If you think the job of a state titleholder in a “non-pageant state” is a cake-walk… Danielle Wineman, Miss Montana 2015, is about to prove you wrong.

First – Take into consideration the sheer size of the state of Montana (4th largest state in the union).  Then, recognize the population of Montana is only a little over 1 million (4th in size, but 44th in terms of population).

Now – when I tell you that Danielle visited over 150 schools and spoke with more than 30,000 students – Do you think, “Gosh – that’s a cushy non-pageant-state titleholder job, isn’t it?”  LOL!  NO WAY!!!

First, I don’t think “cushy” is even in Danielle’s vocabulary.  From what I can tell, the woman has a pretty insane work ethic.  In six months, she already had 30,000 miles on her car… Her family moved from Montana, which means, she’s been without them all year… Her grandmother’s funeral was the same day all the Miss America contestants were in NYC on GMA… And she missed her younger sister’s college graduation (where her sister spoke) due to other obligations.

But in addition to the tough stuff Danielle has been through this year, she has obviously made a huge mark on the state of Montana and will be VERY hard to replace!  Her social media has been full of appearances, encouraging words of affirmation, and opportunities to serve others. If you couldn’t tell – we’re pretty big fans of Danielle here at Junkie headquarters… Which is why we asked her to be on the Pageant Junkies Podcast (she’s incredible – catch her interview right here…).

So in case you thought Danielle was just someone who followed in her sister’s footsteps (Alexis), or that she was just the girl with the “most unusual shoes” at the parade in Atlantic City – We hope you’ll think again! Danielle is a talented actress/musician, and an amazing servant with a wicked sense of humor, who’s headed to grad school in San Diego after her year is through. And Junkies can’t wait to see what’s next!

ALL THE BEST TO YOU DANIELLE!!! JUNKIES LOVE MONTANA!!!

Now – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Montana 2016?

You can check out our predictions when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more at this link.

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE Big Sky Country!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Delanie Wiedrich never thought she’d be a pageant girl… But it turns out, pageantry, and specifically the title of Miss North Dakota, was a wonderful opportunity for her to address the difficult topic of bullying, by sharing her own personal story…

From a story at WDAZ.com:

“I vividly remember one incident where I was sitting in English class and the girl in front of me turned around and told me she’d been daydreaming about breaking my neck.”

Delanie also talked about times when she was physically abused – being punched and kicked during recess. That’s why she says she chose to run on the platform “Beyond the B Word: A New Stance on Bullying.”

Her program teaches courage, empathy, and compassion through theatre.

“We, as a society have lost our ability to be empathetic with one another. That’s what my program really focuses on, being empathetic and kind and courageous when it’s not always easy to be.”

Delanie says things began to change for her when she attended the Governor’s School for the Performing Arts… There, she found a group of friends who truly accepted her and allowed her to feel comfortable “being herself”.

We think that’s a pretty important lesson to remember… All of us need to have the courage to pursue our true selves, even when it seems like nobody else around us understands.  Sooner or later, you will find a way to connect with like-minded people – and it will be soooooooo rewarding when you do 🙂

Congratulations Delanie for your wonderful year as Miss North Dakota! Junkies know you have reached countless students through your message – and countless others may never go through that which you went through, because of your message. 🙂

And now – who do Junkies think can win the Miss North Dakota crown this year? Well that’s a great question!  This one WAS NOT easy – but we’ve done our best to come up with a Top 5 list… If you’d like to see who Junkies are picking to finish in the Top 5 at Miss North Dakota, just click here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  Junkies LOVE North Dakota!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Let me tell you a little story about Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson…

Junkies were on-hand to see Kelley win the title of Miss Colorado in downtown Denver last year…

And Junkies were in Atlantic City to see Kelley finish as the 2nd Runner Up at Miss America 2016…

And even after Miss America, Kelley certainly wasn’t finished “being seen”… 🙂

Once her time in Atlantic City was over, all of America had the chance to “see her” again and again and again!

On Ellen…

On The Doctor Oz Show…

On the cover and inside the pages of Uniform Advantage…

Serving as the keynote speaker for countless conferences and healthy living events across the country!

And it seems like maybe there was something to do with “The View…” during her time as Miss Colorado… (yeah, yeah – I know she didn’t appear in person on that show – and I certainly wouldn’t have either)…

Yes – Kelley has been a busy woman this year – None of which may have been possible if she didn’t have the courage to show the judges “her stage talent” of being a great nurse!

Kelley’s non-traditional, yet stellar performance at Miss America should be an amazing reminder to pageant contestants everywhere that BEING YOU is the BEST WAY to compete! Even if it seems crazy – Even if you’re not sure if anyone’s going to like it – Even if nobody’s ever done anything like it before… BEING YOU will ALWAYS pay back incredible dividends. I can’t promise you’ll get rewarded with a 2nd runner up placement at Miss America, but I can guarantee you’ll radiate confidence on stage – and that you’ll never, ever regret it!

Congrats Kelley on your phenomenal year! If/When your life ever slows down, Junkies can’t wait to have you on the Podcast! If you only knew how many requests I’ve received from ladies who look up to you!!!  LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!! 🙂

And now – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Colorado 2016?

You can check out our predictions when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more at this link.

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE Colorado!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Miss Iowa 2015, Taylor Wiebers, did what nobody has done on the Miss America stage in 15 years…

Can you say, DOUBLE PRELIMINARY WINNER???

Yes – Taylor becomes the first contestant in FIFTEEN YEARS to win preliminary Talent and Swimsuit in the days leading up to the Miss America finals. Frankly, I think many Miss America fans forgot it was even possible to win both prelim SS and Talent at Miss America, thanks to the fact that it had been so long since anyone had done it!

Taylor went on to finish in the Top 12 at Miss America – And most certainly did her state and her hometown community of Clinton, Iowa – very proud. And let’s be honest, Taylor Wiebers is a name I won’t soon forget in the would of Pageant Junkies… Mainly because nobody in Iowa will ever let me – HA!!!

But also because Taylor was a Top-Notch Class Act when she didn’t advance as far as many of us thought she would…

Seriously – Our podcast with Taylor is one of my absolute favorites – and it gets a KILLER response every time we talk about it! Do yourself a favor, and take a moment to listen to it right here… 

Junkies wanna say Congrats to Taylor Wiebers for an amazing year as Miss Iowa, for affecting countless lives through your platform, and for solidifying your name in the Miss America history books… I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before she starts surprising others who ‘think’ they know her – and begins making her mark on the rest of the world. 🙂

#JunkiesLoveTaylor #YesWeWillComeToIowaOneDay #Promise

And now, who do we think will be named Miss Iowa 2016?  Are you kidding?  This year is insane!  It’s super tough to pick a Top 5 from Iowa… But that’s why we play the game! Who are we picking this year???

See for yourself when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more at this link.

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE IOWA!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Alyssa Howell, Miss Nebraska 2015, has a pretty darn cool story…

From Alyssa’s own Facebook page, while she was competing at Miss America…

“This girl right here is the reason I am so passionate about my platform and about Children’s Miracle Network. Seeing her journey of working through profound deafness is what inspires and motivates me every day to continue my efforts with Miracle Bags! I love my beautiful, smart, and kind cousin Shayna. So happy she is here to support me!

Alyssa’s cousin Shayna, was the first girl cousin after a string of 12 boy cousins in a row!  To find out she was profoundly deaf, was a very difficult thing for the entire family to endure. But the doctors at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals were able to give Shayna a cochlear implant – which allows her to hear as a normal child. 🙂

After seeing everything CMN did for her cousin, Alyssa wanted to do more for the children inside the hospitals… So, she created the Miracle Bags Program.  During her year as Miss Nebraska, Alyssa has continued to create Miracle Bags full of stuffed animals, toys, crafts and crayons, and distributed them to hundreds of children in Nebraska and across the country.

Alyssa also has an awesome pageant story – In short, the girl didn’t think she had a chance of making the cut at Miss America! Amazing, considering she went on to finish in the Top 12 – LOL!  Check out all the hilarious details on her podcast (just click here).

Junkies think Alyssa is pretty special… And we know she has the potential to do anything she wants with great passion and poise.  ALL THE BEST ALYSSA!  Junkies love you and your super sweet heart!!!

Now – To be honest, Junkies are a little bummed that we couldn’t be at Miss Nebraska this year… We are seriously sold on the leadership there – and  hanging out in North Platte for a “wild weekend” is ABSOLUTELY on our radar for the future! Hopefully sooner than later!

The reason we wanted to be there this year, is because it looks like a really great competition! It’s a TOUGH year at Miss NE… And in order to make our picks, we REGULARLY referred to an awesome blog by former Miss Nebraska contestant turned Omaha News Anchor, Brandi Peterson! I HIGHLY recommend you check it out – She did a FABULOUS job highlighting each contestant for Miss and Teen, here at this link!

And now, to see who we think has the best shot to take home the title of Miss Nebraska 2016, just check out this link…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Just like Lady Gaga – JUNKIES LOVE NEBRASKA!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey