Like so many Miss America contestants, Miss New Mexico Alexis Duprey lived her platform.  Called “The Power of One” and focusing on the unique challenges single-parent families face, Duprey said when she talks with children, she often quotes one of The Junkies’ favorite movies, “Mrs. Doubtfire”…

Who will take her place?

It’s an interesting race in New Mexico… Some returning faces – and a few rookies make this state one we’re sure to watch!

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Gabrielle Torres – 1st runner up ’13
Ashley Fresquez – 3rd runner up NM Teen USA ’13, NM OT ’09
Jessica Burson – numerous awards in high school and college – beautiful
Elizabeth Nelson – 1st runner up NM Teen USA ’13
Stephanie Chavez – 2nd runner up ’13, 4th runner up ’12
Taylor Rey – Prelim Talent winner in ’13
Christina Chavez – older sister to Stephanie Chavez, 1st time competing
Marissa Livingston – Former White House intern, first time at Miss NM

WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO FOR NEW MEXICO!!!  GOOD LUCK!!!

MAJ

Two weeks after Miss America, on September 29th, 2013, Miss Louisiana Jaden Leach posted the following to her Facebook page…

          “No one ever goes into Miss America expecting to lose.  If that was the case, then why spend countless hours bending over backwards to make sure you are the best possible version of yourself.  So, let me be the first to admit that I was disappointed when my name was not called out into the top 15.  In addition, I was confused, sad, mad, and a million other emotions all at one time (which I didn’t realize was even possible).  Instead of trying to sort out my own feelings and not enjoying the last two hours I had of my Miss America experience, I decided that time would be better spent comforting my new sisters.”

Jaden continued… “A note to all: Something I have realized over the last week is that Miss Louisiana is not part of the Miss America experience, but Miss America is part of the Miss Louisiana experience.  By no way, shape, or form does placing at Miss America determine the type of reign I will have as Miss Louisiana.  It does not take a Miss America placement on my resume’ to leave a legacy as Miss Louisiana.  I will be sure to prove this with my entire being over the next nine months.  The Lord has a HUGE plan for me.  So it’s time to make headlines for some really good and big reasons!  Who’s with me?”

Boom.  Talk about one of the most grounded response we’ve seen yet!  She’s right!  And we’ll even go one step further and say – that “title” you think you “need to succeed” – if you have your head in the right place, you’ll succeed whether you win or lose.  BIG THANKS to Jaden for ‘keeping it real’ throughout her reign as Miss LA 🙂

And now – who’s likely to be named Miss LA 2014?  Well – this one isn’t super easy to predict – but here’s our best shot!

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Julianne Tippen – 2nd RU ’13 and Prelim SS, 3rd RU at Miss Sweetheart
Lacey Sanchez – 1st runner up ’13, Prelim SS
Tori Thompson – Top 10 and Prelim Talent ’13, Top 10 ’12
Amy Matherne – Prelim Talent ’13
Kelly Bernard – LA OT ’09, Top 10 at MAOT
Deon Sumer – LA OT ’12
Chelsi Hefner – Top 10 ’13 and ’12
Lauren Ford – Top 10 ’13 and ’12
Hailey Grey – Top 10 ’11
Ginger Douglas – 1st RU Miss LA Teen NAM ’12, Talent Winner
Breanna Collier – Junkie Dark Horse – the girl can sing!

We’re also going to give a shout-out to Megan Lee – If you saw Lauren Vizza’s crowning video from Miss LA ’11, you might remember a blond girl behind Lauren being completely overwhelmed with emotion when Lauren was named Miss LA ’12…  That girl was Megan!  LOL!  If you don’t remember seeing it before, you can watch it here…  lol!  It’s Awesome – She’s SOOOO HAPPY for Lauren!!! 🙂

And for the record, if you’re one of these people who appreciates what we do, but you still think the word “Junkie” is a bit much – the above information about Megan Lee should pretty much prove our addiction is real.  Who remembers crap like that?  Founding Junkie does… that’s who… Dear Lord help us all…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  JUNKIES LOVE THE BAYOU STATE!!!  GEAUX LOUISIANA!!!

MAJ

Miss Virginia 2013, Desiree Williams has a bit of an unusual beginning to her pageant career… After doing some research on her pageant background, we had to laugh… and share what we discovered!

When Desiree toured Hampton University as a high school senior, she happened to see the Miss Hampton pageant.  At that point, she told her mother and her grandmother that if she were to attend Hampton, one day she would be Miss Hampton University.  Four years later, she gave it a shot…. and won!  That night, she said she called her mom and told her, “I WON!”  Her mom’s reply was… “Won what?” LOL!

Miss Hampton wasn’t the only thing Desiree won… She was named the first runner up to Miss Virginia in 2012 and then traveled to fabulous Hoopeston, Illinois for the National Sweetheart Pageant (If you haven’t heard of Miss Sweetheart – check it out at this link here – Junkies LOVE Sweetheart!)… That’s when Desi “won” again and was named Miss National Sweetheart 2012!  She then won another local, went back to Miss Virginia and won the title of Miss VA 2013.

***Junkie Trivia Time!  Who was the last Miss Sweetheart winner to go back and win her own state title?  Erica Gelhaus – Ohio, way back in ’07! 🙂

And even though Desiree didn’t win the title of Miss America, she ABSOLUTELY won the MAJ award for BEST LEGS during the Show Us Your Shoes Parade in Atlantic City!  OH BABY – Check out those LEGS!!!  NO CONTEST!!!  WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!! 🙂

All the best to Desi as she finishes grad school debt free, thanks to her time in the Miss America program. 🙂

Miss Virginia 2014 is shaping up to be quite an interesting contest!  Most people think it’s going to come down to the top 2 girls on our list… but don’t be surprised if another name or 2 sneak in there!  This is one contest we’re going to be watching closely – Anything can happen!

Oh – and if you love photos of pageant week, BOY ARE YOU IN LUCK!!!  Virginia has one of the best volunteers/supporters of Miss America in Julius Tolentino – and his photos are fabulous!  There’s already several albums available including photos of the ladies in their evening gowns and their swimsuits!  You can see them at this link here!

Now – here we go! 🙂

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Victoria Maiden – 3rd RU ’13, Prelim SS, 2nd RU ’12, 4th RU at Miss Sweetheart
Courtney Garrett – 2nd RU ’13, Prelim Talent, 1st RU ’11, VA OT ’09, Top 10 at Nationals
Addison Walker – DYW of VA ’11
Savannah Lane – 4th RU ’13, 1st RU VA OT ’12
Delesia Watson – Miss VA NAM ’09, Top 12 VA USA ’11, NY contestant ’13
Sara Grace Fitzsimmons – Top 10 ’13
Haylee Hunt – radiates ‘spunk’ in her photos
Elizabeth Martin – great presence

JUNKIES LOVE VIRGINIA!!!  WHOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!

MAJ

Miss Maryland 2013, Christina Denny reminds everyone of something very important…

From an article in the Baltimore Sun…

        After returning to Maryland early Monday morning, Denny said she wants to get some much-needed sleep.
        “It’s nice to be home,” Denny said. “I’m going to relax, catch up on some sleep, and then I will be back to being Miss Maryland.”
        Denny plans to spend the rest of the year serving her term as Miss Maryland. She’ll also work part-time as a tutor, and apply to grad schools for speech pathology.
        “I know my students miss me, and I miss them,” she said. “I’m going to get started on my grad school applications and send those out. That will be the next thing that I do. That will be the next chapter of my life.”

Please forgive me in advance for jumping on the Junkie Soapbox…  But, if being “Miss State” is going to be the most important thing you accomplish throughout the course of your lifetime then (*ahem)… May we kindly suggest you stop competing? 🙂  Here’s why…

Pageants should ALWAYS serve as a ‘stepping stone’ to the next chapter of your life.  They should be a vehicle to get you where you want to go – not the final destination.  Certainly a ‘fun’ vehicle – with the chance to meet incredible people and wear fabulous shoes along the way… 🙂 But a vehicle nonetheless.  There should be many, many, MANY more chapters ahead of you… regardless of the outcome of your state pageant. 🙂

Ok – Thanks for the rabbit trail… Back to Miss MD… Besides being extremely level-headed, we’re pretty sure Christina Denny also put the song “For Good” from the musical “Wicked” on the map for future Miss America contestants.  No, she wasn’t the first ever to sing it – but she sang it WELL – and we’ve noticed many different girls across the country are now singing it this year for their Talent.

In the same article above, Christina mentions that as soon as she performed her talent as a member of the Top 10, she ran back to the dressing room and yelled, “I just got to sing on National TV”!!!  What a moment, indeed! 🙂

Enjoy Grad School Christina!  Congrats on your well-deserved Top 10 placement!  And go get that next chapter of your life! 🙂

When it comes to Miss Maryland 2014 – we’ve got ourselves another strong competition ahead!

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Stephanie Meadowcraft – 3rd runner up ’13, Top 10 ’12, MD OT in ’09
Sara Zeng – 2nd runner up ’13, overall Talent ’13
Morgan Lash – Miss Teen MD US ’13
Ebony Sherrill – NAM MD Jr. Teen ’07, MD Teen USA SS award ’10, Prelim SS ’13
Jade Kenny – Miss AL International ’12, 2nd runner up at Nationals, Top 10 in ’13 and ’11, Prelim SS ’13
Kendall Smith – Top 10 in ’12 and ’13
Emily Logan – Jr. Junkie Reporter in Training – All Grown Up!!! 🙂
Samantha Hawkins – 1st runner up ’13, Prelim SS – has pulled out of the competition to take a fellowship at Harvard – she will not compete

ALL THE BEST LADIES!!!  GOOD LUCK!!! 🙂

MAJ

If you follow Miss Oregon 2013 Allison Cook on social media, you know she’s incredibly active!  She’s always making appearances, speaking at schools, and is happy to be a part of whatever activity she’s been invited to attend.  So, when we read the following article in TheWorldLink.com, we were shocked to learn what she deals with on a day to day basis… We snagged part of the article here and posted it below for you to enjoy…

          Seems like obvious advice on its surface, but for Miss Oregon Allison Cook, it’s a message that she’s turned into her own personal platform.  After five concussions in her own life, the junior volleyball player at Oregon Institute of Technology delivered a warning of what concussions can result in to the 16 teams ready to compete in the Class 3A state basketball tournament this week.
          “It’s not just getting your bell rung anymore. Your brain controls every center of your body, It controls all of your functions,” said Cook…”
          Cook, 20, didn’t hold back details of each of her concussions. Her first came in sixth grade when she was playing basketball, then she got two more playing basketball in the span on four months during her sophomore year of high school. The second one (third overall) she lost her vision for 15 minutes, and Cook has had headaches every single day since.
          She got her fourth getting hit by a volleyball while playing at Oregon Tech and then —  just a two-and-a-half weeks ago — she took an airbag to the face in a car accident for concussion No. 5.
Because of the constant concussions, Cook has had the headaches, her body has lost its ability to tell her that’s she’s hungry, she now an insomniac, and she was honest enough to say she had acne like she’s “12 years old.”
          “Concussions are so much more than hitting your brain and having to sit out of a game,” Cook said. “Concussions control your life.”

Allison’s presence all over the state as Miss Oregon – just became all the more impressive to us… Thanks for sharing your message Allison… Junkies know you’ve made a difference during your reign. 🙂

And now – when we were researching Miss Oregon 2014, we discovered a significant amount of experience returning this year!  Here’s where we landed – Good Luck Ladies!!! 🙂

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Rebecca Anderson – 3rd RU ’13, Top 10 ’11 and ’12
Kayla Gordon – 1st runner up ’13
Audri Rousseau – DYW OR ’11
Elizabeth Denny – 2nd RU ’11,
Alexis Mather – Top 10 ’13, Prelim Talent
JoAnna Adkisson – OR OT ’08
Quinlyn Demig – 4th RU ’13
Alexi Provost-Shean – OR OT ’12
Gabrielle Nielan – OR USA ’13, Miss Congeniality, OR US ’12, Top 16 at Nationals
Twila Tschan – Top 10 ’12, strong interview

WHOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO FOR OREGON!!!  JUNKIES LOVE YA!!! 🙂

MAJ