Blog - Pageant Junkies

June 17, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Connecticut 2016

When Colleen Ward, Miss Connecticut 2015 finally saw the Miss America stage inside Boardwalk Hall for the first time, according to the Southington Observer, her first thoughts were…

“I’m going to look like an ant standing on this stage….It’s so big.”

Colleen comes in at 5’0 tall – which kind of explains her ‘ant’ comment… But whatever Colleen lacks in height, she makes up for in brains, beauty and talent 🙂

Colleen is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University and plans to use her Miss America scholarship money to pursue her Masters degree in Reading and Literacy Specialization – with a desire to one day work in the Connecticut school system.

Edward Lea - The Press of AC — Edward Lea – The Press of AC

Colleen is also a champion Irish Step Dancer – and was even selected as one of the opening dances at Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance show at the Palace Theater.

In the same article by the Southington Observer mentioned above, Colleen was asked what she plans to tell her grandchildren years from now, about her Miss America experience… Her answer?

“They’re going to tell me to be quiet because I’m going to be talking about it so much…” And… “Okay grandma, we heard it.” LOL!

Photo by Miss Connecticut Scholarship Org

Colleen, if Junkies are still around when you’re old and grey – You can tell us about your Miss America experience all you want! Nobody around here will make you stop! We promise!

Junkies wish Colleen all the best in her future endeavors! And may she one day receive grandchildren who are as crazy about Miss America as we are!

And now – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Connecticut 2016? Well – we’ve done our best to narrow this one down to a Top 5 (which wasn’t easy)… Learn who we think will make the Top 5 at Miss Connecticut when you become a Premium Junkie… You can learn more about Pageant Junkies Premium at this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies love Connecticut!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

June 17, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Idaho 2016

Kalie Wright, Miss Idaho 2015, is just a girl from Idaho who went on to become something special…

Kalie learned to play piano and guitar near the age of 8 – and was traveling with a group of musicians playing from LA to New York, by the age of 15.

Then, Kalie’s pageant career went from zero to 60 when she competed for the Miss Idaho title and finished as the 1st Runner Up in 2014 to Sierra Sandison. Kalie then went on the the Miss Sweetheart Pageant (a national pageant for state runner up’s in the middle of Hoopeston, IL) where she was named the National Sweetheart Pageant Winner. She then came back to Idaho, and was won the title of Miss Idaho 2015.

At Miss America, Kalie earned a well-deserved non-finalist talent award for her awesome and ‘somewhat hippie’ rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”… When listening, you could’ve sworn you were sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a late-night latte, rather than watching Kalie on the Miss America stage – Which is precisely the effect Kalie wanted to have. 🙂

Junkies wish Kalie all the best as she passes on the Miss Idaho title! With her amazing talent and striking appearance, we know the sky is the limit for the future Mrs. Korfe (Congrats Kalie!).

And now, who do Junkies think has the best chance at being named Miss Idaho 2016?

If you’re in Idaho – it should be a GREAT pageant this year! You can learn our Top 5 picks when you become a Premium Junkie… Learn more at this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE IDAHO (and we’re coming one day! Promise!)

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

June 16, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Michigan 2016

Junkies are big fans of Emily Kieliszewski (even though we can’t say her last name – HA!)…

Emily won the Miss Michigan title on her sixth try… That’s right – SIX TRIPS to Miss Michigan before winning! Impressive!

Also – Emily’s platform is called, “Adopting America’s Children” – based on her own personal family’s experience consisting of 3 biological siblings, and 3 more adopted children. In fact, Emily helped develop legislation and raise awareness on the adoption of children – and would like to one day attend law school, emphasizing on family law.

Emily is also a super friendly – and told me I had “impeccable hair” when we met at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen in Orlando… Which made me laugh, AND instantly fall in love with her 🙂

I’m pretty sure I’m not the first person to “fall in love” with Emily… She has a heart of gold, a great love for kids in the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals (as evidenced on her social media pages), and has done a wonderful job of raising the awareness of her state title!

From Emily's Facebook page — From Emily’s Facebook page

Junkies wish ALL THE BEST to Emily with the last name we can’t pronounce… Clearly, you’re destined for amazing things in your future – and we can’t wait to watch you shine beyond the Miss Michigan stage! 🙂

And now – who do The Junkies think has the best chance at winning the Miss Michigan 2016 title? Well – if I had to choose a pageant that was “WIDE OPEN” this week – I’d go with Michigan. ANYONE can win this year – So, it certainly wasn’t easy to make our picks, but we’ve done it!

To see who we’re picking to make the Top 5 at Miss Michigan, just sign up to become a Premium Junkie. To learn more, just click here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

June 16, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Where’s Your Heart?

Once upon a Bazillion years ago (or so it seems)… I was asked to judge a pageant outside of the Miss America system.

And boy howdy – I sure learned a WHOLE LOT from sitting on the other side of the table! In fact, being a judge gave me a much greater perspective on being a better pageant contestant – one that I would like to share in today’s Thursday Post…

THERE is GREAT WISDOM in a DIVERSITY of OPINIONS!

There’s a reason why we don’t have 1 person judging a pageant. That’s because each winner should not be determined by only 1 person – It should be determined by a collective group of people who recognize, nobody’s perfect. We ALL have strengths and weaknesses – we ALL have good days and bad days. We all have different things to share that resonate with different audiences – and NOBODY can please everyone. That’s why a diversity of opinion is a good thing.

If the judges (who often come from wildly different backgrounds and experiences) can enjoy each other’s company and get along with one another in some pretty intense situations, despite likely having differing opinions of the ladies on stage, then YOU can most certainly benefit from their “collective wisdom”. It’s a good thing – not a bad thing. Embrace it. 🙂

WHAT is a PAGEANT – REALLY…?

Contrary to popular belief… Pageantry isn’t about being ‘the best’ in interview, or having ‘the best’ talent, or having ‘the best’ clothes, body, makeup, hair or stage presence. Pageantry isn’t even about being well-rounded in each of these categories! It’s more than all that!

In my opinion, pageantry is about making 5 different people, fall in love with you, at the same time.

How is that possible? LOL! Great question! Especially since most judges come from a wide variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, birth orders, personal experiences, and other various motivations!

Before we can to how you make 5 total strangers fall in love with you, I can certainly tell you one way NOT to get 5 people to love you all at one time… By becoming someone YOU THINK they want. That’s a recipe for disaster which we’ve discussed at length here in the Thursday Blog…

If I might suggest a better way…

Be Yourself.

Which pretty much makes me sound like a broken record, right?

IF I’ve HEARD it ONCE, I’ve HEARD IT a THOUSAND TIMES…

“Just walk in and be yourself”

“Let the judges see your heart – the REAL YOU – and you’ll be fine”…

Look – Those are great tips (and stuff you should totally do) – But I would like to encourage you to take it a step further and ask you this question…

WHY is it important to “be yourself” and “let the judges see your heart”?

Many of you may be thinking, “Well – because if I’m ‘me’ and I win, I know it’s because I was ‘me’ and not a fake version of me.”

True. But there’s more to it than just that…

If you can “be yourself” in front of 5 total strangers, that’s your best chance at connecting with 5 total strangers.

Your goal, when you walk into the interview room, shouldn’t be to talk about your platform, or to make sure the judges learn “this” about you before you leave, or to even have the judges thinking about how smart you are when you’re through.

The goal – is to connect.

And when you’re being yourself, it means you’re truly confident in who you are as a person. You’re not trying to please anyone… Instead, your genuine interest is in others – Not in yourself.

13092189_1013397528695882_4765502792281150822_n — Katrina Bernard Photography

AND HERE’S the KICKER…

When you’re comfortable in your own skin, that means you can easily communicate with all kinds of people who disagree with you! How? Well, in short, it’s because you’re not trying to have all the answers. You’re not trying to “be amazing” or “impressive” or any of the other things young women try to be in pageants.

Think of it this way… When you’re trying to be “impressive” or “funny” or whatever else your goal may be in your interview, you’re busy thinking about YOU. And you know what? Nobody likes talking to people who think about themselves the whole time! Not in real life – and certainly not in a pageant interview!

However, when you speak in a confident way, that succinctly expresses what you believe, without putting anyone else down – and allows people to recognize you’re comfortable in your own skin – you’ve just done something extraordinary…

YOU’RE CONNECTING

And when 5 judges, who come from a super wide variety of backgrounds, believe your ultimate goal is to reach out and connect with each one of them, they can’t help but respond! As human beings, we’re wired to get along with each other… Especially when someone else is purposefully trying to get along with you first!

It doesn’t mean you have to check your opinions at the door. It doesn’t mean you can’t be strong. It doesn’t mean you need to play both sides of the issue. It only means, you’re secure enough to simply be yourself and express yourself in a way that makes people respect you – because your ultimate goal isn’t to “be impressive” – instead – your goal is to connect.

And when a young woman walks into an interview room and can connect with 5 total strangers, those strangers begin to fall in love with you.

WHAT’S YOUR GOAL???

When you walk into your interview room, do you have a list of things you want to say? Are you busy worrying about what the judges might ask you? Or is your heart set on making a connection?

Maybe one day you’ll get the good fortune of sitting on the opposite side of the table as a judge and you’ll come up with a few things you wish you knew too. In the meantime, trust me. Make “connecting” with the judges (and people in general) your first priority.

That’s the kind of mentality that wins way more than pageants – it wins friendships, jobs, and a positive relationships that you will treasure for years and years to come.

Each and every time.

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

If you’d like to see more Thursday blog posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 16,000 of her closest friends.

As an avid fan of the Miss America Organization, Carrie began
publicly predicting pageant winners over 10 years ago.
Now, she’s galvanizing an online movement of fans
known as “Pageant Junkies”.
Learn more about the Junkie Nation
by clicking here.

June 16, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss New Jersey 2016

According to an article at NJ.com, Lindsey Giannini’s grandmother seemed to know her granddaughter would become Miss New Jersey one day…

Photo from Press of AC by Donald B. Kravitz

Inside the article, Lindsey’s mom is quoted as saying, “Ironically, when she was a very little girl, her grandmom would sing the classic theme song, ‘There She Is Miss America,’ but she would change the words to “Here She Comes Miss America” when Lindsey walked into a room…”

(Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

And even though Lindsey didn’t capture the Mis America title, she certainly has done her state proud, promoting the “Dangers of Distracted Driving” all across New Jersey.

Lindsey is the co-founder of a 501c3 organization called “People Agains Distracted Driving” (or PADD) and she designed a street sign that can be seen up and down the state, reminding people to “Stay Alive – Don’t Text and Drive”. AND – all of her incredible work was recognized at Miss America, as Lindsey took home a $6000 scholarship and the Quality of Life award for outstanding community service!

(Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Congrats Lindsey on your amazing accomplishments – and for choosing to pursue the Miss America organization. All of your hard work, has certainly paid off in more ways than one – and who knows how many lives your program has impacted in a positive way!

And now – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss New Jersey 2016? Well – that’s a mighty fine question – Especially this year!

Out of this amazingly talented class, we’ve narrowed our picks – and you can see them when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more, at this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Wishing everyone in New Jersey ALL THE BEST!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey