State Predictions - Pageant Junkies

June 2, 2016 by Junkies 4 Comments

Junkies Predict Miss Alaska 2016

For many pageant contestants, pageantry is their first choice for scholarships. But that wasn’t the case for Miss Alaska 2015, Zoey Grenier…

Miss Alaska 2015, Zoey Grenier's Anchorage Press photo shoot at Kincaid. Photo by James R. Evans — Miss Alaska 2015, Zoey Grenier’s Anchorage Press photo shoot at Kincaid. Photo by James R. Evans

You see, Zoey was a biathlon athlete… And a pretty darn good one. Good enough to win three championships in the International Arctic Winter Games! But unfortunately, Zoey injured her shoulder and that meant she’d have to find another way to earn scholarships for a college education.

That’s when the biathlon ski champion became a pageant contestant.

And we’re sure glad she did! Zoey Grenier is a one-of-a-kind personality with a huge heart (hear for yourself on her podcast here)! And frankly, the fact that the Miss America Organization is a viable alternative for women like Zoey, means pageants are relevant today!

Even though she’s had to take a year off of biathlon to fulfill her duties as Miss Alaska, we know (and she knows), the experiences she’s gained over the past year will pay massive dividends down the road.

Zoey Grenier – Thank you for allowing your life to take a crazy detour – and letting us get to know you. I know many Junkies would agree – We’re better off because you took a chance on pageantry. 🙂

And now – Which one of these ladies do we think has the best chance of being named Miss Alaska 2016?

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

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE Alaska!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

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 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 23, 2016 by Junkies Leave a Comment

Weekend Wrap Up May 22, 2016

Hello once again Junkie Nation! Time for another Wrap-Up of this weekend’s state pageant competitions!

But first – Big Junkie Congratulations to…

Miss Rhode Island 2016, Shruti Nagarajan!!!

For the 3rd year in a row, Rhode Island has crowned a student from Brown University… Shruti has her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Education and graduated in 2014. Though she’s lived in Rhode Island for the past 6 years, Shruti was born and raised on the island of Guam! She performed a Bollywood Fusion routine for her talent – and here’s a fun fact… Based on a post from her own Miss Providence County Facebook page, Shruti loves snakes…

From Shruti’s Facebook page – Fun fact about me: I love snakes! I think they are fascinating and beautiful creatures. I was just trying to channel my inner Britney Spears. Meeting this little guy definitely made my trip to Miami a few years ago. #MissProvidenceCounty #TBT #Python

Gotta say – I’m a little more like the girl on the left – but more power to you Shruti! 🙂

Big Junkie Congrats also go out to the remainder of the Top 5 at Miss Rhode Island including:

Shruti Nagarajan = Winner (Community Service Award)
Katrina Horan = 1st Runer Up (Talent Winner)
Raquel Perez = 2nd Runner Up
Nicolette Peloquin = 3rd Runner Up
Victoria Curatas = 4th Runner Up (Miss Congeniality Tie)

Good News for Junkies is that we had Shruti in our Top 5 list! We also picked Nicolette Peloquin – making us 2 for 5 on our Miss Rhode Island picks – (and seriously, Katrina, Victoria and Raquel, you have NO IDEA how many times we had each of you on the list! Should’ve kept you on the list! AHHH!). Thus far, we’re 3/4 when picking state winners (whoooo hoooooo!)

But the year is FAR from over – And some CRAZY state pageants are still ahead! Including Miss Vermont and Miss New York, which both take place THIS WEEK!

Miss Vermont = Finals on Friday (no prelims)
Miss New York = Prelims Friday and Saturday – Finals on Sunday

By the way… If you’ve got some ‘inside scoop’ you’d like to pass on regarding one of YOUR favorite contestants (in any state), feel free to email me! I always love chatting with folks inside the Junkie Nation and it would be my absolute pleasure to hear from you! You can reach me at ThePageantJunkies@gmail.com 🙂

Otherwise – it’s back to ‘cracking the whip’ on our Junkie research team to determine our Top 5 lists for New York and Vermont!

PS – Now, would be a great time to join Pageant Junkies Premium! WHY? We have 48 pageants over the next 7 weeks! Don’t wait any longer!!! Sign up here and you’ll see our predictions starting this week (cancel whenever you wish!)!

Until Next Time –

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Curious to learn how we choose our Top 5 ladies for each state?
Well… It has to do with you Pageant Brand… Check out this free training to learn more…

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.