Blog - Pageant Junkies

June 7, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Kansas 2016

Hannah Wagner is the kind of contestant Junkies absolutely love…

Hannah decided to enter her first local pageant because “the guy who sold prom dresses” convinced her to compete! She won her first local. And then she went on to win Miss Kansas – which means, Hannah’s third pageant ever was the one and only, Miss America Pageant. 🙂

Turns out “the guy who sold prom dresses” was also a local director in the Miss Kansas Organization… And he obviously knew how to spot a winner when she walked in the door (Nice work Larry!). Inside our recent podcast with Hannah (listen here), she talks about how she didn’t even know what the 4 points of the crown stood for when the judges asked her about it in her local interview! Just goes to prove if you’ve got what it takes, the judges will know it when they see it! 🙂

Photo from Hannah's YouTube — Photo from Hannah’s YouTube

Instead of pageantry, Hannah pursued dancing – starting at the age of three and eventually performing with Ballet Wichita.

Photo by Gale Rose - Pratt Tribune — Photo by Gale Rose – Pratt Tribune

But even though Hannah didn’t grow up participating in pageants, it doesn’t mean she didn’t enjoy watching Miss America year after year… In a story from the TheSunflower.com, Hannah is quoted as saying,

“I remember sitting down with my mom watching Miss America when I was younger, seeing these ideal, fantastic women that I could never be,” Wagner said. “After I won, my mom said to me, ‘That’s you now,’ and I just broke down in tears.
“I hope I can do the same thing for some little girl.”

Congrats to Hannah for being one of those “ideal, fantastic women” who set the standard for the next generation. We know you’ve accomplished so much and will continue to do amazing things with your life in the years to come! 🙂

Hey – And just in case you missed the announcement…

JUNKIES ARE COMING TO KANSAS!!!

lol! Yes – it’s True! I haven’t seen the Miss Kansas pageant since 1997 when I went to watch a friend of mine win the title… That means it’s been 19 years since I pulled up in Pratt, Kansas – and equally as long since I’ve seen a few of my favorite people from Kansas! Good thing they’re celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Miss Kansas pageant this year! I’m hoping to hug everyone 19 times to make up for the past two decades!

Be sure to follow along on our social media pages – We’re going to do our best to keep everyone informed of all the other pageants going on that same night – But honestly, I’m going to be concentrating on my home state. 🙂

So – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Kansas 2016? You can check out our picks when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more at this link…

ALL THE BEST LADIES!!! JUNKIES CAN’T WAIT TO BE BACK IN KANSAS!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

June 7, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Alabama 2016

Even though she always wanted to go to college, as the daughter of a single mom, Meg McGuffin knew she was going to have to find a way to pay for it, herself.

And boy howdy – did she ever find a way! Through her involvement in the Miss America and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen program, Meg earned over $80,000 in scholarships and was able to graduate from her beloved Auburn University.

Here’s what’s crazy… We see the successes, but Meg’s pageant journey is actually full of ups and downs! She won her first ALOT local title on her first try, and she won Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen at the age of 14 and on her first attempt – But then, it took her THREE YEARS before she was able to win her first LOCAL title – just to take her to Miss Alabama stage!

Her whole pageant story is so unexpected for someone who finished as the 4th Runner up at Miss America – But it’s a great reminder for us that life doesn’t always go according to plan…

In her recent podcast with us, Meg says the key for her, was that she decided to “…stop trying to be Miss Alabama” during her final year of competing. And THAT decision was the major turning point for her (catch her amazing interview right here).

We could go on and on about Meg and her accomplishments as Miss Alabama and the incredible impact she’s made on her state this year – But the bottom line Junkies hope you remember, is…

Do what Meg did. Make sure you show the judges exactly who you are… Not who you think they want to see. You might be surprised how well you do, once you let go of what you think you’re supposed to do – and instead, just “be you.”

CONGRATS MEG on a WONDERFUL year as Miss Alabama – and for being named the 2nd Runner up for the Quality of Life Award, as well as the 4th Runner to Miss America! Not too bad for a girl who fell on her patootie, huh? Seriously Junkies – listen to her podcast…

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

Honestly – this one is REALLY difficult to predict… Last year’s competition was insane – And this year’s pageant may top it! I have NO CLUE how the judges are going to select one woman out of this group of contestants – but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have a job to do… Therefore, we’ve done our best…

Who are they???

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

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE Alabama!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

June 7, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

#131: Meagan Fuller, Miss Massachusetts 2015

You know you’re making an impact when even a die-hard feminist looks at your pageant journey and says, “Meagan – You’re changing the paradigm… in regards to what female leadership looks like.” We couldn’t agree more. Which is why we know you’re going to LOVE today’s Pageant Junkies Podcast, featuring the ever efficient and scholastically empowered, Meagan Fuller, Miss Massachusetts 2015.

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4424487/height/360/width/480/theme/standard/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”360″ width=”480″]

June 6, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Oklahoma 2016

They just keep churning ’em out from Oklahoma…

Oklahoma is tied with Texas for the nation’s longest streak when it comes to having a semi-finalist at Miss America… They’re both at 7 in a row – Meaning, every young woman who has won her state title since 2009 has gone on to make the cut at Miss America!

Fun fact moment: The current Miss Oklahoma, Georgia Frazier, was named Miss Oklahoma’s Outstanding Teen the year the “Miss OK” streak began (2009!)!

(Sorry Georgia! TOO CUTE NOT TO SHARE!)

This year, Georgia (the person) was certainly worthy of her Top 10 finish at Miss America… After meeting Georgia face to face at Miss Colorado, then having her assist yours truly with a slight “wardrobe malfunction” I was having in Orlando during Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, we were thrilled to see her do so well come finals night!

From Georgia's Facebook Page — From Georgia’s Facebook Page

In case you don’t know, Georgia was diagnosed with cervical cancer during her sophomore year of college. In fact, had she not received an unrelated gall bladder scan, it’s likely that she would not have lived to see her 21st birthday.

Numerous surgical procedures later, Georgia decided to change colleges and worked her way through the darkest time of her life. From a blogpost back in 2013, Georgia says, “My mission is to educate young women on cervical cancer, and create awareness about this cancer. It is time for me to tell my story and educate other women, particularly my peers.”

Now, 3 years later, Georgia has reached thousands of people, talking about her platform AND encouraging students across the state. In fact, every time we turned around, Georgia was on social media again and again, taking another selfie with a huge group of students behind her! LOL! What a crazy year it’s been!

And perhaps Georgia’s year as Miss Oklahoma was all “written in the stars” the day Georgia had her photo taken with Shawntel Smith, Miss America 1996… (Again – I JUST COULDN’T HELP BUT SHARE!)… Moments like this one are the reasons why Junkies continue to exist!

As Georgia wraps up her year as Miss OK, we can’t wait to see what the future holds… So many ladies have used Miss Oklahoma as a stepping stone for incredible things – and we know Georgia’s future is in good hands as well 🙂 Who knows? Perhaps you’ll find her posting really old photos of me online one day – just to get even! LOL! ALL THE BEST GEORGIA!!!

And now, who do Junkies think has the best chance at being named Miss Oklahoma 2016??? It’s never easy to win a state like OK – but when you do, you’re in good hands come Miss America!

Check out our picks for the top 5 at this link here...

GOOD LUCK LADIES! JUNKIES LOVE OKLAHOMA!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

June 6, 2016 by Junkies 4 Comments

Miss USA Wrap-Up!

Hey Junkies!

What can I say but – – – – – WOWZERS!

Welcome to adventures in jumping out of your comfort zone!

Before we get to actual results and thoughts – Let me offer a few thoughts about the production, the ladies, and my evening in general…

PAGEANTRY and MULTI-TASKING DON’T MIX

I live in the Mountain Time zone – Which means, we don’t get the pageant live. So – for the first 40 minutes, I tried watching the pageant on one of those TVStream sites… But the quality was soooooo bad – I finally gave up and just followed Twitter until the show started 20 minutes later in my time zone.

Then – I tried following Twitter (live) AND watching Miss USA at the same time (an hour later on my TV). For the record, I don’t recommend it – Lol! My brain hurt by the time the pageant was actually over (but still an hour to go in my time zone)!

I was thankful that the Backstreet Boys were performing in the Eastern Time Zone when the Evening Gown competition was taking place in the Mountain Time Zone… That at least allowed me to give the gown completion my full attention, without worrying that I was missing something on Twitter.

I may need to watch the whole darn thing again – Because I totally feel like I missed nearly all of it.

Ethan Miller - Getty Images — Ethan Miller – Getty Images

WME/IMG KILLED IT

I was SUPER impressed with the production as a whole – But let me say, there were a few things that were outstanding…

Contestant Video Packages. Super professional and uber-informative… Plus, they cast each contestant in an extremely positive light, highlighting the best of what they brought to the table. These packages made the contestants real and relevant… They didn’t cheapen the work they’ve done… They allowed these ladies to be significant role models. And I loved every minute of it!
Ashley Graham looked AMAZING – and did a pretty incredible job backstage. I actually think that’s the harder job (backstage vs emceeing on-stage) – and she was FAB. Julianne and Terrance J did great too – But I believe Ashley made a breakout name for herself tonight 🙂
So – I didn’t expect to smile when the Backstreet Boys came on air, but I did… A LOT! Part of me felt like I was one of my parents watching the Oak Ridge Boys perform their greatest hits 15 years past their prime – But I don’t care. I smiled… and although I enjoyed the pageant in general, I hadn’t actually smiled much until that point. #HomeRun

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO…

Was it just me – or did anyone else have an “Ali Rogers/Mallory Hagan Moment” at the end of the Miss USA pageant?

Maybe it was because Hawaii’s gown looked a bit like Ali’s white gown… Or maybe it was the way DC bent over in half when she realized she’d won, like Mallory did… Or maybe it was the on-stage dynamic that felt so similar to Ali and Mallory (who are both pretty good friends with each other by the way – so don’t think I’m trying to start something, ok?)…

Here’s what I mean…

For the record, I picked Ali Rogers to win Miss America that year. And much like Ali, in my opinion, Hawaii looked like Miss USA from the moment she stepped on the prelim stage (in fact, I emailed several friends after prelims and told them she was my pick!). And yet, last night, I watched DC fight and fight, and outright earn the USA title through her significant on-stage presence, sheer grit, and determination (much like Mallory).

Call me crazy. But to me, it was like de ja vu all over again…

DESHAUNA BARBER

I’m the first to admit, as a Miss America girl, the whole concept of a “prelim gown” and a “final night gown” is pretty foreign to me (we don’t do that in MAO unless your gown was somehow ruined or mutilated).

Now, I LOVED DC’s final night gown – it was glorious and was a perfect fit for her! Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of her prelim gown (which may be why I didn’t pay more attention to her).

Also – Once I heard Deshauna speak, I realized what strength she brought to her performance and likely to her personal interview. As a commander in the Army, I should’ve known such – but it simply didn’t click for me (my bad).

In summary, I think Deshauna has absolutely set a new standard for future Miss USA contestants/winners. She’s the kind of titleholder who will be remembered LONG AFTER her year is over! She won’t just be another pretty face, looking to break into the entertainment industry… She’ll be the one who was in the Army – the one who was respected because of her character, her service to our nation, AND because of her beauty. And frankly, I can’t think of any better way to be remembered.

NOW – LET’S TALK RESULTS!

So, Junkies go 8/15 to open things up… We also had Connecticut as a “bubble” for us – so not entirely awful. However, then we go an ABYSMAL 3/10 when it comes to the Top 10 finalists! Ugh! I don’t think I’ve ever been that bad before in my life! Super disappointing!

However – Considering we were only 3 for 10 – it was pretty amazing that we ended up going 2 for 5 with the Top 5! That’s actually the same results we had for Miss America last year! Considering we literally began paying attention to Miss USA the week of the pageant (and subsequently researched the contestants in all of 3 days), I’m not completely crushed. In fact, after being 3/10 (terrible), but then surging back to finish 2/5, I’d say that’s is pretty solid. #Redemption. I’ll take it.

Other items of interest (at least to me) include…

– Super Proud of South Dakota’s performance last night… Big Shout-Out to Madison McKeown (a fellow Kansas State Wildcat!)… Her Gown was gorgeous on Prelim Night – And I loved it again last night! Talk about a ‘break out’ moment… Really spectacular!

Courtesy of Miss USA at Cosmopolitan.com

– To be honest, I never even had Alabama on my radar. I know we have a million Alabama Junkies out there – and if you wanna get together with the Iowa Junkies (who still give me a hard time about missing Taylor Wiebers for both Prelim SS and Prelim Talent at Miss America last year), then knock yourselves out! You guys have a lot in common (lol!). If you read much of my predictions, you’ll see I’ve never claimed to be perfect – And Alabama was definitely the one that got away from me in this pageant! Congrats Peyton!

– I do hope Miss America takes a cue from Miss USA regarding many of the production elements that were used last night. I know the Miss America pageant is only 2 hours and needs room for the Talent competition, but I do wish there was a way to “humanize” our contestants, the way Miss USA was able to “humanize” them last night. It was done with class and sincerity -and I respect and applaud that direction. 🙂

From Miss DC's Twitter — From Miss DC’s Twitter

– The social media Miss USA employed for this event was UNREAL. All the videos, Facebook live events, Instagram takeovers, graphics, streaming of prelims, etc – It was all extremely impressive! I know Miss USA is a for-profit organization as opposed to Miss America (non-profit), but Miss USA has officially set a new standard for social media within pageantry. I’m not saying it’s a competition between the two systems – but truly, the way Miss USA was able to flood social media in so many different ways, NUMEROUS times per day, is something ANY pageant system should try to emulate.

IN CLOSING…

So, I’m not sure what this little ‘experiment’ has proven to me yet, if anything…

I wanted to “shake myself” out of my comfort zone (which I did)… I wanted to see how well my predictions would stack up in light of the final outcome (which is debatable)… And I wanted to try to look at the Miss USA pageant in a new light. Overall, I think I was successful in my quest… And even though I didn’t originally pick the winner, I know she’s the right choice.

And in the end – THAT’S the best kind of feeling to have at the end of any pageant!

From MIssUSA's Twitter — From MIssUSA’s Twitter

ONE LAST THING…

Starting this week, Miss America is crowning 46 ladies over then next 5 weeks – And all of them will be headed to Miss America 2017 this September! So far, I’m 6/7 in predicting state winners, but there are 10 state contests taking place this weekend – and nobody is counting any proverbial chickens in my household!

If you’re new and you’ve never seen how this is done, just check out last year’s results here…

Or if you’re ready to “jump in the deep end” and follow along with the next 46 state pageants in 5 weeks, then get yourself signed up for Pageant Junkies Premium, right here...

Thanks Junkies! Talk to you again super soon!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

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.