Blog - Pageant Junkies

May 30, 2016 by Junkies 2 Comments

Weekend Wrap Up May 31, 2016

Hello Again Junkies! Hope everyone in the Junkie Nation is enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day holiday… Please be sure to take a few moments today in appreciation of those who’ve died in service to our country. Freedom is not Free. End of Rant.

Let’s Talk Pageants!!!

Big Junkie Congrats go out to the new MISS VERMONT, RYLEE FIELD and MISS NEW YORK, CAMILLE SIMS!!!

Based on the photos we’ve seen, both of these ladies were STUNNING on stage and I’m sure they’re thrilled to be heading to Miss America in a matter of months!

We’ll start with Vermont…

Here’s your final results:

4th Runner Up = Julia Crane
3rd Runner Up = Nipunika Coe
2nd Runner Up = Shaniah Bartlett
1st Runner Up = Erin Connor
Winner = Rylee Field

Rylee is a graduate of Colby-Sawyer College with her BA in Creative Writing. She performed a “spoken word” talent to “Mockingbird” by Rives – and her platform is “Find A Happy Place: Positive Mental Health & Wellness”. You can catch Rylee’s crowning video here…

She was a little excited to win the crown on Friday night…

13266063_1325580977458321_6243188983519630671_n — Steve Smith Photography

Congrats Rylee and everyone at Miss Vermont – Junkies are super proud of the direction Vermont is going – and we know you’re going to be Fabulous at Miss America!

Moving on to New York…

Final results included:

4th Runner Up = Mackenzie Perpich
3rd Runner Up = Kristina Blackstock
2nd Runner Up = Meghan Sinisi
1st Runner Up = Baylee Simpson
Winner = Camille Sims

NY2 — (Staten Island Advance/ Bill Lyons)

Camille is a former Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen who finished as the 2nd RU to Lacey Russ at MAOTeen. Last year, Camille was the 4th Runner Up to Betty Cantrell in Georgia, and in 2013, she was a Top 10 finalist at Miss New York. A graduate of Cornell, Camille won both Prelim Talent (Singing “Sway” in Spanish) and overall interview this year at Miss New York – And by the looks of this video, she was a pretty popular choice (at least among the contestants…)

Fun fact – the announcer’s voice you hear in this video – is none other than Miss America 2015, Kira Kazantsev, who emceed the show yesterday 🙂

Junkies wish a hearty Congratulations to Camille and everyone at Miss New York! She’s going to be one to watch in Atlantic City come September!

HOWEVER – Before we completely wrap things up today, it’s time to see how well Junkies predicted Miss Vermont and Miss New York… Hmmm…

Vermont – Junkies picked Julia Crane, Erin Connor, Nipunika Coe and Rylee Field (4/5 including the winner)

New York – Junkies picked Mackenzie Perpich and Camille Sims (2/5 including the winner)

That makes us 5/6 thus far in picking state winners and 15/27 when picking top 5 placements overall. For some perspective, in 2015 we finished 39/52 in picking state winners (75%) and 142/263 when picking Top 5 placements (54%). The question is, CAN WE DO IT AGAIN??? Or will we fall short this year??? lol – Good Lord knows, anything can happen… I’m not running to Vegas just yet…

Real quick – just a reminder that we’ve got one more week of simplicity before the insanity starts… We’re crowning Miss Alaska THIS FRIDAY, June 3rd, before launching into the remains 46 state pageants in June and July! Ummm… and in case you didn’t realize it, that’s 46 state pageants in 5 weeks. Someone bring on the Xanax.

If your favorite state pageant is coming up, we’d love to have you play along in the predictions game with us! To see who makes our Top 5 lists each week, just sign up for Pageant Junkies Premium (right here). Easy Peasy! Or of course, you’re always welcome send us an email with your picks for your favorite state/states at ThePageantJunkies@gmail.com.

That’s it for our latest Weekend Wrap-Up post! Next Up – MISS ALASKA! GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

May 27, 2016 by Junkies 2 Comments

Junkies Predict Miss New York 2016

maccia2 — Photo by Staten Island Advance /Anthony DePrimo

When Jamie Lynn Macchia told her story on the Pageant Junkies Podcast, people saw her in a brand new light…

Before – she was just “The next girl from New York” – the state who had just won the Miss America title for a record setting (and in some people’s minds, a somewhat annoying) 3 years in a row.

But after hearing Jamie Lynn’s podcast, they realized she was an absolute gem of a contestant she was… One who fully understood the scrutiny and the pressure that might come as a result of being “The next girl from New York” to grace the Miss America stage.

If you haven’t heard it – it’s amazing… Check it out here…

meet-jamie-lynn-macchia-miss-new-york-1acd11ccd3e06db6 — Rob Bailey/siadvance.com

Junkies were super impressed with how hard we saw Jamie Lynn work this year… She made a crazy amount of appearances, killed it on social media, and advocated for children with cancer any way she possibly could. It’s the kind of work that will set her state up for success with sponsors, and potential event hosts, for years and years to come.

And without a doubt – it’s the kind of work that confirms the state of New York knows how to crown winners. 🙂

Congrats Jamie Lynn! You made your state proud! Can’t wait to watch you fulfill whatever dreams you have for the future!

And now – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss New York 2016? You can check out our predictions when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more about Pageant Junkies Premium at this link.

And of course, when it comes to our predictions, we always say… “Ladies, if we say your name, we hope you prove us right! And if we don’t say your name, we hope you prove us wrong!”

GOOD LUCK!!! JUNKIES LOVE NEW YORK!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

May 26, 2016 by Junkies 4 Comments

Pick a Pageant System

For those of you who don’t know, I used to have short hair and a “real job” 🙂 LOL!

Right now, Pageant Junkies is my full-time gig (due to a semi-crazy set of circumstances – the details of which we shall save for a future posting). But prior to Junkies, I was kind of a corporate suit for a publicly traded company in the radio industry.

I was known for a couple of things in that job… Efficiency being one of them. Here’s what I mean…

I can walk into a brand new setting/office/operation, and I have the ability to cut through the crap, and see if something is really working or not. And where there’s a problem (as inevitably all businesses have), I can streamline what needs to be done and create a system where the chaos goes away (without losing the trust of the best employees).

Gosh… If only I could’ve done that for the Talent portion of my pageant 🙂

But back to the topic at hand…

It’s great when businesses run smoothly… However, do you ever feel like you need a more efficient system for your life?

IN THE BEGINNING…

Here’s what happens… We’re told to “dream big” and to “set big goals” and to “imagine the most awesome opportunity” to ever come our way. All of us have something we’d LOVE to do – something we’d be THRILLED to achieve – but the trouble is, we have no way of getting there.

Don’t get me wrong – Goals are great! You should have lots and lots of big goals in your life! But goals might as well be silly, childish playtime if you haven’t bothered putting together a system to help you get there.

For example, if your goal is to attend an Ivy League school – your “system” to get there would likely include many years of AP classes leading to a high GPA, studying for the SAT/ACT to make sure you get a strong score, working extremely hard on your extracurricular field of choice (volunteering, sports, the arts), preparing your application correctly, etc.

You see… You don’t just get into an Ivy League school because “you want to” — You need to follow a system in order to get there.

The same thing goes with pageants.

WHAT’S YOUR SYSTEM?

Most ladies know what title they want to achieve. Most ladies even imagine themselves serving in that position, waving to the crowd, walking down the runway with the crown on their head.

But what system do you have in place in order to make your dream become a reality?

To be successful in the Miss America program, you need to be well-rounded (Talent, Fitness, Gown, Interview, Social Media, Platform Issue, Fundraising, etc). That means, you should have not just one, but several different systems in place to help you succeed (or else you’re just living in organized chaos).

So – ask yourself…

What’s been your system for developing your talent? Rehearsing three times a week? Working with a vocal instructor/instrumental teacher/choreographer/etc every other week?

What’s your system for developing your fitness? Cardio 2 days, strength training 3 days, HIIT, tuna and veggies?

How about your system for exhibiting poise in evening wear?

What’s your system for growing your social media? Or strengthening your platform? Or improving your fundraising?

And the mother of them all… What is your system for improving your communication skills for your personal interview?

For some of you, there’s not much time left before your state pageant – which means, if you haven’t been operating with a system for each of those areas listed above, you’ve got a pretty short amount of time to create one (or several).

But the good news is…

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE.

Without a system (or a habit, or a routine), you’re just running around in circles, hoping to get better. And that’s an incredible waste of your time. You might as well be a rookie entering her very first pageant.

Just know that right now… Whatever patten you follow… Whatever routine you have… Whatever you are or aren’t doing to prepare for your next pageant… That’s your current system for success.

So, feel free to ask yourself – Is it good enough to win you your dream title? Or does something need to change?

Hmmm….

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

If you’d like to read more #ThursdayBlogDay posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 15,000 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.

May 26, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Junkies Predict Miss Vermont 2016

Alayna Westcom did Vermont proud…

d28552b269f50e714f17c47e561d0dcd — Photo by Steve Smith Photography

After competing for SEVEN YEARS, Alayna learned the best way to compete in a pageant, is to just be yourself! That always sounds easy, but in reality, it can be really difficult to break out from what’s considered “normal” – in order to “do you” instead.

Case in point… Alayna was a dancer for several years, before trying something new: A Science Experiment. Fast forward a few years and suddenly, Alayna wins Miss Vermont and then realizes she’s about to be the first person to conduct a Science Experiment on the Miss America stage! Her podcast explains her thoughts at the time… And you can listen here…

arrival3 — Photo: The Miss America Organization/Bruce Boyajian

Imagine the validation that came when Alayna was awarded a $5000 STEM award and a $1000 for a Non-Finalist Talent Award at Miss America! And here’s something for you… When it comes to Miss America contestants, only eight other ladies went home with more scholarship money than Alayna did ($9000 total)! That’s right – EIGHT! It just goes to show that when you “do you” – you’ll NEVER go wrong!

Alayna went on to have a Fabulous year in Vermont – She worked her tail off performing various science experiments to students across the state. She talked about the importance of STEM fields of study and STEM careers. And she inspired ladies all across the country to just be themselves when competing in a pageant.

18730646-standard — Tim Hawk | For NJ.com

Congrats Alayna on your wonderful performance at Miss America – and your year as Miss Vermont! We know you’ve made an impact that will long out-last the 365 days you’ve worn the crown 🙂

And now, get yourself ready for a tough pageant competition to see who will be named Miss Vermont 2016… That’s what happens when you “raise the bar” – the competition gets stronger the next year! Who do Junkies think will be named Miss Vermont 2016?

We’ve made our Top 5 predictions list for Miss Vermont – and you can check it out when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more at this link.

GOOD LUCK LADIES – And Remember – If we say you’re name, we hope you prove us right! And if we don’t say your name, WE HOPE YOU PROVE US WRONG!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

May 24, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

#129: Reina Almon, Miss Washington 2013

Reina Almon and the late Cara McCollum were roommates at Miss America 2014. “We were up all night, every night – talking about anything and everything…” In today’s interview, Reina also talks about her year as Miss Washington 2013, gives some great advice for titleholders, and tells us what Cara’s passing has taught her, all on today’s Pageant Junkies Podcast…

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4389847/height/360/width/480/theme/standard/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”360″ width=”480″]

If you’d like to hear more Pageant Junkies Podcasts, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 15,000 of her closest friends.