Miss America 2017

September 5, 2017 by Junkies Leave a Comment

How Predictions Work

Howdy Junkies!

First of all, can I get a big ‘ole WHOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO for MISS AMERICA WEEK!!! It’s Finally Here!!! WE MADE IT!!!

Alright then… Always good to celebrate the arrival of Miss America week! Now – Even though many of you out there are indeed Junkies for life, we usually pick up a couple thousand more fans during pageant week – which means, it’s good to give everyone a reminder of how our predictions work!

Let’s start with the lineup…

Here’s how it works:

Each night, you’ll see your favorite contestant perform at least one area of competition on-stage – And each night, Miss America awards a Preliminary Talent Award and a Preliminary Swimsuit Award to the highest point earners who were on stage during their respective competition nights. That means, after Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we’ll have 3 Preliminary Talent winners and 3 Preliminary Swimsuit winners.

Now, here at Pageant Junkies, this is where the fun begins! We’re going to do our best to pick a Prelim Talent winner and a Prelim Swimsuit winner on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. And – just to clarify – sometimes people think because we travel to numerous state pageants, we’ve probably seen like, half of these ladies compete before… Well, that’s NOT TRUE! In fact, I’ve only seen 2 of these ladies actually compete in a pageant. That’s right – TWO! In addition, during the times when we were in Atlantic City during Miss America week, Junkies don’t make predictions after attending open rehearsals…

So… Wanna know how we make our predictions?

Well – If you haven’t seen the video, here’s the long story regarding “how” we come up with our prediction lists… But if you’d prefer the cliff-notes version, here it is.

We research online.
We consider the opinions of others who offer it to us.
And that’s pretty much it.

However, there’s something else you need to know…

We may have our eyes on a few ladies who’ve piqued our interest, but overall, we don’t have a dog in this fight. I’m not here to promote any certain state above another – and I’m not related to anybody competing in Atlantic City. And guess what that means…?

It means – if I don’t choose your daughter/sister/niece/best-friend’s hair-dresser’s, favorite barista’s granddaughter, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t pretty enough… It doesn’t mean she’s not smart enough or she’s not talented enough…. it only means, I’m not perfect (and trust me – because we didn’t make any state predictions this year, I’m pretty sure perfection ain’t gonna happen (lol!). Therefore, PLEASE don’t take it personally if we don’t list your favorite contestant. She’s still got as good a chance as anyone to bring home the title – and our predictions have NOTHING to do with the outcome of the competition! ?

Finally, we always do our best to remind Junkies that “predictions” should be – Wait for it… Wait for it…

FUN!!!

If it’s not FUN – then it shouldn’t be DONE! There’s no need to take this whole thing too seriously – Mainly because Miss America is a total crap-shoot (and I mean that term in the kindest way possible). Therefore, we developed our personal phrase that everyone can easily repeat to themselves as they scroll through our pageant predictions…

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!

And we mean it!

I’d much prefer each woman to perform at her highest potential than for me to have a perfect pageant prediction track record. Prove me wrong – all day long – and I’ll be high-fiving you and your entourage while singing a song! lol! My goal isn’t to be correct – My goal is to celebrate the incredible achievements of the women in this program – And that’s the truth!

Sooooooooooooooooo – With all that being said, our first predictions will be released the afternoon of September 6th! If you wanna know who we’re picking, then you need to join the Junkie Newsletter by signing up below…

Once you sign up, you should receive an email in your inbox asking you to CONFIRM that you want to receive such emails from us. PLEASE make sure you confirm (check your spam or other filters) – We don’t want any Junkies to miss out!

And there you have it! In the meantime, we’ll be posting pictures and other goodies to our social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) – So make sure you’re following @PageantJunkies in all locations!

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!!!!! MISS AMERICA 2018 – HERE WE COME!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 22,000 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.

September 13, 2016 by Junkies 1 Comment

There She Is…

And the winner is…

SAVVY SHIELDS, MISS ARKANSAS!!!

Big Junkie Congrats to Savvy (Savannah Janine Shields) – The first Miss Arkansas to wear the Miss America crown since Elizabeth Ward in 1982!!!

Savvy has been a favorite of many Junkies ever since she was crowned Miss Arkansas – The girl has some MAD social media skills! Once you follow her on Instagram or Facebook, you feel like you know her. More importantly, she draws you in – and you find yourself liking her, even if you’ve never met her! Talk about a HUGE advantage! When someone has that kind of intangible quality, you can’t help but thinks she’s going to rise to the top! And to be honest, Savvy certainly seems as if she was born with an ability to stand out from the crowd!

And now… Here’s a few thoughts regarding this year’s pageant…

TOLD YA! TEENS RULE!

During our Miss America Mini-Series, we highlighted the fact that there were SEVENTEEN former Outstanding Teen state winners competing this year – And that we wouldn’t be surprised at all if one of them won… Well – She did! However – in addition to Savvy (former AR OT), THREE MORE OT’s were also in the Top 5! Arkansas, South Carolina, New York and Mississippi were all former Outstanding Teen state winners (DANG!). In addition, 5 of the Top 10 were former OT winners – AND – 7 of the Top 15 were OT state winners as well!

THAT’S AN AMAZING TRACK RECORD!!! It tells me the same thing I’ve been hearing from state winners for the last couple of years – If you want to be Miss America, GET INVOLVED in your state’s OUTSTANDING TEEN program! The skills you learn and the confidence you gain are the best preparation for becoming a top contender at Miss America. Hands Down!

THE SHOW ITSELF…

So – I’ve been getting a lot of feedback (text, email, phone calls) from people who were not impressed with this year’s show from a production standpoint. Personally, I’ve come to expect the same old, same old for the last few years, so admittedly, my expectations weren’t all that high to begin with. It’s the same production company and the same players. When I realized the ladies were going to be dancing in their Joseph Ribkoff dresses while introducing themselves around Atlantic City yet again – I resolved that the production overall wouldn’t be much different than years past (although, having to introduce yourself in the aftermath of Hurricane Hermine was a bit much).

Interestingly, earlier this summer I posted a blog about the Miss USA pageant (my first time ever). Inside I talked about how Miss USA gets 3 hours and Miss America only gets 2 hours – And that Miss America has an additional element of competition to squeeze into the telecast (Talent). Until and unless Miss America gets more air time (or suffers a ratings tank under the current production company), it may be unfortunate, but my guess is the show is going to look a lot like this for the next few years.

Would I love it it if the Miss America contestants were featured like the Miss USA contestants were this year? Heck Yeah – Of course I would! In fact, I’d go as far as saying the Miss USA pageant felt a whole lot more like “The Oscars” than a reality show (which proves it can be done). Did I expect it this year? Nope. Afraid not.

Honestly, I would bet there are already conversations going on about getting that 3rd hour for the 100th anniversary – However, that’s not until MA 2021 – Which means a few more years of everything we just saw last night. My best advice? If you lower your expectations (as I have), you won’t be so disappointed.

ON-STAGE QUESTION

Another thing that has people up in arms is the type of questions asked during the final OSQ. This year, they were highly political – which I think is to be expected in a political year. After all, Miss America is probably going to be asked her opinion about the presidential race – She should be able to communicate about it clearly and with a great amount of tact.

Further (and this is just a free bit of advice), OSQ is the time to answer the question. Not to try to be funny, or insert your platform… During ANY pageant – OSQ is the time to answer the question. I agree that not everyone “answered the question” last night – But nobody made a complete fool out of themselves either. That’s another win. 🙂

THOSE LEFT OUT

So – likely the most shocking part of the night was seeing three preliminary winners not make the top 15. It’s the first time since 2010 that we’ve seen 3 prelim winners come short (not my knowledge – but rather – a brilliant factoid from our favorite Junkie Research King), and I’d by lying if I said it wasn’t a smack-me-in-the-face kind of moment! Especially since so many of the prelim winners weren’t necessarily considered “tops” on their night from members of the pageant community… Which made us all assume they must’ve had stellar interviews (and their interviews carried over into their prelim win).

Now – Looking Back – You can see the one thing that every contestant needs to remember when competing in pageants… CONSISTENCY MATTERS.

The only woman to win a prelim in the Top 5 was the winner. Only 2 prelim winners made the Top 7! One of the biggest mistakes you could make is to lose your confidence and begin doubting yourself because you don’t win a prelim. Obviously, it’s just not that big a deal. Rather – if you consistently finish in the Top 2-3 in your group, in every category, you will make the semi-finals.

INTERVIEW – INTERVIEW – INTERVIEW

Finally – it’s soooooooooo frustrating for Miss America fans to know how important interview is to the overall competition – But not be able to see first hand who has a strong interview and who doesn’t. You do get a pretty good sense of each contestant’s speaking skills during OSQ, but with only 20 seconds to answer a question – it’s just too little too late.

Interview drives this competition – And I’m not arguing with that concept! I believe Miss America is first and foremost, a spokesperson for the brand! Therefore, if you’re someone who is having a hard time figuring out what you should be doing differently in your pageant career – A great place to start, is by working on your interview! I’m really looking forward to this year’s Miss America interview DVD and I would highly encourage you to purchase it when it becomes available (previous contestant interview DVD’s are also available at MissAmerica.org).

LET’S REVIEW THE STATS…

Ok… One of the best things about Junkie predictions is that we know we’re not perfect. We’re well aware of the fact that we don’t always get it right – and yet – we continue to “put ourselves out there” and hold ourselves accountable to the results, year after year after year.

This year, was a bit of a doozie.

We only accurately predicted 2 of the 6 prelim winners (Maryland and Michigan). Of our Top 15 list, we accurately predicted 8 of the Top 15, and only 4 of the Top 10 (ugh). In my defense, I did list Massachusetts and Idaho as potential non-finalist talent award winners – And, I did have Kentucky on my “bubble” list.

In addition, earlier in the week I told WAPT TV that I thought Mississippi would do well on Sunday night (interview here)… And when I checked back through my own predictions, the only ladies I didn’t include in any sort of a potential prelim win, placement, or non-finalist award, were California and New York. Everyone else in the top 15 received some sort of “nod” or acknowledgement from me during competition week.

All that being said – Savvy is the only member of the Top 5 that I chose. However, Savvy was also my pick to win the whole darn thing – and she did. I’m taking comfort in that fact. 🙂

FINAL TID-BITS…

In random order…

– Texas does not disappoint. Since 1970, they’ve made the semi-finalist cut (Top 10 or Top 15) at Miss America THIRTY-SIX times! That means, 76.5% of the time, over the past FORTY-SEVEN YEARS, Miss Texas is in. We respected their track record this year and she did not let us down! Great work Caroline!

– Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2013 Rachel Wyatt finishes as the 1st Runner Up to Miss America – Which is a HUGE accomplishment given the pressure and scrutiny she likely faced since her crowning in June. No doubt, she certainly looked like a Miss America last night – and came oh-so-close to taking home the crown!

– Both outgoing Miss America Betty Cantrell and incoming Miss America Savvy Shields advocate for a “healthy eating” platform… I believe this is the first time we’ve had similar platforms back-to-back since the platform was established.

– For those of you who’ve always wondered, Finals Night Judge Mark Cuban confirmed in a video (watch it here) – that the second panel of judges DO watch the Top 15 in interview before the competition begins. As stated above, that’s why interview is super important – You have to have the skills to win over 1 panel in person, and a second panel via video.

– A big “breaking through” shout-out to Kylee Solberg, Miss Idaho… Sierra Sandison was America’s Choice in 2014, but Kylee is the first Miss Idaho since 1971 to be named a semi-finalist on her own merit! Idaho also made the cut at MAOTeen this year – Along with OK, TX and LA (all 4 of these states had semi-finalists for MAOTeen and Miss America)! CONGRATS!!!

– There are also a few states that deserve recognition for how incredibly consistent they’ve been recently… Here’s a few stats for you… Texas and Oklahoma are now currently riding the nation’s longest “semi-finalist” streak at 8 years in a row. New York has made it 6 of the last 7 years, Iowa and Tennessee have both made the cut 5 out of the last 6 years. Kentucky has made it 7 of the last 9 years – And with Savvy’s win, Arkansas has been named a semi-finalist or better, 10 of the last 13 years.

– A few additional awards were announced last night – including Miss Minnesota = Miss Congeniality… Miss New Hampshire, Colorado, North Carolina and Michigan = Non-Finalist Talent. The non-finalist Interview award went to Miss Florida. Congrats Ladies!

– Not that it matters, but I created a list before the ladies even left for Miss America… And on that list, I had 11 of the Top 15 (lol!). Guess I didn’t learn my lesson from MAOTeen after all (see what I’m talking about right here)…

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - SEPTEMBER 11: Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields (C) and Miss America 2017 contestants appear onstage during the 2017 Miss America Competition at Boardwalk Hall Arena on September 11, 2016 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for dcp) — ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 11: Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields (C) and Miss America 2017 contestants appear onstage during the 2017 Miss America Competition at Boardwalk Hall Arena on September 11, 2016 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for dcp)

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!

As always – THANK YOU for those of you who continue to enjoy our Miss America/state prediction season… It’s not easy being the Junkie who puts her neck out on the line year after year, but I continue to do so because of the Junkie Nation. YOU GUYS are the ones who motivate me every day… In fact, I’m super proud of the community we’ve built together – One that’s positive and fun without being overdramatic and/or rude. And in my opinion, if there’s anything the pageant community needs – it’s more fun and less rude!

So – Thank You Junkies for another amazing year… I couldn’t have done it without you!

And until next year – When we once again do our best to predict the woman who fully exemplifies the qualities and ideals that Miss America stands for – We hope you find a way to impact your own community for the better! Start telling young women about the program and how they can benefit! Encourage leaders in your area to get involved and learn more! Advocate for those who are making a difference – And above all else, work to become the best version of yourself. When you do – You’ll never lose.

Until Next Time –

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 18,000 of her closest friends.

September 5, 2016 by Junkies 1 Comment

Miss America Prelim Predictions

I still remember like it was yesterday.

I was sitting in my high story office, happy that our sales team had just finished a great fiscal year, when I had this crazy, dim-witted, slightly hair-brained idea…

“I think I’ll send an email to some of my friends I haven’t seen in a while, and tell them the Miss America pageant is about to take place… “

The reason this idea was so crazy, dim-witted and slightly hair-brained, is because I was about to email a bunch of friends who never competed in pageantry. These were ladies who supported me – but honestly – they you couldn’t have paid them to compete. Not in a million years.

In truth, I knew it was a bit of a risk to send such an email out of the blue. Which is why I decided I needed a hook… Something to keep them from politely rolling their eyes and asking if I was “still into all that stuff”. So, in order to keep things interesting, I decided to up the ante by telling them I was going to predict who would win each of the preliminary competitions. I’d pick a few states, then I’d tell my friends why I thought “so and so state” could win the given prelim each night.

That’s when I realized I needed to put these friends on their very own email list. I thought for a moment and wondered what I should name the list… And then it hit me.

Miss America Junkies.

Ever since that day, I’ve been posting picks – and each year more and more Junkies join me in my pursuit of the perfect preliminary prediction.

In case you’ve never seen this before, here’s how it goes…

1. Two awards are given on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night… one for Swimsuit and one for Talent (no on-stage awards for Evening Gown or On-Stage Question). Three nights of prelims times 2 awards each night means 6 awards total. 🙂

2. I’ll select 4 states out of the 17-18 girls who could possibly win.

3. To provide complete disclosure… I’ve only seen 2 of this year’s Miss America contestants compete on stage before. I don’t attend Miss America rehearsals. The way I make my predictions is through online research. If I can find it online, it’s fair game for my predictions.

4. The Prelim list is in the chart above… for Tuesday, we’re working with Alpha in Talent and Sigma in Swimsuit…

Now – before predictions kick off tomorrow, I always like to post a few points to remember for anyone who’s not been a part of Pageant Junkies predictions before…

1. Every one of the predictions I post are my opinions and my opinions only. Sometimes I get it right – and sometimes I’m dead wrong. Of all the years I’ve been making predictions based on online research only, the best I’ve ever done is 4/6… Which pretty much goes to prove, I’m not perfect. ?

2. If your daughter/grand-daughter/sister/best friend’s-baby-sitter’s-car-salesman’s niece isn’t on our short-list as a prelim pick, it doesn’t mean she isn’t talented. It doesn’t mean she isn’t ‘pretty enough’. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t have what it takes… It only means, I’m not perfect (please re-read point #1 above). 🙂

3. Just because we accurately predict a prelim winner – it doesn’t mean she is the next Miss America. PLENTY of ladies have walked away with the Miss America title after never winning a single prelim (and it could very well happen this year as well!). Your favorite contestant can too.

Miss Louisiana April Nelson, left, won the talent portion and Miss Florida Mary Katherine Fechtel, right, won the swimsuit competition in the second night of preliminary competition in the 2016 Miss America pageant on Wednesday Sept. 9, 2015. The winners spoke at a press conference in Atlantic City N.J. after the competition. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

4. This is supposed to be… (wait for it… wait for it…) FUN!!! ? Since predictions are the origin of Pageant Junkies, we have a blast seeing if we can accurately predict a winner simply through online research and Junkie intuition. Please don’t take it personally if the lady you adore is not listed in our posts… It’s truly nothing personal – We’re just trying to have a good time!

5. Finally – In order to prove that predictions ARE fun, I needed to develop a phrase that would encapsulate how I truly feel about each young woman competing. That’s when I stumbled onto this little ditty – and it’s become our signature phrase for ALL of prediction season:

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!

And I actually mean it!

Don’t believe me? Ask someone from Iowa (lol! Ok, that’s actually an inside joke for all you Taylor Wiebers fans out there – you know EXACTLY what I mean!). When I’m wrong – I own up to it! And with a smile on my face! In fact, I love celebrating young women who prove me wrong – It’s what keeps me honest and what makes leading the Junkie Nation so much fun!!!

Now – As I said above, I’m not perfect. All I’m trying to do is interject a little bit of levity into one of the single-greatest competitions on live television today. Miss America is a total crap-shoot (and I mean that in the kindest way possible). Absolutely anything can happen – Which is what makes it so much fun to play!

So – if you’re interested in “playing along” – you’re always welcome to post your predictions on our Facebook page or here in the comments section below… You’re also welcome to send me an email with your picks and we can contrast and compare!

In the meantime, there’s work to be done! We don’t just pull these picks out a hat you know… In fact, we’ve gone through a super tedious and extremely loooooooooooong process of research and evaluation just to get to this point! But – That’s precisely why they call us Junkies 🙂 Don’t take the name if you can’t take the job 🙂 LOL!

If you’d like to see our predictions for Miss America 2017, you still have time! Just join Pageant Junkies Premium, and we’ll make sure you’re on the list! Prelims start tomorrow – and we’re still frantically trying to put together final our list! Once they’re ready, we’ll send our predictions and see how things shape up on Tuesday night! – Don’t miss it!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

To see more of our Miss America mini-series, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 18,000 of her closest friends.

September 4, 2016 by Junkies 2 Comments

Seventeen Teens in 2017

2017 OT State Winners — Former OT’s competing for Miss America 2017

Hey Junkie Nation!

It’s time to talk Teens… As in, former Outstanding Teen state winners who are now competing for the title of Miss America!!!

This year – we have a record-breaking SEVENTEEN former state teen winners who are walking on the Miss America stage! That number is WAY up from previous years – and will be hard to beat (in my opinion) in years to come!

So – Why is recognizing former Miss America’s Outstanding Teen state titleholders a big enough deal to warrant an entire blog? Well – Let’s just say, it’s all about the trend…

OUTSTANDING TEENS are FLOCKING to MISS AMERICA

The first former Teen titleholders to walk on the Miss America stage did so back at Miss America 2009… That year, Sierra Minot (Miss FL OT 2005 – pictured above) finished as the 4th runner up to Katie Stam and set the stage for future Teen titleholders was set…

It wasn’t until 2013 when Nina Davuluri was named Miss America 2014, that a former Outstanding Teen state titleholder took home the title of Miss America… But considering the Outstanding Teen pageant only started in 2006, I’d say that’s a pretty darn good track record!

Former OT's competing for Miss America 2014 — Former OT’s competing for Miss America 2014

Overall, if my calculations are correct, 64 ladies who were former state OT winners have gone on to walk on the Miss America stage over the past 11 years (including this year’s class)… Now – you may or may not realize, several states were naming “Teen Winners” before there ever was a national Outstanding Teen pageant… The number above only includes those who were officially “Outstanding Teens” and attended nationals in Orlando, Florida.

But wait – There’s more reasons why we’re focusing today’s blog in this direction…

Former OT’s competing for Miss America 2013

ADVANTAGES GALORE

Because they’ve held a state-wide title, former OT state winners have the advantage of understanding what the role of a state titleholder is. Not only do they have the experience, they also have the contacts and the chance to get to know lots of different people in their state, as opposed to a local titleholder who only represents her local community.

In addition, if former state OT winners decide they want to try to become Miss titleholders, they have an understanding of what it’s like to do the job itself. There are plenty of former OT state titleholders who don’t go on to compete in the Miss division – Mainly because they understand what’s at stake – and for whatever reason, they’ve decided they’re not necessarily interested. Nothing wrong with knowing what’s ahead of you and then choosing to pursue what you truly want instead of what’s expected of you… Not a thing wrong with that!

Former OT's competing for Miss America 2012 — Former OT’s competing for the title of Miss America 2012

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES…

Finally – I’ve interviewed countless ladies on the podcast who served as both an Outstanding Teen and a Miss State titleholder – And without a doubt – THEY ALWAYS SAY the best preparation for them, was competing in the OT program.

It’s because of the reasons above… Being an OT gives you the chance to meet tons of people, it gives your platform a state-wide voice, and it gives you a small taste of what the real job of a Miss titleholder is.

Now, am I saying this year a former OT state titleholder will go on to win Miss America??? Not necessarily… Although considering the fact that this year, with ONE THIRD of the contestants previously holding an OT state title, those aren’t bad odds!

Former OT’s competing for Miss America 2015

Overall – The Outstanding Teen program has proven itself as an excellent organization for finding future Miss America contestants. We didn’t even talk about the number of ladies who participated in their Outstanding Teen program, but didn’t win an OT state title, who still ended up a Miss America (and trust me – there’s plenty of those ladies out there too!).

Honestly – I’m very excited about the Outstanding Teen program. It’s the exact kind of “training ground” that does nothing but help the Miss America Organization – and obviously, young women who benefit from participating in pageants get the chance to hone their skills in a supportive and familiar environment. That’s a win-win in my book!

NATIONAL WINNERS

Thus far, 12 young women have earned the title national of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen… Of those 12 ladies, 2 have made their way to the Miss America stage! Caitlin Brunell represented Alabama and was a Top 10 finalist at Miss America 2014 – And Rachel Wyatt is the reigning Miss South Carolina. I just wanted to take a moment to commend each young woman for her journey thus far – There’s a different kind of pressure that can come with being a former National Titleholder (especially in the same system) that can make ones Miss America journey a bit more difficult. Both women were wonderful representations of MAOTeen and just like every other contestant, we wish them the best!

Alright! So – That means we’ll have one more post tomorrow and we wrap up our mini-series… Once Tuesday hits, we’ll start making our predictions! If you’d like to read more posts in our mini-series, just click here – and if you’d like to see our predictions for Miss America 2017 (starting Tuesday), just click here.

GOOD LUCK to EVERYONE competing at Miss America this year (former OT’s and otherwise!)

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 18,000 of her closest friends.

September 3, 2016 by Junkies 2 Comments

Miss America Judges!

Hey Junkies!

Today kicks off a short mini-series of posts leading up to Miss America 2017!!! Over the course of this series we’re going to chat about several things to keep in mind as we lead up to the first night of Prelims on September 6th!

Today’s topic = Judges!

Now – Every good pageant girl out there knows the cardinal rule of pageant judging…

“Different Judges – Different Results”

I’m someone who firmly believes there are usually 2-3 ladies who could win the title of Miss Whoever (state or national – sometimes locally too). On any given day, given any different panel of judges, the results may or may not be the same. Even though judges are given guidelines for each area of competition – when it comes down to it, judging is an extremely subjective practice.

In addition, Miss America is employing a two panel judges system again this year. Just for a brief history, two panels have most recently been used for Nina and Betty – but it was a single panel that selected Mallory, Kira, and many other titleholders through most of the 2000’s (dual panels used in the early 2000’s, the 90’s and some of the 80’s).

I’m not here to debate the validity of a 2 panel vs a 1 panel system (although I do have my opinions about such), rather – I’m going to use this time to talk about the panels themselves and what I believe each panel will be looking for in our new Miss America… So – Let’s get started!

PRELIM PANEL:

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS PANEL…

Sometimes the prelim panel is full of people who are high-level experts in their field – which makes them extremely cerebral, and super targeted in their area of expertise. NOT THIS YEAR! I think this prelim panel is full of some very well-rounded individuals. Not just talent dynamos or interview gurus, but this prelim panel has people who excel in several areas of life. And THAT is a big advantage (IMHO)… Why? Because (again, IMHO) several of these judges would be a great fit for a finals night judge. To me, that adds an element of consistency.
This panel is super BALANCED. In the past, we’ve seen prelim panels that lean one direction or the other politically, or many of them are from a particular area of the country, or all have a thing or two in common. Believe it or not, I see a real cross-section of beliefs, ages, backgrounds and involvement in this panel – and I think that’s a good thing! It provides a great deal of balance – which means, we should get well-rounded contestants and everyone has a chance at the Top 15.
If I have to give a name to this panel, I’d call it, a “charisma friendly” panel… meaning… I can easily see this panel leaning towards ladies who have that ever-elusive “it” factor. Several of these judges have risen to the top of their respective fields, not just because they’re great at what they do – but because they have that extra “it factor” which allows them to be national television contributors. If you’ve got “it” – then you know how to spot “it” from a mile away… And I think these judges will choose ladies who have that special charisma factor in their favor.

That’s the prelim panel who will be interviewing the contestants and judging them on every phase of prelim competition. It’s the panel above who will select the Top 15 finalists.

We’ll have a completely different set of judges for Finals Night – And those judges are the people who will actually select our new Miss America!

Before I get to my assessment of the Celebrity/Finals Night panel, let me answer a quick question…

For those of you who’ve been wondering… It’s my understanding that even though the Finals Night panel isn’t in attendance for the preliminary competition (and obviously, they don’t select the Top 15) – This panel DOES see the interviews for the Top 15 prior to judging the pageant on Sunday night. Now, it’s also my understanding that they don’t see ALL 10 minutes of each interview (because, that’s like, 2.5 hours of watching videos of pageant interviews)… But, they see ‘enough’ to understand each woman’s personality and her ability to communicate.

If I’m wrong about judges seeing an “edited version” of the Top 15 in interview, you’re welcome to send me a private message and I will correct myself… No problem 🙂 Ok – Back to the Finals Night panel…

FINALS NIGHT – Celebrity Panel:

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS PANEL…

There are a LOT of women! With only 2 men, this panel will likely crown someone who isn’t “hot” and “hot only”… She’s going to have to be a woman of substance with a personality that comes to life on-stage. A female-heavy panel will likely crown someone a bit different than a male-heavy panel would – it’s a matter of just personal preference.
This panel is RESILIENT. This panel knows what it’s like to get knocked down, or to have things fall apart. Each of them has been through several ups and downs in life – times when life was good, and times when things didn’t work out. But the common denominator is – when going got tough, they didn’t quit. Personally, I think that means they’ll reward someone who is vulnerable enough to share about her shortcomings, and can learn from her own mistakes. Those who can prove they’re been able to “get back up, dust themselves off, and try again” are in great shape.
This panel understands HARD WORK. Many folks on this panel have been working for YEARS to get to where they are today… Even the “Hollywood Types” on this panel didn’t just become famous overnight – It’s been a looooong process in the making. And when you put in that much time to get where you want to be – it automatically means you’ve had to make sacrifices. I believe this panel will reward someone with a strong work ethic and someone who can show her dedication to the job of Miss America – because she already knows what it’s like to work hard.

And there you have it! Bottom line – A prelim panel can fall in love with you, but with a second round of judges, you need to be well rounded enough to impress another group of folks in each category as well!

My best advice? Focus on giving your best in your own performances, relax every chance you get, be confident in your own abilities (after all – you freaking made it to Miss America!) and enjoy making memories that will last a lifetime!

The contestants who do that will shine above the rest – And trust me, the judges can’t help but notice a woman who shines on stage!

By the way, just like we do every year, we’ll be making our very own predictions for the Top 15, Top 10 and Top 5 at Miss America this year!!! If you’d like to see our predictions for Miss America 2017, they’re only available through Pageant Junkies Premium… just click here to join. 🙂

Now – In case you’re ready to dive in the deep end and fully eat, sleep and breathe ALL THINGS Miss America between now and September 11th, you can find our previous Miss America predictions right here (ahhh, the memories…). Our site is also searchable through the search bar on the homepage if you’re looking for a particular year to reminisce… 🙂

On the other hand – In case you’re brand new to the whole “Junkie Experience” and are just learning about how slightly obsessive we really are with this whole predictions thing, you can catch up in a hurry by checking out our state predictions from this past summer… Just check this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies are cheering for each and every one of you!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 18,000 of her closest friends.

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!

And the winner is…

SAVVY SHIELDS, MISS ARKANSAS!!!

TOLD YA! TEENS RULE!

THE SHOW ITSELF…

ON-STAGE QUESTION

THOSE LEFT OUT

INTERVIEW – INTERVIEW – INTERVIEW

LET’S REVIEW THE STATS…

FINAL TID-BITS…

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!

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!

OUTSTANDING TEENS are FLOCKING to MISS AMERICA

ADVANTAGES GALORE

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES…

NATIONAL WINNERS

PRELIM PANEL:

FINALS NIGHT – Celebrity Panel:

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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!

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!