Well said Jenna Day – There’s nothing further we could add.  We’re thrilled you have ‘made your mark’ as Miss Kentucky – and your Top 15 placement at Miss America is certainly icing on the cake!

And now – who will be named Miss Kentucky 2014???  GREAT QUESTION!!!  Ugh!  This one isn’t easy to predict at all…

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Kiley Schuffert – 1st runner up ’13, 1st runner up multiple times at KY OT
Ashley Ferry – Top 13 ’13, 4th runner up ’11 and ’12, KY OT ’08
April Reinle – 2nd runner up ’13
Laura Jones – 3rd runner up ’13, Non-finalist Talent ’12, KY OT ’10, Top 10 at Nationals
Melissa Cox – Top 13 ’13, Non-finalist Talent ’12, baton twirler
Madison McCowen – KY OT ’09
Erynn Landherr – KY OT ’11, Pre-Teen KY ’06, 
Claire Butler – Top 13 ’12 and ’13
Ramsey Carpenter – Top 13 ’12 and ’13
Lydia Allen – NAM KY Jr. Teen Queen ’10
Wesley Ware – 2nd RU KY Teen USA ’12, Miss TN US ’13 Top 15 at Nationals, KY Teen America ’10

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  JUNKIES LOVE KENTUCKY!!! 🙂

MAJ

Miss Mississippi 2013 Chelsea Rick has been dreaming of the Miss America stage for many years.  In an article in “Today in Mississippi” by Debbie Stringer, it explains exactly which part of the competition fascinated Chelsea the most…

      
          “It was the talent,” she said. “Of course, I loved the princess gowns—any little girl does—but I love to sing and dance. And to see those girls getting to do their talent on such a big stage really drew me in.”
          “My mom instilled in me the idea that these girls were about more than just pretty clothes. They were compassionate, articulate and intelligent. And the most important thing was that they were getting money for their education,” Rick said.
       

And when it comes to little girls watching her now, what’s her message?  Stringer writes…

          Her crown is a sure-fire conversation starter with the little girls.
          “They love it, but I tell them that they don’t have to have a crown to be a princess. They have an invisible crown on all the time. I really have enjoyed that,” Rick said.

Chelsea certainly gave her all at Miss America – coming home with a Top 15 placement and the Preliminary Swimsuit Award (which in case you didn’t know, is the 14th time the state of MS has brought home the prelim SS award!).  Plus, she was also honored with one of the 2 new STEM scholarships at Miss America worth $5000 because of her plans to become a neurologist. 

Finally, her years of community service have also been significant – she’s raised over 12,000 pounds of food through her platform, “Full Plates, Healthy States” – which earned a place as a Finalist for the Quality of Life Award at Miss America as well.  Whew!  Looks like Chelsea took full advantage of her dream as a young girl – and came home making Mississippi proud 🙂 Now that’s what I call ‘a performance worth noting’ at Miss America!

All the Best to the future Dr. Rick – we’re certain Chelsea will be one of our favorite Miss Mississippi’s for years and years to come 🙂

Now – for Miss MS 2014 we’ve got ourselves quite a competition!  If you’re looking for a nail-biter, then look no further! This one could go a million different ways – looking forward to seeing the results this weekend!

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Laura Lee Lewis – 2nd RU ’13, MS OT ’09
Morgan Burnett – MS OT ’08
Jasmine Murray – Top ’10 ’13, 1st RU ’12, Miss MS OT ’07, Top 10 at Nationals, Top 13 American Idol
Jessica Terrill – Top 10 ’13, 2nd RU ’12, Top 10 ’11
Jordin Johnson – 3rd RU ’13
Caroline Connerly – 4th RU ’13
Shelby Corn – Top 10 ’13, 1st RU ’11
Alivia Roberts – double prelim winner MS OT ‘3rd runner up ’13
Mia Hall – 1st RU MS DYW ’13
Leighann Pacific – 1st RU MS Teen USA ’08 and ’09
Cece Hilman – Amazing personal story, overcoming invisible illness
Dalee Kimble – She’s a comedian!  Seriously!

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  JUNKIES LOVE MISSISSIPPI!!! 🙂

MAJ

A delightful article, published in the Washington State University News on October 14th, explains who Reina Almon was growing up and how those experiences shaped her into becoming Miss Washington 2013…

          “As a shy, young girl Reina Almon dreamed of becoming an artist, animal trainer, singer or dancer. The worlds of beauty pageants or environmental advocacy weren’t remotely on her radar.
Community service, however, was front and center in 4th-9th grades when she was actively involved in 4-H, which is a service of Washington State University Extension.
           “Visiting nursing homes, the humane society, volunteering at horse shows and doing food drives gave me a lot of different perspectives on what I could do in the community,” said the 22-year-old Yakima native. “My experience in 4-H prepared me for my job as Miss Washington…”

Reina has certainly ‘blossomed’ into a gorgeous and confident young woman.  Her personal blog called “Reigna’s Reign” has everything from “green” sustainability tips, to thrift store shopping ideas, to ways to re-wear your homecoming dress and glue rhinestone your own shoes!  Completely comprehensive and easy to follow, we highly recommend checking out Reina’s Blog Here… 🙂

We know lots of people are super proud of this former 4-H’er turned sustainability advocate… And we think one of the biggest lessons here is how many paths there are to pageantry.  You never know what experiences you create for yourself as a pre-teen that may help shape you into the things you achieve in your early 20’s and beyond!  So, even if you’re “not ready” to do pageants just yet — That’s fine!  Go DO SOMETHING and stick with it long enough to see yourself mature and grow.  Then, you’ll be more than able to take those skills and successfully use them in the pageant world. 🙂  Congrats Reina – You are certainly an example worthy of following 🙂

Now – who do we think has what it takes to be the next Miss Washington???

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Janae Calaway – WA OT ’12
Megan Leibold – Top 10 ’13
Catherine Watters – 4th RU ’13, competed in ’12, excellent twirler
Kimball Gainor – inline skater, competed in ’12
Hayley Nicholson – strong talent, Miss Congeniality ’13
Kailee Dunn – competed in ’12 and ’13
Alicia Cooper – Top 10 ’13
Angelica Casimiro – graduated college at 20
Ramya Ramanathan – Junkie Dark Horse

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  JUNKIES LOVE WASHINGTON!!! 🙂

MAJ

Five times…

That’s how many time Miss Texas 2013, Ivana Hall competed before winning the Miss Texas crown… But what’s even more amazing – is that as far as we can tell – Ivana NEVER ONCE won an award during her first 4 trips to Miss Texas!  Never a runner up, never in the Top 15, never a preliminary award, never a non-finalist award…  Zip – Zilch – Nada!  But she didn’t quit.  And you can tell – LOTS of people were shocked (including Ivana and several contestants on stage behind her) when she was named Miss Texas 2013 (love this photo – just click on it to see a larger version!).

And not only did Ivana win Miss Texas after not winning any awards in her previous 4 attempts, she then goes on to finish in the Top 10 at Miss America!  No doubt she had a stellar interview and we know she looked amazing on stage – Talk about “peaking” at the right time!!! 🙂

But Ivana’s journey isn’t just about her years of competition… At the age of 10, Ivana’s uncle was diagnosed with AIDS.  After watching him battle and eventually losing him to the disease, Ivana decided her platform would be HIV/AIDS: Education and Resources.  Her uncle lived with the disease for 22 years before sucombing to it when she was only 17.  And as Ivana states in an article from TheDallasVoice.com, finding something that fits your passion at the age of 17, is a good thing. 🙂

          “Since you first started working with the HIV/AIDS cause, is it possible to articulate the changes it has made in you? Oh, there has been so much change in me.  I’m not the same girl as I was starting out as a 17-year-old. I have always been a very opinionated person, even for my age, but I stand firmer on my beliefs now. I don’t question myself any more. My maturity level I think is much higher than a regular 23-year-old. To be able to give myself emotionally to others is another thing. I have always thought it’s important to be a compassionate person, and no matter where I go in life, I have to keep that intact. I think that is my most important attribute.”

 

Without question – big things are in store for Ivana Hall… Regardless of how many times she attempts to do something – We know if she wants it, she’ll get it!  🙂

Now – before we get to this year’s predictions, we’d like to hijack this post for a little “Junkies in Training Moment”…  

Something to remember… Since 1972, Miss Texas has only missed the cut at Miss America 10 times!  Yes, you read that correctly – over the past 42 years – FOR MORE THAN 4 DECADES – Miss Texas has been named a semi-finalist 76% of the time at Miss America!!!  Do yourselves a favor and ALWAYS list TX on your top 15 list come September… 🙂  Got it?  Cool… This Junkies in Training moment has been brought to you by people who have way too much time on their hands… Thank God we do have a life outside of pageants. 🙂

OK – Now – Speaking of competition… last year, we didn’t list Ivana Hall on our “Here’s Who to Watch” list – but obviously, that didn’t stop her from winning the title!  And truth be known, I wouldn’t put it past a dark horse to come out of nowhere and win the title again!  There are 52 girls in this year’s Miss Texas pageant – and this is going to be one tough competition…

Junkies Say Here’s Who to Watch:

Christine Tang – 1st runner up ’13, Prelim SS and Talent ’13, 4th runner up ’12
Callie Thompson – 4th runner up 13, Top 10 ’12, TX OT ’07
Katherine Dunn – 4th runner up TX USA ’11 4th runner up ’09
Morgan Fuller – Top 15 ’13,  Prelim Talent and Alpha Talent
Madison Fuller – TX OT ’10 (yup! they’re sisters!)
Monique Evans – Prelim SS ’13, Top 15 ’12, Top 10 ’11
Ameera Swaidan – Top 10 ’13, Prelim SS ’12
Christa Widjaja – Top 15 in ’13, 2nd runner up TX OT ’11
Elise Martinez – Top 10 in ’12
Brittney Bennett – Top 15 in ’12
Keli Kryfko – Getting lots of press for losing 100 pounds including GMA 

Others to Watch:
Isis Smalls – Younger sister of Miss IL Jade Smalls, 1st runner up to Miss America 2000, Heather French
Logan McCormick – Strong local prep team behind her – beautiful girl
Destiny Velez – 2nd RU TX OT ’09, drums for talent!
Laryssa Bonacquisti – 3rd runner up TX OT ’12, Int Cinderella Teen ’13

Another Big Round of Applause for all the “Texas Junkies” who sent us your inside scoop – including our Junkie Research King!  Life is good when there’s a King in  your corner!!! 🙂

ALL THE BEST LADIES!!!  GOD BLESS TEXAS!!!

MAJ

Well Hello Again Junkies!!!  Time for another wrap-up post regarding this week’s competitions!

This official “morning after blog” is always interesting… And trust me… After watching who was winning preliminary awards this week, I’ll admit… Junkies were slightly nervous about the results!  Let’s just say it was a nail-biting, nerve-racking, hair-pulling, popcorn-munching, kind of evening!

Now, before we evaluate our results, I hope you’ll let me take just a few moments to remind all of our awesome and loyal followers of a few things…

1. JUNKIES AREN’T PERFECT.  We’ve said it once, we’ll say it a million times and we’re not ashamed to admit it – Junkies are not perfect!!!  Just because we don’t list “your favorite girl” in our “Here’s Who To Watch List” it doesn’t mean she’s not worthy of the crown.  It doesn’t mean she has no chance.  It doesn’t mean we have a secret agenda to sabatoge her confidence in hopes of getting ‘our girl’ to win or any other crazy theory you can come up with… (lol)… It only means we aren’t perfect.

2. JUNKIES PREDICT FROM WHAT’S ON PAPER.  In 95% of the pageants held, we’ve never met a single girl competing for the title of Miss State.  You many find that hard to believe – but it’s true! When we make our predictions, our picks are based off information we find online and previous finishes (and in some cases – you’d be surprised how hard it is to find accurate information regarding previous finishes!)… RARELY have we ever seen any of these ladies compete on stage and it’s even rarer that we’ve actually met one of them in person.  Hence the reason why (see point #1 above…) We’re not perfect! 🙂

3. JUNKIES JUST WANNA HAVE FUN.  That’s how this all started and what it’s supposed to be for everyone reading – FUN!!!  🙂  If it’s not fun for you and your friends/family, that’s ok… We don’t ‘demand’ that anyone have fun while following us – but FUN is the whole reason we play the game!  We’re just out here in cyber-space, blogging our little hearts out, trying to see if we can pick winners having never met these ladies – and believe it or not, to us, IT’S FUN!!! 🙂  Trust me, we don’t spend hours of our lives researching and writing and posting because we have ‘something to prove’.  To us, our end goal isn’t about “being right” – We do this, because Junkies Just Wanna Have Fun.  🙂

Capiche? 🙂

Cool – Reminders over… Thanks for indulging me.  Now, let’s get to the results from this week’s state pageants!!! 🙂

Even though we had nine state pageants last night – we also had Miss West Virginia take place on Tuesday of this past week… So, let’s start with WV – How did Junkies do???

West Virginia – 4 for 5, Missed the Winner

Congrats to Paige Madden – the new Miss WV and the only girl we didn’t have on our watch list from the Top 5!  Nice Work!

And now – moving to last night’s results… Junkies are excited to report – we didn’t miss a single winner last night!!! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!  Our first perfect weekend since the pageant season started!!!

Connecticut – 5 for 5, listed the Winner
Maryland – 5 for 5, listed the Winner
South Carolina – 3 for 5, listed the Winner
Virginia – 4 for 5, listed the Winner
Oregon – 5 for 5, listed the Winner
California – 2 for 5, listed the Winner
Louisiana – 5 for 5, listed the Winner
New Mexico – 5 for 5, listed the Winner
Puerto Rico – 4 for 5, listed the Winner (LOL!  Crazy Lucky!!!)

So – 9 for 9 last night – YAY!  And when you include Miss West Virginia – Here’s where we land!

9 for 10 = 90% for listing winners
42 for 50 = 84% for listing Top 5 finishers

Which means… (drum roll please)… Junkies have our BEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR!!! 🙂

Now – if you haven’t already glazed over with stats and numbers, we still need to give you our over-all, cumulative totals for the year… We’ll try to keep it simple… Here’s Where We Land…

GRAND TOTAL

39 for 45 = 87% when listing the winners
162 for 223 = 73% when listing Top 5 finishers

THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!  Miss Massachusetts takes place at 3pm EST today (Sunday) – and the only remaining pageants are Texas, Washington, Mississippi, Idaho and Kentucky!!!

And just for the record – YES – WE’RE HAVING FUN!!! Hope you are too!!!

Until Next Week – JUNKIES UNITE!!!

MAJ