Sarah Murdoch and Kyle Sandilands reveal their X-factor

Publicity stunt or not, what a way to witness the horror (and beauty) of live TV unfold as Sarah Murdoch stood in stunned silence after announcing the wrong winner of Australia's Next Top Model this week.

As the cameras continued to roll, Murdoch's face fell as she listened to the producer's voice in her ear piece during the surreal 20 seconds of television.

"I'm feeling a bit sick about this," she said. "No. I'm so sorry about this. Oh my God. I don't know what to say... It was fed to me wrong. Oh God. This is what happens when you have live TV, folks. This is insane. Insane, insane, insane."

Insane, no; instinctive, yes. What a relief to see the human side of perfectly prepped presenters caught in embarrassing situations where they can only rely on their natural abilities.

In those gloriously unscripted moments, they are just like us mere mortals. The illusion that they are always in control is shattered and suddenly they become that little bit more relatable. Murdoch was less supermodel in that moment, and more (albeit svelte) Bridget Jones.

If the most watched YouTube clips tell us anything, it's that we love watching supermodels stack (Ms Hawkins wardrobe malfunction) news presenters attack (Naomi Robson's famous off-camera rant) and actors crack (Tom Cruise telling an interviewer to "put (his) manners back in").

As I sat behind Kyle Sandilands and the rest of the judging panel on Monday night's X-Factor elimination show, the room buzzed with anticipation of witnessing the first meeting between Sandilands and estranged wife Tamara Jaber, performing live as one half pop duo, Scarlett Belle.

Sandilands stared (there was nowhere else to look) as Jaber grinded on stage with a string of scantily clad female dancers. Awkward, yes. But his 'X-factor' sky-rocketed. Sandilands maintained a nonchalant front, while knowing all too well that every eye in the room – and at home – was trained on him, desperate to detect the slightest reaction to a very public reunion.

Some of TV's most memorable moments have captured the candid scenes when presenters lie momentarily exposed. Those unscripted, scintillating moments bring us one step closer to them, earning our respect with their gutsy performances.