Miss Oregon 2015 Ali Wallace, had the great fortune of following in her mother’s footsteps this year…

Tammy Fazzolari Wallace was Miss Oregon 1987 and competed at Miss America 1988 (which happens to be one of the years my sister and I recorded Miss America on VHS, and then subsequently watched it over and over and over again… Driving everyone around us crazy. We were exactly the same way about Miss America 1985). And when Tammy’s daughter Ali decided she wanted to compete in the Miss Oregon program, it’s because she was also a little girl who always enjoyed pageantry…

From an article in OregonLive.com…

“The real reason I’ve wanted to become Miss Oregon is because I grew up going to the pageant every year,” Wallace said. “This is just something that touched my heart as a child. I’ve grown up looking up to these women and always wanted to do something in return. Having the opportunity to inspire young girls and be a role model is unreal.”

And that’s exactly what Ali received the chance to do this year… Ali’s platform is about Brain Injury Awareness – Stemming from the fact that she suffered a brain injury after falling while she was a varsity cheerleader her Freshman year.

In the same article, Ali says,

“I was 15 when I suffered my traumatic brain injury. At the time, I didn’t know what a concussion was, what a traumatic brain injury was. It wasn’t something you really heard a lot about, so I didn’t understand what I was going through.”

Ali also had the chance to travel to Japan this year, to help promote the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Ali was able to talk about Oregonian chocolates, honey, onions and coffee, hoping to expand Japan’s desire for more Oregon products.

Congratulations Ali on a wonderful year! Junkies are super excited you had the chance to spend this year doing so many wonderful things – and that you and your mom will always share this special bond.

And now – who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Oregon 2016? We’ve made our Top 5 picks for Miss OR… Find out more when you click this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love Oregon!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Nothing makes me happier than having “real people” learn how amazing Pageant winners are…

Case in point – Miss Kentucky 2015, Clark Davis.

During her year as Miss Kentucky, Clark became friends with a little girl named Anna Shappell.  Clark met Anna at a Relay For Life event – and learned that Anna has battled A.L.L. or Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After getting to know Anna a bit better, Clark told Anna she could have her local crown, if she kept fighting and kept beating cancer.

Catch the story here…

Now – this may not seem like a big deal to anyone who’s been in the Miss America or MAOTeen system for a while… After all, you may have 3 or 4 crowns lying around your bedroom. But Clark only had 2 crowns. One from her first local (Miss Horse Capital of the World) and one from Miss Kentucky.

And now, Anna has a crown.

Congratulations Clark on making your year as Miss Kentucky about others. We know the sky is the limit for those who place others ahead of themselves – and we can’t wait to see what you do next!

And now – who do Junkies think has the best chance at being named Miss Kentucky 2016? Learn more about our thoughts and who we believe might make the Top 5, when you check out this link right here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love Kentucky!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

I don’t know how California continues to crown “quintessential California girls” – But somehow, they just do!

Case in point – Bree Morse… All-American girl who didn’t grow up surfing, but if you saw her, you’d almost swear she did. Bree is beautiful, kind, bubbly, and was a wonderful choice as Miss California 2015. Plus – Bree was named Miss Congeniality at her state pageant! SEE? Cute, sweet, and adorable to boot!

However – there’s much more to Bree’s personality than that… A few years ago, Bree discovered she was losing her hair. And not just ‘some’ of her hair… but rather, ‘chunks’ of her hair. When she finally had the courage to tell her family, they discovered Bree had Alopecia Areata – an autoimmune disease where you lose hair from parts of your body.

And while you might not think someone who was losing her hair would enjoy competing in pageants, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, Bree changed her platform so she could reach others who also have the disease, and also talk to students about how important it is to treat everybody the same – regardless of whether they have a broken leg, or are short/tall, or might be losing their hair.

Bree’s podcast was a breath of fresh air – and if you need a ‘positive-pick-me-up’ from a sunny California blond, then do yourself a favor and listen right here...

Junkies can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Bree Morse… Whatever it is, we know she’ll rise to the top thanks to her positive attitude, and congenial character. 🙂  ALL THE BEST BREE!!!

And now, who do Junkies think has the best chance at being named Miss California 2016???

Good Lord – This is gonna be a TOUGH one! Somehow, we’ve managed to narrow the group down to our Top 5… And if you want to see who The Junkies are picking for the Top 5 at Miss California, just click here to learn more…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love California!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

It’s always fun to “get some press” when you’re a state titleholder, but when we found this article about Miss Texas 2015 Shannon Sanderford, we knew we had to use it in our post… From the The News Nederland…

One student at Highland Park Elementary School in Nederland told Miss Texas, Shannon Sanderford, 23, that she was so pretty, she looked like one of her Barbie dolls.

Sanderford, however, is more than just a pretty face.

The article goes on to talk about the Miss Texas partnership with Citgo and their “Fueling Good” campaign – Along with the “Miss Texas Cares About Children” program, that teaches kids about media literacy and self-empowerment.

It also mentions that Miss Texas usually makes over 450 appearances during her year – and speaks to nearly 100,000 people. You read that right – 450 appearances!!! And while Texas continues to be tied with OK for the nation’s longest “semi-finalist streak” at Miss America (7 years in a row) – It’s pretty obvious to this Junkie why they continue to do so well at Miss America…

It’s because they crown women who can make 450 appearances in 365 days! Women who can speak. Women who have a message and truly want to make an impact. Women who are excited to be an ambassador for their state (not just attend Miss America).

If you don’t believe me – feel free to judge for yourself! Once you hear Shannon’s podcast with us, you’ll have no doubts why she won the title… In fact, we were blown away by Shannon’s laid-back, comfortable communication style, and I know you will be too (listen here).

Shannon – Thank you for everything you’ve done for the state of Texas this year.  There are countless kids from each and every corner of your state who may think you’re as pretty as a Barbie Doll – but there will be many more who think twice about “pageant girls” now that they’ve seen your strength and confidence. Junkies know you’ll excel in whatever you choose to pursue. 🙂

And now – Who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Texas 2016?

It’s always a crap shoot when you compete in a state where there’s more contestants than they have at Miss America – But we’ve done our best to bring you our top picks! Learn more at this link right here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! JUNKIES LOOOOVVVEEE TEXAS!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

There are a few things you should know about Mary Katherine Fechtel, Miss Florida 2015…

First of all, she’s stunning…

But she’s also brilliant… “MK” plans to use her scholarship money earned from her time in the Miss America program to further her education in law school.

Further – Mary Katherine is one of the kindest and most compassionate people you’ll ever meet – which is exemplified through her platform issue of Online Safety and Sex Trafficking Awareness.

In addition, MK is also a sharpie thief.

Yes – I hate to say it, but as beautiful, brilliant and kind as she is, MK has a sharpie that once belonged to Pageant Junkies. We loaned it to her at MAOTeen in Orlando when her current sharpie started to die during the autograph session (after all – you can’t be giving autographs without a sharpie!).

In all fairness – MK tried to give us our sharpie back – but she seemed to have misplaced it in the all the hullabaloo of MAOTeen finals night. And, in all fairness – we actually told her to keep it. Mainly because we knew it would make a great story one day. And it just did 🙂

Mary Katherine – Junkies want to give you HUGE congratulations on your Top 10 performance and Preliminary Swimsuit Award at Miss America… But we also want you to know, that we adore your heart for service and your compassion for others. We have no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot of you in the years to come and we’re looking forward to the impact you’ll make on behalf of those who truly need a voice. #AllTheBest #KeepTheSharpie

And now – Who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss Florida 2016? Well – isn’t that the question EVERYONE wants answered (lol!)! Like a few others we’ve told you about, this pageant is going to be TOUGH! To see who we’re picking to make the Top 5 at Miss Florida, just click this link to learn more…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE Florida!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey