennifer Hudson
Young Stars Award: (tie) Jaden and Willow Smith
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Best Group: Diddy Dirty Money
Best Collaboration: Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes Look at Me Now
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kanye West
Best New Artist: Wiz Khalifa
Sportsman of the Year: Michael Vick
Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams
BET Humanitarian Award: Steve Harvey
Lifetime Achievement Award: Patti LaBelle
Viewer's Choice Award: Chris Brown Look at Me Now'
Gospel: Mary Mary
Centric: Marsha Ambrosius
Best International Act (Africa): 2Face Idibia and D' Banj (Nigeria)
Best International Act (U.K.): Tinie Tempah
Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson
Best Actor: Idris Elba
Best Movie: For Colored Girls (C) Cover Media