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You are here: Home / Archives for Miss USA

June 30, 2016 by Junkies 1 Comment

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes In Pageantry

Anyone feel like the world of pageantry is starting to shift right before our very eyes???

I’ll admit – I don’t have finger on the pulse of each and every pageant in the country, but let’s see if we can hit a few of the highlights…

MissUniverseFanPage
MissUniverseFanPage

First, Donald Trump sells his stake in the Miss USA/Miss Universe program to the current ones, IMG/WME… Then, the whole Miss Universe/Steve Harvey ‘wrong winner announced’ nightmare… Then Miss America says local titleholders can longer compete at Miss Sweetheart (after 70 years)… Then Miss USA crowns someone who most people would say is a great choice – but a significant departure from the “type” of winner Miss USA usually crowns… And now – Miss Teen USA contestants will no longer be wearing swimsuits/bikinis – instead, they’re opting for “athletic wear”

I find it all FASCINATING!

Katherine Haik, Miss Teen USA 2015, poses with Olivia Jordan, Miss USA 2015 and Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2014 following the Miss Teen USA 2015 Competition from Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas on Saturday, August 22, 2015. HO/ Miss Universe L.P., LLLP
Katherine Haik, Miss Teen USA 2015, poses with Olivia Jordan, Miss USA 2015 and Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2014 following the Miss Teen USA 2015 Competition from Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas on Saturday, August 22, 2015. HO/ Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

What’s it all mean? Well – I’m not going to pretend like I have all the answers… But I do have a few thoughts. 🙂  First – if you want to read my thoughts on the new direction Miss USA is going in – click here…

And if you want someone to explain all the nuances behind who’s eligible for the National Sweetheart pageant and who’s not – click here… For the rest of this post, we’re gonna talk about Miss Teen USA…

From YouTube.com
From YouTube.com

Look – I get it. If I had a 14-16 year old daughter on national television parading around in an itsty-bitsy-teenie-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini, I’d feel uncomfortable. I’d wonder what kind of message I was sending to her about growing up to be a strong woman. And I’d worry about who was watching her prance around in nearly nothing.

In that sense alone, I think this is a wise move. I’m not being prude – I’m being prudent.

However – (and call me cynical) – I don’t think that’s the sole purpose behind this decision.

Photo by Darren Decker
Photo by Darren Decker

You can call it “re-branding”

You can call it “a reflection of the culture”

You can even say it’s all about “the changing face of female power…”

But in my mind – the decision to remove the swimsuit portion of the Miss Teen USA pageant, is also about getting more contestants.

Now – Don’t get me wrong… Hear me out… I actually believe having more contestants is a very good thing! Think about it!

More contestants means more young women get to experience all the amazing benefits of pageantry!  The personal growth, the development of courage and confidence, communication skills, stage presence, the ability to push yourself past what you think you’re capable of doing – These are all INCREDIBLE life-long skills and benefits learned from pageantry!

From Miss Universe
From Miss Universe

On top of that – more contestants means more parents get the chance to see what pageants do for their daughters and thus, they’re more likely to let go of any previous misconceptions about pageantry (plus tell their friends and neighbors).  More contestants also means more people raising awareness and fundraising for the causes they love the most! And ultimately, more contestants means there will be a greater pool of ladies to choose from – which usually leads to stronger winners overall (iron sharpens iron).

However – let’s face it… If Millennials get even the slightest sense that the ultimate reason for more contestants is more money (greed) – They they’ll have a total hissy fit and quit!

Katherine Haik, Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2015, is crowned Miss Teen USA 2015 by Miss Teen USA 2014 K. Lee Graham and Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan. She celebrates on stage after the crowning from Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas on Saturday, August 22, 2015. HO/ Miss Universe L.P., LLLP
Katherine Haik, Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2015, is crowned Miss Teen USA 2015 by Miss Teen USA 2014 K. Lee Graham and Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan. She celebrates on stage after the crowning from Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas on Saturday, August 22, 2015. HO/ Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Lucky for me – I don’t have serious issues with Capitalism (and this post is starting to veer off course in a hurry so let me bring it back…). In fact, I’m completely fine with more contestants, as long as the end result is one of two things…

First – As long as “more contestants” turns into “more money” which turns into “more scholarships” – or more prizes/opportunities for the winner/s, – Then I’m totally on board. I have NO PROBLEM with more money if it brings more sponsorships, more ticket sales, more incentive for a city to host a pageant (think more hotel rooms, more people eating at restaurants, more shopping, etc). If the end result is “more for the ladies who participate” then I’M ALL IN! No questions asked!

MissUniverse.org
MissUniverse.org

The second situation – Is if “more contestants” turns into “more REAL contestants” – then I’m totally on board as well. And by ‘real contestants’ I mean – I want to see ladies who don’t fit the pageant mold and aren’t penalized because of it. Ladies who have everything else it takes to be a fabulous national titleholder, except they don’t look like a freaking super model in a bikini. Ladies who have political beliefs that challenge the norm. Ladies who have the goods to change the world – as long as they aren’t required to change themselves for the pageant stage. If that’s the result of more contestants – then yeah… You had me at hello.

MissUniverseFanPage
MissUniverseFanPage

Only time will tell which direction pageants will fall… Even the best theories don’t mean a darn thing until they’re put into practice – and unfortunately, all the idealism in the world can’t make a payroll… But if this latest Miss Teen USA decision leads to less objectification and to more contestants, then it sounds pretty good to me.

Look – I’m not trying to set myself up as the ‘moral voice’ for pageantry. Not at all. But I  do believe things are changing. And that means, young women today have the chance to define what a “modern” pageant titleholder looks like.

Photo by Darren Decker
Photo by Darren Decker

Pageants should be about being YOU. Not trying to fit into the mold of what someone else thinks a pageant winner should look like.

If athletic wear causes women to feel less objectified and more empowered – then let’s do it.  If athletic wear causes more women to more confident in their own bodies and eliminates body shaming – then let’s do it.  And if athletic wear propels women everywhere to embrace their bodies and actually believe that healthy is the new skinny – THEN LET’S DO IT.

However – If athletic wear is only for the powers that be to be able to turn a greater profit because more contestants are participating, then we might need to think again.

As for me and my Junkie-world, I’m going to choose to believe the former, not the latter. And while I might understand, respect and appreciate the latter – I’m not so sure this generation would.

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

 

To see more Thursday posts like this one, just click here…

Photo by Jenn Cady Photography
Photo by Jenn Cady Photography

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.

Miss America Predictions!
Thousands of us are #HopelesslyAddicted to pageantry.
100% Privacy. No Spamming.

Filed Under: Miss USA, Thursday Post

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…

From Miss USA Facebook page
From Miss USA Facebook page

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…

  1. 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!
  2. 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 🙂
  3. 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
David Becker/Getty Images North America
David Becker/Getty Images North America

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…

miss-usa-deshauna-barber-96df6aff-7331-4e08-a1d2-6ad3643da2f7
Ethan Miller – Getty Images

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.

243657-Photo_1-960x540

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…

madison-mckeown-miss-south-dakota-usa

– 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
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!

screen-shot-2016-06-05-at-6-37-07-pm-e1465178071705

– 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.

94c26ee4-8b15-417c-b16b-8a763705d0c3-large16x9_wenn24424301

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

 

Photo by Jenn Cady Photography
Photo by Jenn Cady Photography

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.

Filed Under: Miss USA

June 5, 2016 by Junkies 3 Comments

Junkies Predict Miss USA

10660122_10153599429452968_1135543702714523491_n

I gotta be honest – Just writing the title of this post, seemed a little weird…

For those of you who are new here, at Pageant Junkies, we kind of fancy ourselves as Miss America aficionados.  And up until this point, everything we’ve done has been in the name of Miss America (podcasts, blogs, online courses, competition tips, predictions, etc). Heck – I didn’t even see the Miss Universe debacle live because I was enjoying Christmas vacation with my family (although, in case you’re interested, I did take time to write fairly extensively about it here… ).

That’s why it’s come as a bit of a shock that I find myself in unfamiliar territory.

I’m about to offer public predictions for Miss USA.

Photo from Miss USA Facebook page - Courtesy of Michael Stewart
Photo from Miss USA Facebook page – Courtesy of Michael Stewart

I’m not exactly sure how this happened… But I do know, this is my attempt to “shake things up” and get out of my little MAO comfort zone. It’s time to see if  the skills I use when making predictions about Miss America are the same skills when predicting Miss USA.

Now – OBVIOUSLY – there are a few differences between the organization, therefore, there are a few differences in how I go about making my selections.

For example – This week, I watched the preliminary competition online! It was the first Miss USA prelim I’d ever seen – AND I WAS FLABBERGASTED (in a surprisingly good way!)!!!

From Miss USA Facebook page
From Miss USA Facebook page

First of all – I’m not sure we’ll ever see MAO post prelims online… It doesn’t seem to be the kind of thing they’re interested in doing (that’s not a knock on MAO – I just haven’t seen any indication that they think streaming prelims is a good idea… Which is totally their choice!).

Second – I could’t believe the fact that the whole thing took place in one night!  All 52 ladies competed Swimsuit and Gown on the same night, at the same time! I was shocked that the entire thing only took an hour and 20 minutes (LOL! Honestly – I had no idea!).

By comparison, Miss America prelims take place over 3 nights – each prelim night is 2+ hours long, and you see 4 phases of competition on stage instead of just 2 (No wonder MAO announces prelim winners each night).

MissUSA

In any event – I’m obviously throwing myself in the DEEP END by making Miss USA predictions when it’s not my first area of expertise. I might fall flat on my face – and never try this crazy experiment again.  Or, I might do “ok” this year and perhaps even a bit better next year… Either way, I’m excited to challenge myself on a new level!

Also – Because I’ve been a MAO girl to this point, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least give a shout-out to Miss Virginia USA Desi Williams (former VA MAO) and Miss Maryland USA Christina Denny (former MD MAO)! Also, Syndee Stottlemyre (current Miss Missouri USA) was Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen, and Caley Rae Pavillard (current Miss Colorado USA) was Miss Colorado’s Outstanding Teen as well!  All 4 ladies look stunning and have made the cross-over to USA look easy (and it’s not!).

From Miss USA Update - Courtesy of Carly Oz
From Miss USA Update – Courtesy of Carly Oz

I know there are several other ladies who’ve competed in MAO over the past few years… including Miss Maine Marisa Butler, Miss Kentucky Kyle Hornback, Miss New Mexico Naomie Germaine, Miss Indiana Morgan Abel, Miss South Carolina Leah Lawson, and Miss 52 Alex Miller! If I’ve missed others, then I apologize in advance! No offense intended whatsoever!

SO!

Now that all my blathering is over… LET’S GET TO THE PICKS!!!

Photo from Pageant Update - Courtesy of Carly Oz
Photo from Pageant Update – Courtesy of Carly Oz

Truth be told, I don’t know exactly how they’re breaking everything down this year… It appears we’ll have a Top 15 (or maybe a Top 16 with the People’s Choice), then a Top 10 – and we think a top 5, but it also seems as if they’re going to announce a Top 3 and the public has something to do with it…?

So – we’re just going to go the old traditional route and pick a Top 15, Top 10, and Top 5. Therefore – without further adieu, LET’S DO THIS!

MISS USA Top 15
Virginia
Texas
California
South Carolina
Nevada
Wisconsin
Maryland
Colorado
52
Hawaii
Oklahoma
DC
South Dakota
Pennsylvania
Georgia

My “bubble” contestants (ladies on the bubble who could also make it):
Connecticut
Michigan
Mississippi

NOW – On to Top 10
California
South Carolina
Colorado
Virginia
Nevada
Hawaii
52
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Oklahoma

Top 5
Colorado
California
South Carolina
52
Hawaii

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!! Our first ever predictions for MISS USA!!!

From PageantUpdate.com
From PageantUpdate.info

Hey – And just because we’re new to predicting USA, it doesn’t mean we don’t still believe the following (which we say ALL THE TIME to MAO contestants…)

Ladies – If we say your name, we hope you prove us right!
But if we don’t say your name, we hope you PROVE US WRONG!

GOOD LUCK to everyone competing at Miss USA tonight!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Photo by Jenn Cady Photography
Photo by Jenn Cady Photography

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.

Miss America Predictions!
Thousands of us are #HopelesslyAddicted to pageantry.
100% Privacy. No Spamming.

Filed Under: Miss USA

This website is strictly coverage of all things from the Miss America system. We are in no way affiliated with the Miss America Organization.

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