Miss America Junkies

Every once in a while, you experience a 'ba BOOM' moment at the Miss America pageant... For the record, it usually happens for us during the swimsuit competition... and for us... it happened this year when Jennifer Sedler, Miss Arizona 2011 took the stage...

I wish you could've been there... it was like a Victoria's Secret supermodel was walking on stage... Sassy and Confident... we knew she wasn't far behind Miss New York, Kaitlin Monte who won the prelim swimsuit award that night...

Jennifer's talent was original and FUN! Plus - how many girls can do this on stage when you're 5'10 (Junkie Confession... we're just guessing on her height - we can't find any info that says exactly how tall she really is...).

In addition - the Junkies were able to find out the inside scoop on Miss America week from Jennifer's newsletter Super grateful for the way she kept everyone informed all year! If you missed them, check them out here... :)

Miss Arizona History: Two Miss Americas have come from the state of Arizona... Jacque Mercer in 49 and Vonda Van Dyke in 65.

Best Junkie Research Tool: The Miss Arizona website has all the contestant head-shots here... Big Photos Too! :)

Who to Watch:

Tiffany Hilburn - 3rd runner up in '11, 3rd time at Miss AZ

Katelyn Niemiec - twirler, Top 10 in '11, Miss AZ OT in '09

Danielle McBurnett - Top 10 in '10, piano player - was in a snowmobile accident in March, but will compete!

Andrea Malinski - 2nd time at Miss AZ, switched talent from Jazz Dance to Piano

The Junkies Love Arizona!!! All the best to Everyone Competing!!! :)

MAJ

Sarina Turnbull, the reigning Miss New Mexico also has her crowning moment on the web... You can find it here... http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/15625941. Start watching at the 54:36 mark for final crowning...

Honest Humility is one of our favorite characteristics in a state queen... and we greatly appreciate that about Sarina... :)

Miss New Mexico History: No Miss America from New Mexcio in the 90 year history.... and unfortunately, never a Top 5 finish as well... Nicole Miner was a Top 7 finalist in '10.

Best Junkie Research Tool: All the head-shots can be found here... but I'm afraid it doesn't list Talent...

Who to Watch:

Candice Bennatt - After 3 years and a 4th runner up finish at Miss Texas, she's now competing in Miss NM. Ballet Dancer, prelim swimsuit winner in TX

Carin Malm - 1st runner up in '10, 1st runner up NM OT '07, 2nd runner up National Sweet Teen

Stephanie Chavez - 2nd time at Miss NM, great headshot

Alexis Duprey - Miss NM Teen USA 09

Prelims start tonight!!! Yay for The Land of Enchantment!!! All the Best to Miss New Mexico!!! :)

MAJ

Here's a Taste of the Junkies' Time in North Carolina... Lovin' Every Minute of it!! :)

An Amazing Production Team here at Miss North Carolina!!! :)

75th Anniversary!!! :)

North Carolina's Precious Princess, Olivia with mom Courtney!!! :)

A couple of Junkies before the show!

Your new Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen, Alexandra Badgett!!!

The 75th Anniversary Gala, Governor's Brunch and Crowning of

Miss North Carolina 2012 still to come!!!

JUNKIES UNITE!!! :)

MAJ

Catherine Brown, Miss Wyoming 2011 was a cheerleader on the University of Wyoming Cheer Squad... and we haven't seen a single photo of her without her big, beautiful smile across her face!

Third blonde from the left... Catherine is here with Miss Virginia, Miss Utah and Miss South Dakota at Bucca diBeppo in Vegas during Miss America Week...

Catherine also received the Duke of Edinburgh Award with several other Miss America sisters seen here... :)

Wyoming History: Wyoming had a 1st runner up back in 48, and in 75, 76 and 78 they had 3 non-finalist talent awards in 4 years... but no Miss America to date.

Best Junkie Research Tool: Well... the girls are listed on the Miss America site here... But honestly, we also found this photo to help us with our choices...

photo by dgoldenwyo

Who to Watch: Only 8 girls will be competing for Miss Wyoming this year (up from only 6 girls lasty year)... seems hardly fair to name 4 of them to watch (that's like naming 15 girls when they have a total of 30 competing!). Here's what we know...

Lexie Madden - former WY Jr. Miss 09, piano player

Chelsea Price - WY OT in '10,

Marissa McIntyre - piano player, tall and in the same sorority house as Lexie Madden and another contestant, Rebecca Podio. Hoping the whole house comes to cheer on these ladies at the finals tonight!!! :)

Wishing everyone a wonderful evening in Sheridan, Wyoming! All the Best!!! :)

MAJ

Spenser Wempe... besides having a great name, Miss West Virginia 2011 was a knockout! The girl has so many different 'looks' about her... which is why we're guessing people like Jenn Cady chose to use her as their model for various shoots...

SERIOUSLY! Spense Wempe knows how to pose and how to give a photographer something to work with! :) We're gonna miss her and her beautiful face! :)

Spenser is also passionate about her platform, the Wounded Warrior Project and brought a great deal of attention to her cause. She was also a Duke of Edinburgh award recipient. Although only 19, she's obviously, more than just a pretty face. :)

Miss West Virginia History: Having never produced a Miss America, West Virginia had their best placement when Ella Kessel was named the 2nd runner up at Miss America 1965 (and went on to become the First Lady of West Virginia in 1989).

Best Junkie Research Tool: The West Virginia website has all the 2012 head-shots here... :)

Who to Watch:
Gabrielle Ash -2nd runner up and prelim swimsuit in 10, 4th time at Miss VW

Kaitlin Gates - WV OT in 06, 2nd runner up WV Teen USA 08, 4th runner up WV Teen USA 10

Whitney Johnson - 2nd runner up WV Teen USA 10

Holly Hunsberger - Top 10 in 11, WV OT in 09, 3rd time at Miss WV

Katie Wright - Former WV Teen International - great headshot

All the Best to Everyone at Miss West Virginia!!! Junkies Love the Mountain State!!! :)

MAJ

Noelle Freeman, Miss California 2011 may have single handily showed the pageant world what a Miss America contestant is made of. Why? Because Noelle is a social media Junkie! This girl knows how to Tweet, Tag and Tout (and not necessarily in that order!)...and every one of those verbs not only made her visible, but also made her different than every other contestant. From her hilarious tweets...

"Did your mother not teach you that the gym

is NOT an appropriate place to ask girls out? #tragic"

To her personally edited videos...

To her creative web photos...

Noelle brought a new dimension to Miss America this year and we LOVED IT!!!

We also spotted Noelle from the get-go... and her Top 5 finish was no surprise to us (for the record, the Junkies picked 4 out of the Top 5 before the 2012 Finals began... (check out our Junkies blogpost here...). Finishing as the 4th runner up, Noelle shined on stage and had that Sexy-Cool-Charisma that seems to ooze out of California girls shortly after birth!

Photo by ED Brown Photography

I imagine we'll see Noelle working her way into an on-camera gig sometime in the future! :)

California History: California is the ONLY STATE in the past 6 years to have at least a semi-finalist ALL 6 years! WOW! In fact, since 1995, they've gone 12 for 17!!! Not too shabby!!! They've also had 6 Miss Americas, but none since Debra Maffett in 83 (Fay Lanphier in 25, Rosemary LaPlance in 41, Jean Bartel in 43, Marilyn Buferd in 46, and Lee Meriwether in 55). California is hungry for another Miss America - this might be their year!

Best Junkie Research Tool: Complete Bio's including interesting facts and scholastic ambitions are located on the Miss CA website here... but if you just want to see headshots and names, just go here...

Who to Watch:
There are 58 contestants trying to become Miss California this year! You realize, that means it's harder to be Miss California than it is to be Miss America! No wonder they've been on such a winning streak as of late! :) Ok - well - given the fact that our research team has no time to research 58 girls, here's what we've come up with...

Leah Cecil - 1st runner up in '11, Miss Sweetheart Non-Finalist Talent Award, plays the Harp 2nd time at Miss CA

Crystal Lee - CA OT in 08, Miss Chinatown USA 2010, prelim evening gown in '11

Sara Choi - Violin player, 4th runner up in 08, Harvard Grad and her apartment recently caught fire! Talk about a story to tell in interview!

Marina Inserra - Prelim Swimsuit in '10, vocal performance major, sings in the same a cappella group that Miss CA Ariana Afsar is a part of

Carly Valdes - great vocalist, strong swimsuit, excellent local prep team, 2nd time at Miss CA

Ruth Braum - Top 10 at Miss TX in 10, TX Talent winner in 09, Electric Guitar player for Talent and has played with Montley Crue's Tommy Lee

WOW - Serious Talent this year in California! Who will the Winner be??? Hmmmmm....

All the Best, Ladies!!! :)

MAJ

Before we get to Miss Nevada, I want to apologize to Mississippi, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon, Illinois and Virginia... It really is nothing personal, we just fell behind. While much of the research we did on these states would've been great to blog about, the concerns we had for our friends and family members who were escaping a firestorm became our #1 priority and something had to give. The Junkies promise to make it up to these 7 states sometime in the future... We owe you one!

Now - On to Nevada!

Miss Nevada 2011 Alana Hill will forever be remembered in our minds as the girl who gave the perfect answer on National Television when she didn't make the semi-finalist cut. In case you missed it (but you're all Junkies so let' face it... everyone reading this knows exactly what we're talking about), Gretchen Carlson (Miss America 1989 and Fox News Anchor) and Brooke Burke Charvet were on-stage with the girls after the evening gown competition and Gretchen started talking about how proud she was of the contestants... She said, 'These girls will go on to be doctors and lawyers and television anchors and politicians... And I hope one day, President of the United States'... to which Brooke says to Miss Nevada, 'That's great... What's next for you?'... That's when Alana replies (without missing a beat), 'President of the United States'. :) Classic - unscripted and honest! What a great moment!

In case you didn't know, Alana has a real shot at that Presidential thing... her father is a state senator for the state of Nevada representing Las Vegas. Additionally, Alana was covering the Miss America pageant in 2010 as a reporter for SUN News and KCSG - and then participated in 2011! It's stuff like that which reminds us how much we enjoy blogging about each state!!! :)

OK - Here's what else you need to know...

Miss Nevada History: Never had a Miss America... and while they've had finalists since this time, we still appreciate and remember Stacie James who was 2nd runner up to Kaye Lani Rae Rafko at Miss America 1988 (who had a great voice and was recovering from Bells Palsy)... then again, maybe it was those fabulous 'la cucaracha' dresses that we loved and adored...

jjjj

Best Junkie Research Tool: The Miss Nevada site does have all the contestants here on their webpage... But you can also discover each contestant's Talent and Platform by checking Miss America site here...

Who to Watch: 12 contestants this year... here's who we picked...

Elizabeth Mercado - 2nd runner up in '11, 2nd time at Miss NV

Madison James - Cute Headshot... but don't try google-ing her name or you just end up with a bunch of stuff on James Madison (true!)

Diana Sweeney - 4th runner up in '11

Randi Sunquist - 3rd runner up in 10, 3rd runner up in 11

THE JUNKIE BLOG IS BACK!!! Good luck to all in The Silver State!

MAJ

Miss Texas...
Where do we begin?
Hmmmm... How about telling you about their record...

In 40 years, Miss Texas has only missed the semi-finalist cut 10 times!!! Yes - since 1972, Miss Texas has been at least a semi-finalist 75% of the time! May we say that again... FORTY YEARS!!!

Miss Texas 2011, Kendall Morris was no exception. In fact, in a previous blog we noted that when we saw Miss Texas walk in the Miss America fashion show, we knew she could win a swimsuit prelim - even if she was ugly! That girl can WALK (just look up the MA Fashion Show video and see for yourself!)! Good news is, she's gorgeous (so no controversy there) was styled perfectly at Miss America and did come home with the Preliminary Swimsuit Award along with her Top 10 finish. Bravo!

Miss Texas History: Although they have a phenomenal state record, Miss Texas hasn't had a Miss America since 1975... Three total; Jo-Carrol Dennison in 42, Phyllis George in 71 and Shirley Cothran in 75.

Best Junkie Research Tool: The Miss Texas site has recently been updated and all of the contestant information is here...

Items to Note: Wow. If you thought Miss Oklahoma and Miss California were tough this year... let me introduce you to Miss Texas...

In this corner - We have 15 newbies competing for the first time...

And in this corner - We have 3 girls who have all previously been named the

1st runner up at Miss Texas!

So before making any predictions, can we say "Show us the Judges Please??"

Chris Chambers - Assistant ED at Miss Tennessee
Norval Sykes - Former Executive Producer of Miss TX, Vocal Award named for him
Richard Walker - Miss Florida background, Earned Doctorate, VP for Student Affairs
Kenny Mack - ED of Miss New York
Angela Busby - Former Miss Kansas, part of judges panel who chose Laura Kaeppeler
Pamela Dyer - Former Miss Texas contestant - and former Miss TX USA contestant
Angie Rodriguez - Formerly with Miss Maryland, now with Miss Virginia OT

Interesting... Now - here's who we're saying you should watch:

Adrianna Nelson - 1st runner up in 11, 6th in 09, vocalist
DaNae Couch - 1st runner up in 09, 2nd runner up in 10 and 11, baton
Jordan Johannsen - 1st runner up in 10, 3rd runner up in 11, Top 10 in 09, dance and vocal
Meghan Miller - MAOT National Winner 06, semi-finalist 2 out of 3 times at Miss TX
Monique Evans - Top 10 in 11 (8th place), prelim talent and swimsuit
Kenne Nordin - Top 10 in 11 (6th place), 4th time at Miss TX
Christina Tang - Top 10 in 09, Baylor Grad, Law Student at SMU, piano player

Let the Pageant Begin! All the Best to Everyone at Miss Texas!!!

MAJ

When it comes to photo shoots, Miss Florida Kristina Janolo seemed to cover the whole gamut... First with this FABULOUS photo that we ADORED (and her yellow dress made us think about former Miss Floridas and Miss Americas Leanza Cornett and Ericka Dunlap every time!)... So 'beachy-Florida-esque'...

To this photo of Kristina with another 'Florida-esque' pose (although not quite so 'beachy')... LOL!

Let's just say these are 2 photos you certainly wouldn't see taken in say, Nebraska. But Florida? You Betcha!!! :)

Kristina finished in the Top 12 at Miss America - and although you didn't get to hear her sing 'Gold' on National Television, the Junkies heard it during preliminary competition and thought she just might make it through! Kristina was also the first Philipino-American to win the Miss Florida title - and her little sister Samantha, was First Runner Up in the Florida MAO Teen pageant! We say, America might just see more of the Janolo ladies in the years to come! :)

Florida History: Well we already spilled the beans about Miss Americas from Florida... Leanza Cornett 93 and Ericka Dunlap 04 both competed in stunning yellow evening gowns when they were crowned. :)

Best Junkie Research Tool: Each photo of the contestants from the night they won their local title can be seen here on the Miss Florida website... But if you want official head-shots, Talent and Platforms, you'll need to go here to the Miss America Florida page...

Who to Watch:

Laura McKeeman - currently a sports reporter for FOX Florida, Top 15 in 10, 2nd runner up and overall interview winner in '11

Kalen Dennis - 1st runner up in '11, 3rd time at Miss FL

Brittani Robins - new, but Teen USA contestant

Chloe Lupo - roomies in '11 with Kristina Janolo, super beautiful girl, 3rd time at Miss FL

Azah Awasum - Top 10 Miss Maryland '11, daughter of Camaroon immigrants, well-spoken

ALL THE BEST TO MISS FLORIDA!!! :) The Junkies Love the Sunshine State!!! :)

MAJ

Brittney Henry, Miss Washington 2011 had one of the best stories ever for a Miss America contestant! Although let's be honest, Brittney has said herself that she isn't a 'Cinderella Story' where everyone lives "Happily Ever After"... It's what she's done with the life she has that makes her sooooooooo special! Whenever you think the cards are stacked against you --- or that someone else has an unfair advantage over you --- just remember Brittney. That oughta get you out of your pity-party pretty quickly! :)

In case you don't know Brittney's full story, you can read about it here on her personal website...

At Miss America, the Junkies were fortunate enough to see Brittney's Talent and we were thrilled to see her go home with a Non-Finalist Talent award! So deserving!

There's also a video on YouTube you can see for yourself here...

We also have to say that Miss California, Noelle Freeman and Brittney have been hilarious to watch this year... our personal favorite was this video they made while competing at Miss America... Check it out here... Super Glad these 2 kept everything light-hearted and fun at The Big Dance in Vegas! :)

Miss Washington History: Although they've never produced a Miss America, we still have a couple of favorites... Honey Castro was 3rd runner up to Susan Akin and Elyse Umemoto was 2nd runner up to Katie Stam.

Best Junkie Research Tool: The Miss Washington site has a slideshow of all the contestants here on their website... For a look at everyone at one time, check out the Miss America link here...

Items to Note: This is a very interesting group of girls... out of 22 contestants, 17 are new to Miss Washington this year! WOW! Could be someone out of nowhere who takes the crown this year... you just never know...

Who to Watch:
Daniela Ferrell - 4th runner up in '11, 2nd time at Miss WA
Kara Jo Morris - 2nd runner up in '11, 2nd time at Miss WA
Alexandra Harrison - 4th runner up in 11, 1st runner up 10 at Miss OR, 1st time at Miss WA
Reina Almon - WA OT in '09, 1st year at Miss WA
Mandy Schendel - Miss WA Teen USA in 08
Jean-Sun Ahn - 4th runner up at Miss AZ in 10

A few more than we normally list on a pageant this size, but it's only because it's anyone's crown to win!!!

All the best to the place we're affectionately nicknaming, "The Starbucks State"!!! :)

MAJ

Bree Boyce was pretty darn impressive as Miss South Carolina 2011...

Besides gracing the covers of People Magazine and being featured in Southern Living, she was also a guest on The View, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Extra and other programs. Truthfully, Bree received more on-camera promotion and publicity than a few of our own Miss Americas have! And let's face it - if you weighed 234 pounds, wore size 18 jeans and you lost 112 pounds to compete at Miss America, I'd put you on the cover of "Junkie~Love" Magazine too (ummm - don't steal that idea, we may just have to do that!)! Bree stated in a recent interview that she's headed to Hollywood a couple of weeks after Miss South Carolina... No doubt we haven't seen the end of her yet!

We hope she has this photo framed somewhere right next to the one where she's holding her size 18 jeans! Bree's Top 13 finish at Miss America just goes to prove you can do ANYTHING you want if you work hard and set your mind to it! :)

Miss South Carolina History: Miss SC has had 2 Miss Americas... Marion McNight in 57 and Kimberly Aiken in 94.

Best Junkie Research Tool: OMG! More Videos!!! Check out this link... You'll be connected to the Miss South Carolina YouTube Channel... only trouble is, they have the Teen videos alongside the Miss Videos, and there's a total of 101 contestants between both programs! WOW! You can also see contestant groupings and headshots here at the Miss South Carolina website...

Items to Note: Ummm... this is crazy... but 37 out of 48 contestants are NEW to the Miss South Carolina stage!!! Do you know how hard it is to do Junkie-Quality Research on 48 girls, let alone checking out the best of 37 rookies??? Especially since we have little-to-no-clue about anyone's Talent!?! Crazy I tell you! Do yourself a favor and leave it to the experts! Don't try this at home! :)

Who to Watch:

Lauren Cabaniss - 3rd runner up and prelim swimsuit winner in 11

Ali Rogers - Miss SCOT 09, 1st time at Miss SC

Summer Rayl - SC National Teenager in 05, 4th time at Miss SC, poli-sci major

Others to Watch:

Mika Friday

Meagan Garner

Courtney Mauldin

Currie Dickerson

Lustra Miller

Prelims begin Tuesday Night! Junkie~Love to the Palmetto State!!! :)

MAJ

Kristen Glover, Miss Arkansas 2011 wins the 'Super Smarty Sexy Scientist' award of this year's class. The girl graduated Magna Cume Laude from Ouachita Baptist University with a degree in Chemistry (For the record, the last time the Junkies even took a Chemistry Class was at the age of 16!). Her future plans include Pharmacy School at the University of Arkansas... like we said, Super Smarty Pants! :)

There were scores of photos of Ms. Glover which were Fabulous...

Here's hoping Kristen's future lab partner at least has a clue and appreciates who he/she's been paired up with this fall!!! :)

Kristen was a Quality of Life Finalist Award winner at Miss America this year for her platform called, "Second Chances through Mentoring". If you've seen her Facebook page or her blog (check it out here) you know her year hasn't been about photos - it's been about the kids. She's a great role model and has a strong future ahead of her! :)

Miss Arkansas History: Two Miss Americas hail from the state of Arkansas... Donna Axum in 64 and Elizabeth Ward in 82.

Best Junkie Research Tool: All the contestants are listed along with their prelim competition groupswhich you can see here for yourself! :)

Items to Note: From our perspective, this year's pageant seems to have 3 categories:

1. No Brainers

2. Newbies

3. You Never Know...

Who to Watch = No Brainers:

Simone Mullinax - 2nd runner up in 11, 1st runner up in 10, won Miss Sweetheart last year

Sloane Roberts - 4th runner up in 11, AR OT in 08 and 2nd runner up at MAOT 08

Sommer Allen - 4th runner up in 10, 3rd runner up in 11

Morgan Holt - Semi-Finalist in 09 and 10, AR OT in 07

Who to Watch = Newbies:

Caitlyn Cook - we're pretty sure she can sing and has a great headshot

Mary Lacey Thompson - musical theater major, inside scoop says she's 'a super sweet Southern girl'

Who to Watch = You Never Know:

Rosalyn Taylor - Top 15 in 11, won every category at her local

Helen Winser - Prelim Evening Gown and Prelim Swimsuit Winner in '11

Helen Billingsley - Prelim Evening Gown Winner in 11

Prelims Begin on Wednesday! Junkies Love Miss Arkansas!!! :)

MAJ

Ann Blair Thornton, Miss Kentucky 2011 did Kentucky proud by bringing home this year's Quality of Life award from Miss America. And while I desperately wish they'd come up with a better name for this award (as evidenced in this blog we posted back in January), I can't argue with the 'heart' of the award. Ann Blair lived her platform every day and as she shares, her 'platform journey' and her 'pageant journey' go hand in hand...

If you didn't get the chance to see Ann Blair's finalist video for the QoL, check it out here! We LOVED the "little reminder" she reveals near the end of this video regarding so many important people she met throughout her journey with her platform.

Here's wishing Ann Blair all the best in the future!

Miss Kentucky History: The one and only Heather French, Miss America 2000 is the only Miss America from Kentucky.

Best Junkie Research Tool: You can still vote for your favorite contestant at the Miss Kentucky Website and see each contestant's pertinent information right here...

Who to Watch:
Jeffra Bland - KY Teen USA 09 & 4th runner up at Teen USA, 3rd runner up in 10, 2nd runner up in 11

Jenna Day - 1st runner up in 11, Prelim Talent winner, poli-sci major, Top 10 at Miss Sweetheart

Ashley Ferry - Miss KYOT 08, 4th runner up in 11

Annie Franklin - 4th runner up in 10, Top 10 last year, daughter of Miss KY 88

Olivia Henken - Semifinalist in '11, lead singer in a band, already has a couple of albums produced

Ramsey Carpenter - Non-Finalist Talent and Non-Finalist Interview in '11

Person of Interest!Melissa Cox is the sister of the new Miss Indiana 2012, Merriebeth Cox! They're both Baton Twirlers and both adorable blondes! We've seen lots of sisters compete in the same year at the same state pageant, but different states are certainly more rare!

All the Best to Miss Kentucky! Good Luck to Everyone in the Bluegrass State!!! :)

MAJ

For the record, this is about to be a really short post.

Not because we don't like Puerto Rico, but because the Junkies are still kicking themselves for not taking that immersion internship to Mexico in college. After a zillion credits in Spanish Language and too many years later, we are seriously inept at doing the adequate amount research on a contestant because everything we find is in Spanish! Including Facebook pages! Who knew Miss Puerto Rico and this blog would be yet another reason why we should've given up Christmas vacation??? Ugh! But I digress...

Here's Laura Ramierez, Miss Puerto Rico 2011... isn't she lovely?

Puerto Rico has an outstanding Miss Universe track record and lots of girls know how to look glamorous! If Miss America can tap into some of those contestants who are interested in the scholarship opportunities offered by MAO, they'll be in great shape!

Miss Puerto Rico History: Miss Puerto Rico returned to Miss America in 2010 - after nearly a 50 year hiatus! Mimi Pabon won Swimsuit in 10, but nothing else of note.

Best Junkie Research Tool: The Miss America Website has all the contestants here...

Who To Watch: Ummm.... we have no idea. Based on our research, it appears that all 14 of the contests are brand new this year.. which doesn't give us much to go on. Admittedly, we're really stretching it here... but if you gotta take a shot in the dark, here's who we're picking..

Kiara Liz Medina - She's on Twitter, has a Facebook page for her local pageant and she's a Flamenco Dancer

Valerie Trinidad - Former Miss Kissimmee Florida Latina competed at Miss Florida Latina, Jazz Dancer

Amanda Morel - Martial Arts Talent

Gonna be just as surprised as you are when we crown Miss Puerto Rico tonight! :) Junkie Love!!! :)

MAJ

HAPPY NEW YEAR JUNKIES!!!

Once again, we’ve made it to “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”... That’s right – The way rednecks feel about Nascar, the way hippies feel about 4/20, the way the Kardashian’s feel about the media spotlight, that’s the way JUNKIES feel about Miss America Week! It’s Finally Here!!!! :)

And here's the good news...
You thought your love of, and dare I say near-obsession with, all things Miss America was just an unusual quirk... Perhaps even a genetic mutation... But now, between our Twitter Feed and our Facebook Page, you’ve just discovered 2000 other people who feel the exact same way! Congratulations - You are not alone!

Here's the bad news...
If there’s anything important you’re supposed to do over the next 12 days, you might as well throw in the towel right now. Tell your boss or your teachers or your mother-in-law that you're sorry, because nobody can deny the fact that your attention has shifted. There’s only one thing on your mind for the next 12 days... And that’s the question of “Who will be Miss America 2013?”

For those of you who haven’t experienced a Miss America week through the eyes of Miss America Junkies – let me give you a little background...

Miss America Junkies began 8 years ago as daily emails that I sent to about a dozen of my friends and family who knew of my obsession, and would essentially humor me as I kept everyone up-to-speed on the latest happenings at Miss America. Before I knew it, people were forwarding those emails to their friends and asking me to add new names to the distribution list. That’s when I officially named the distribution list “Miss America Junkies” and the name stuck. If you go through the archives of this blog, you’ll find those original emails that date back to 2008 (afraid everything written prior to ‘08 has been lost in email cyber-space and only Al Gore knows how to find them). So – feel free to enjoy the archives of this blog if you wish... Just remember, these were originally emails, not blog posts.

A couple of years ago the Facebook page and Twitter feed were both added – and a National movement was born!

So – for those of you who are new this year... Here’s how it works! The Junkies are headed to Vegas to watch Miss America 2013 and will do our best to keep you updated along the way. Just to make it fun, we list our predictions for each preliminary winner as well as who we think will make the semi-finals, Top 5, and winner (and for the record, we went 4/5 in the Top 5 last year!) :) Would love to have as many of you contribute to the blog with your own predictions as well for 2013!

SO HERE WE GO!!! Contestants are off to Vegas as we speak – with the official ‘arrival ceremony' as Thursday, January 3rd. We’ll have lots of different blog posts between now and the final night – but in the meantime, make sure you’re connected to both our Facebook page (Miss America Junkies) and Twitter feed (MAJunkies on Twitter) that way you don’t miss a minute (btw –we’ve been featuring Christmas Carol lyrics with a Miss America twist on our Twitter Feed... Silly and yet, lots of fun!) :)

Don’t forget to forward this info to any other “Closet Junkies” in your life as well! Wouldn’t want anyone to miss a minute! :)

JUNKIES UNITE!!! :)

MAJ

WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!! We made it!!! The Competition begins on MONDAY - Can you believe it? It's finally here - And it couldn't come soon enough for me... Earlier today, our TV was going back and forth between 'Duck Dynasty' and 'Gator Boys'... LOL! I'd say that's a sure-fire sign that I'm desperately in need of some good-old-fashioned glitz and glamor, pageant-girl stuff... PLEASE AND THANK YOU!!! :)

We begin Monday with Contestant Interviews... 35 girls will be interviewed for 10 minutes with 7 judges all day tomorrow... Here's the order in which the judges will see them:

Why is the order important? Well... it depends on how quickly our judges 'warm up' to their jobs (i.e., are they asking the girls about their favorite color or their take on the Presidential election?). Last year, only 2 girls from the far left column even made it into the Top 15 (however to be fair, the year before saw 6 girls make it from the far left column). I'm guessing this panel of judges is going to be on the ball from the get-go... so each girl is going to have the opportunity to advance (rather than the judges wasting the first 15 interviews trying to get the hang of it). Speaking of Judges... let's go there now...

Here's my personal 'short summary' on this year's judges and what I think they bring to the Table (if you prefer their official biographies, you can find them here at this link on the Miss America website).

Bradley Bayou - Big Fashion Designer, his daughter struggled with an eating disorder so he's into healthy eating, and I see him as a 'sash state' kind of guy (meaning, states with a successful pageant track record should do well with him).

Cheryl Burke - DWTS mega-star, best choreographer on the show IMHO - which means she wants to be entertained with dance, not just see technical ability, from San Francisco, hope-less romantic, likes the 'party-atmosphere' of Vegas.

Sam Champion - TV guy for 25 years, announced his engagement to his partner on national television (they were married in December), is very 'fit', snazzy dresser, works with many different charitable organizations. Sam's also 'hanging out' at rehearsals from what we can see... which means he's paying attention 'behind the scenes' and will have more exposure to the girls than the other judges will have.

Daymond John - Branding Genius, looking for market-ability, HUGE first impression guy, has an entire speech he delivers called, 'Going Toe to Toe with the Big Boys' which tells me - he'll want someone who can 'hold their own' and not just get away with being 'pretty' or 'cute'.

Mary Hart - Former Miss South Dakota (Top 10 at Miss America 1970), speaks Danish and Swedish fluently, Interview skills must be top notch. And even though she's been in Hollywood a long-time, I think she's still a mid-west, back-to-basics girl at heart (Divas should beware... I'll bet she can spot a high-maintenance chick a mile away).

McKayla Maroney - Understands dedication and high pressure... some people buckle under that pressure and others push through it. Might have a 'stereotype' or a picture in her mind of who Miss America should be... young, but knows what it's like to be thrust into the media spotlight without warning.

Katie Stam-Irk - "America's Sweetheart" as MA 2009, Prelim Swimsuit Winner and Darling of the organization. Been there, done that, has the T-Shirt... and if they're trying to find another 'Katie Stam' then why not put her on the panel.

Judges Summary = While I see this as an over-all 'left-leaning panel'... that doesn't automatically mean we'll get a "Liberal" for a Queen. The year Chris Matthews was a judge, they crowned Jesus-loving Lauren Nelson. The year Rush Limbaugh was a judge, they crowned AIDS advocate Caressa Cameron. So if your favorite state is a 'dyed in the wool' Conservative, there's no need panic... we just have to see who is able to connect with various types of people one-on-one.

More to come! GOOD LUCK to all the Contestants preparing for Interviews on Monday! We're just a few days away from crowning Miss America 2013!!! Who Will She Be???

MAJ

Fellow Junkies... I have a confession to make...

I have been over-taken by the Frenzy...

True Junkies know EXACTLY what I'm talking about... It's in the form of Tweets and Updates and Statuses and Instagrams and Videos that have all taken center-stage (which is amazing), but seriously... Try to compare it to the days when you had to wait for a phone call from Atlantic City (on a land-line --- not a cell phone) just to find out if your girl made it across the stage without falling on her face, let alone who won Preliminary Talent! Even a short 7-8 years ago, I can remember scouring the internet, begging for photos in the middle of Miss America week and after hours of getting nowhere, I would finally stumble on to some rehearsal photos.

Compare and contrast that with today - where everything is multiplied times 53 contestants and their 53 twitter feeds/facebook pages/youtube videos. The information gap has officially closed. And it's easy to get lost - or better yet - it's easy to get CONFUSED about which girls have a shot at the crown verses those who will simply make their mamas proud.

All of this 'information-overload' forces us to simplify and consider who Miss America is looking for this year... After much consideration, I believe the new Miss America will come from one of these categories...

Former MAOTeen Winners:

We've said for YEARS that Miss America is dying to have a former State Teen become Miss America so it can continue to promote the MAOTeen competition... and let's face it, it's gonna happen one day... perhaps this is the year?

These ladies all won a Teen State Title before winning a Miss America State Title and were all featured on the MAOTeen stage in Orlando last August. From left to Right, we have: Oklahoma, Indiana, Maryland, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Arkansas, Massachusetts, South Carolina and New Jersey. It's possible that Miss America could be one of these lovely ladies...

Tragedies and Triumphs:

There's something to be said about states who suffer tragic circumstances shortly before Miss America... Shawntel Smith from Oklahoma won Miss America after the Oklahoma City Bombing, Leanza Cornett from Florida won after Hurricane Andrew swept Florida. Plenty of girls finished well after tragic circumstances struck their state. It's not that the judges 'feel sorry' for a certain state and want to give it hope - it's more the fact that the contestant has been involved in the 'healing efforts' around their community and has an emotional story or two to tell. Ladies who fall into this category this year include: Connecticut = Sandy Hook Shootings, New York and New Jersey = Hurricane Sandy, Colorado = Aurora Theater Shootings/Colorado Wildfires. When you have stories about how you helped the relief effort and/or what you think should be done to avert such tragedies in the future, that means you have the opportunity to 'connect' during an interview. And if you haven't heard by now, Miss America is won in the interview room. :)

Marketability: These are ladies who bring something unique to the table that the Miss America Organization can promote. Theresa Scanlan was only 17. Nicole Johnson wore an insulin pump. Heather Whitestone was deaf. Girls who fall into this category for me include: Florida and Massachusetts = Sports Reporters (we saw FL several times this Fall covering some of the Junkies favorite football teams)... If these girls pursue careers in this field and they win the Crown, you know they'll be supportive of the MAO for the rest of their lives (ala Gretchen Carlson). DC = has chosen to get a double mastectomy because of her genetic predisposition to breast cancer (her mother lost the battle when Miss DC was 16). And while I don't think she's going to win, it's been lots of fun to watch Miss Montana = Has Autism and has been getting lots of celebrity support including Jenny McCarthy, Maria Shriver and Doug Flutie - who are all encouraging people via twitter to vote for Montana to be the people's choice into the Top 15.

And Finally - the category we call...

"Gosh, She's Gorgeous!"

Every once in a while, we get a Crazy-Beautiful-Super-Gorgeous Miss America. Since the pageant moved to Vegas, 'beauty' seems to actually play a role in the final decision more so than usual. This year, there are LOTS of pretty girls competing for Miss America... but we think a few stand out based on looks alone... South Carolina, Wyoming and Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. Don't get me wrong - this doesn't mean they aren't talented or they aren't strong in other areas of competition... It simply means you notice them first, because your eye can't help but see them when they enter the room.

Also - we'd like to clarify... THIS IS NOT OUR TOP 15 LIST! This is simply a blog outlining the kinds of women Miss America typically likes to crown.

Although, to be honest... our Top 5 is represented here... :)

ON-STAGE COMPETITION begins tomorrow!!! Tune in tomorrow to find out who our Preliminary Predictions will include!!! HERE WE GO!!! :)

MAJ

WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Well - here we are again ! It's time for some 'on-stage competition' - which means it's time for some Junkie Predictions!

Because we do have some "New Junkies' in our audience now... and just in case you haven't found yourself spending every waking moment reading through the archives of this blog, here's how it works... :)

The girls are split into 3 groups and each group performs a different category of the competition each night... In case you haven't tattooed the contestant lineup on your body yet, we've posted it once again for your viewing pleasure...

Tonight - Alpha will perform Talent, Sigma will perform Swimsuit/Evening Wear and Mu will answer an On-Stage Interview Question. Preliminary Awards are given for Talent and Swimsuit - No award is given for the on-stage question or Evening Wear.

The judges score each contestant as they see them perform and here's how each category weighs in the girls' over-all score:

Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit - 15%
Evening Wear - 20%
Talent - 35%
Private Interview - 25%
On-Stage Question – 5%

Each day, I'll pick 4 different states that I think will possibly win Prelim Talent and Prelim Swimsuit for their night... Sometimes you get commentary and reasons why, sometimes, I just pick...

SO ~ NOW WE BEGIN!!!

Talent
HOLY SCHMOLY GUACOMOLE!!! Tonight is PACKED with amazing Talent and this might be the toughest prediction I've EVER had to make! We can only pick 4 (and I'm telling you - there are 7 or 8 girls who could win talent tonight)... So here's what we're going with...

Oklahoma = The Junkies saw Alicia Clifton at Miss Oklahoma and were flabbergasted! One of the best Tap Routines I've ever seen in person... Multiple Talent wins under her belt... Entertaining and Technically Sound. :)
Florida = Both Laura McKeeman and Alicia are working with an amazing choreographer who is acclaimed for her work on and off-Broadway. She was also a Talent winner at Miss FL - I expect Florida's routine to be strong tonight.
Indiana = The lovely Merribeth Cox has been THE Golden Girl at Purdue for 5 solid years. There's only 1 Golden Girl and she's it! I've seen pictures of this girl twirling on top of "The World's Largest Drum"... and she's got an intensity that just won't quit. Twirling done well is extremely entertaining - When it's good, it scores high because you just don't want it to quit!
Alabama = This girl can SING! In fact, if we've done our research correctly, Anna Laura Bryan has NEVER lost a Preliminary Talent award! And it took 4 tries to win Miss Alabama! WOW!

Again - Talent could go any number of a zillion directions tonight... California, Utah, Arizona are more strong contenders, but I'm sticking with the Top 4 listed. And in my humble opinion, I think we'll see 3 out of 4 of those talents come Saturday night.

Swimsuit
Some fabulous swimsuit bodies are going to cross the stage tonight in Swimsuit... This is another hard one to predict, but I think we've narrowed down our choices.

South Carolina = Ali Rogers is getting lots of photos taken of her because she has a natural sparkle and is super pretty. Tall Too... A former SCTeen winner...
DC = Allyn Rose is the former Miss Maryland who finished Top 8 at Miss USA 2011. She's a model, has walked the runway during Fashion Week in NYC and although she might be 'too sexy' for Miss America, we think she's been prepped well enough that she's got a great chance.
Texas = Texas is TINY! But the judges just saw her in interview today and because she's in Law School at Texas Tech, I'm guessing she was pretty well prepared for the numerous Political/Current Events questions that many girls are saying they received today. It's possible her interview could impact her Swimsuit score.
Virginia = This girl has bumped up my list quickly... She's looked stunning in the candids I've seen of her... I think she's got the Virginia Team behind her in a big way and she could surprise a lot of people.

Again - Swimsuit could also go to Iowa, North Carolina or Massachusetts in my book... but only the top 4 count as my official predictions.

That's what The Junkies think! What say you???

Until tomorrow...

MAJ

Now THAT'S how to start Miss America Week! :)

We present to you... Miss Oklahoma, Alicia Clifton (Talent) and

Miss South Carolina, Ali Rogers (Swimsuit)

The Junkies correctly predicted both the Talent and the Swimsuit Winners last night - which makes for a great beginning for Miss America 2013 in our book! :) And for the record - The Junkies don't even arrive into Vegas until today (Wednesday)! We've always based our predictions on our own research, not on seeing the contestants during rehearsals... Considering we didn't get much sleep last night (if you've never 'watched a pageant' via Twitter - I encourage you to do so! Up way too late - but So Much Fun!)... not sure if we can pull off another 2 for 2 tonight, but we're going to give it our best shot! :)

So - one more time... here's the contestant lineup for this evening...

Tonight features Sigma in Talent and Mu in Swimsuit... Here's who we've narrowed it down to:

TALENT
Georgia = Leighton Jordan moved to Houston to be a professional ballerina when she was only 15... Her mom was a professional ballet dancer... which tells us, she's the one to watch tonight.
Virgina = As I said yesterday, Rosemary Willis is moving up on my list quickly... She was a Talent Winner at Miss Virginia and we've heard a few You-Tube Videos of her voice. Small in stature, mighty in vocal strength! :)
Maryland = Joanna Guy is a former MAOTeen from Maryland and was 3rd runner up at MAOT in 2008. We've also heard You-Tube videos of her... another 'tiny girl' with a strong voice.
North Carolina = The Junkies heard Arlie Honeycutt in person this summer during the 75th anniversary of the Miss North Carolina Pageant. She won 'overall talent' and is a vocal performance major at Eastern Carolina University. Don't count her out! :)
Others who should score well tonight in Talent include Arkansas (a'capella tap), New York, (another tapper), Mississippi (piano) and a possible crowd pleaser in DC (artistic roller skating - which we've never seen, but could be fabulous).

SWIMSUIT
Wyoming = At 5'10 without heels, Lexie Madden is one of the tallest contestants this year. Plus - we've never seen her without 2 inch platforms to boot! The Junkies thought Lexie made the biggest impression during the Contestant Arrival Ceremony and we expect her to look good tonight.
New Mexico = Candice Bennatt looks beautiful in every photo we've ever seen of her - and has been an NFL Cheerleader... Body Boot Camp is nothing new to her! :)
Virgin Islands = Aniska Tonge can walk! Go watch the Fashion Show Video again and see for yourself! If she brings that walk tonight, you could see her walk away with the hardware. :)
Kentucky = Another Super-Tall Girl, she was stunning at Miss Kentucky and wowed everyone with her Swimsuit presentation.

Others who could do well tonight in Swimsuit include Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Otherwise... the Junkies will land in Vegas today - and will be attending prelims tonight! And don't forget - if you're in Vegas, you're invited to join us on Friday from 10:30-12:30 at Starbucks inside Planet Hollywood to "Meet The Junkies" :) We'll be on hand to say hello, reminisce about your favorite Miss America moment, and offer all "smiles", "kisses" and "pageant waves" free of charge :)

Until Tomorrow! Junkies Unite! :)

MAJ

WELCOME JUNKIES ~ TO ANOTHER NIGHT OF PRELIM WINNERS!!! :)

A FABULOUS Night in Vegas - and 2 well-deserving winners! Here's the run-down...

Swimsuit Winner = Illinois! Megan Ervin was solid - and had a teeny black bikini last night! She smiled ear to ear and 'worked it' if that makes sense... You could tell she felt strong and beautiful when she walked. While others might have been taller, or 'leaner', Megan was 'in the moment', she's incredibly 'fit' and it showed! When we saw her on stage, we knew she would be near the Top, but we didn't originally pick her yesterday... our first 'missed pick' of the week.

Talent Winner = Maryland! Joanna Guy sang her heart out with a lovely rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserable". We also loved Joanna's Evening Gown on Tuesday - and given she's a Student at Cornell, we believe her interview must've been strong as too. Make sure she's on your 'list'... Happy to have picked her correctly yesterday. :)

AND NOW FOR TONIGHT!

So far, we're 3 for 4... so we're starting to feel the pressure of getting 2 more correct picks tonight! Over all the years we've been doing this, we've never done better than 5 for 6... we usually go 4 for 6... and anything less than that is a let-down. I mean, honestly... my husband who only puts up with my Miss America insanity for a few days a year can practically go 50/50. :)

So - once again - without attending rehearsals - here's who we say you should watch for Prelim Winners tonight!

SWIMSUIT
California = Leah Cecil was long and lean and lovely in her contestant video... Plus, she has that whole 'California-Beachy-Laid-Back' attitude that is perfect for the Swimsuit Competition.
Tennessee = Chandler Lawson is the tallest contestant this year at 6'0. She just finished as the 2nd Runner up in the Quality of Life Service awards (Winner = Miss Alabama, 1st Runner up Miss Maryland) which tells us she has a strong interview. Typically, on Night #3, the swimsuit winner is the girl who had the best interview AND looks great in a swimsuit.
Colorado = Although Hannah Porter isn't 6'0, I think she just might pull out the win tonight for the same Night #3 Theory listed above... I expect her to show well.
Missouri = Tippe Emmot is the 4th blond we've listed tonight... and another super-duper-pretty girl. I'll say it one more time... I believe tonight's Swimsuit Winner will go to the girl who had the best interview. If they liked you in interview, you will 'shine' that much more in a swimsuit tonight.

We also expect good scores for UT, OK and FL

TALENT
Kentucky = Jessica Casebolt is lovely - and has a some-what surprising voice coming out of her. Tough though, because last night's winner was more 'classical' and Jessica is more 'contemporary'. We shall see.
Connecticut = Emily Audibert is a very strong lyrical dancer with long lines and flexibility... And, while a tapper has won Talent this week, a Lyrical Dancer has not.
Wyoming = Lexie Madden is playing an original composition... and no doubt she'll look beautiful again, because we haven't been disappointed with any of her looks yet!
North Dakota = She should have the most 'technically sound' performance of the night, but I'm not sure if this is the kind of 'sound' Miss America is looking for. She's very contemporary and in the category of 'hipster-uber-cool'. While I'm 100% certain that Rosie Savageau will go one to enjoy a wonderful life in music, I'm not sure Miss America/these judges are on that same wavelength.

Good scores for VT and MN are possible.

For those of you not in Vegas this week... There's a saying that always comes to light about this time... "Miss America is a Marathon, not a Sprint". We've only been here a day and a 1/2 and The Junkies are feeling a little 'Tuckered Out' already! Lucky for us, our "Meet and Greet" at Starbucks inside Planet Hollywood takes place Friday from 10:30-12:30... We simply can't get enough of Women in Crowns... and Coffee... :)

Miss Arizona

Miss New Mexico

The Junkies in North Carolina!!! :)

Miss Wyoming

Miss West Virgina

Miss California

Miss Nevada

Miss Texas

Miss Florida

Miss Washington

Miss South Carolina

Miss Arkansas

Miss Kentucky

Miss Puerto Rico

MISS AMERICA 2013 IS HERE!!! :)

The Junkies take on the Judges...

Confessions From a Junkie...

Predictions for Preliminary Night #1 (TUESDAY)

TUESDAY PRELIM WINNERS!!!

WEDNESDAY PRELIM WINNERS!!!