diff --git a/examples/demo-tagging.html b/examples/demo-tagging.html
index 78beca20d..56539dcf8 100644
--- a/examples/demo-tagging.html
+++ b/examples/demo-tagging.html
@@ -130,6 +130,15 @@ <h3>Tagging without multiple</h3>
   </ui-select>
   <p>Selected: {{person.selected}}</p>
 
+  <h3>Tagging without multiple, with simple strings</h3>
+  <ui-select tagging="true" tagging-label="('new')" ng-cloak ng-model="color.selected" theme="bootstrap" style="width: 800px;" title="Choose a color">
+    <ui-select-match placeholder="Select color...">{{$select.selected}}</ui-select-match>
+    <ui-select-choices repeat="color in availableColors | filter: $select.search">
+      <div ng-bind-html="color | highlight: $select.search"></div>
+    </ui-select-choices>
+  </ui-select>
+  <p>Selected: {{color.selected}}</p>
+
 
   <div style="height:500px"></div>
 
diff --git a/src/select.js b/src/select.js
index 4551b11a9..0fd34e2e9 100644
--- a/src/select.js
+++ b/src/select.js
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@
         return false;
       }
       var hasDupe = arr.filter( function (origItem) {
-        if ( ctrl.search.toUpperCase() === undefined ) {
+        if ( ctrl.search.toUpperCase() === undefined || origItem === undefined ) {
           return false;
         }
         return origItem.toUpperCase() === ctrl.search.toUpperCase();