Is Miss America Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Time will tell! This November Miss America, Lauren Nelson, will be one of six celebrities to appear on the FOX game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" hosted by redneck comic, Jeff Foxworthy. This is part of “Sweeps,” which in TV land means a time period when ratings are calculated and thus TV shows and local newscasts do whatever they can to increase their viewership.

CLICK HERE for a website where you can vote for which of the six celebs will do the best on the show. It’s no surprise that the “Claymates” are out in force and Clay Aiken is currently leading with 75% of the votes, while another American Idol finalist, Kellie Pickler, has 0%! The other celebrities are Regis Philbin, skateboard great Tony Hawk and entertainment reporter Billy Bush.

While I think most pageant fans are happy for any television exposure, others are cautioning against how this may turn out. A couple years ago the Top 5 at Miss America had to participate in a quiz show; the network thought it would help ratings, but true pageant fans hated it and it made the women look stupid. Also, Miss America 1996, Shawntel Smith, was on Jeopardy during her reign, and apparently she did embarrassingly bad.

Hopefully Lauren will do well! All the celebs winnings go to charity.

Best of Luck to Ohio Women at National Pageants This Week!

Right now Erica Gelhaus is in Hoopeston, Illinois at the National Sweetheart Pageant. She qualified for this national, but unofficial, pageant by placing First Runner-up this summer at Miss Ohio as Miss Lake Festival. People always comment about how Sweetheart’s a “pageant in the middle of a corn field” but since Erica is from my home county of Mercer, I’m positive that’s no big deal for her! [Right: Erica and Roberta at Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen pageant.]

She will compete in preliminaries this Friday and Saturday, with the finals on Sunday September 2. If you would like to send her some express mail well wishes, her address there is 920E Orange Hoopeston, IL 60942. CLICK HERE for a prior blog entry that explains Sweetheart pageants.
Good luck Erica!


Also, Mrs. Ohio Christine Wright of Dayton is competing in Tucson, Arizona to become Mrs. America. The event will culminate on September 5th with co-hosts Alan Thick and Omarosa Stallworth, a truly hilarious pair, if you ask me! It will air on the WE network on September 21. [Photo on the left by Paul Krajnyak.]



Mrs. America goes on to compete at Mrs. World; last year Mrs. America Diana Tucker won Mrs. World [right] and First Runner-up Marney Duckworth assumed the national title. Best of luck to Christine, who was Second Runner-up to Miss Ohio USA in 2000. CLICK HERE to see her in some photos from Tucson.

Miss Ohio Updates

Tomorrow (Thursday, August 30) Roberta will be in Mansfield at an OSU tailgating party! Vendors and non-profit organizations will have booths; the MOSP will be there. CLICK HERE for more information.


On Monday, September 10, from 4 to 9 p.m. 15% of your bill at Mansfield’s Applebee’s will be donated to the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program. However, you must present the “Dining to Donate” flyer. Click to enlarge and print the flyer on the left, or email Terri Tinsman for the attachment.




Saturday, September 29 is the annual Miss Ohio fundraiser, Monte Carlo Night at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Mansfield. Tickets to the event are $5 each, or entry is free with the purchase of a $50 reverse raffle ticket. Only 200 raffle tickets will be sold in advance. Click to enlarge and print the entry form on the right, or email Terri Tinsman for the attachment; Terri was also looking for volunteers to sell tickets, deal cards and donate door prizes and silent auction items.

On October 29 the Majesty of the Seas Miss America Cruise 2007 will set sail! Space is limited, but if you’re interested in supporting Miss America while enjoying a cruise, CLICK HERE.

FOX Toledo/ LIN TV Day of Caring

Today me and about 50 of my FOX Toledo coworkers participated in the LIN Day of Caring. From our general manager to our news anchors and every sales person, producer and engineer in between, we painted, built, weeded and mulched a needy part of the community.

CLICK HERE for a news story on it. (While I'm on the freeze frame with sports caster, Howard Chen, I'm only in the story for a second, but that is not at all the point.)

It was amazing how much and how quickly such a large group of people could get things done! It made me think, there’s really no reason that every business or company shouldn’t do the same at least once a year. It reminded me of painting a Habitat for Humanity house at the Miss Ohio Community Service weekend. I see the value of other Community Service weekend events, like visiting and entertaining at nursing homes, but I personally find more gratification in manual labor, like I performed today. Today also made me think that parents, E.D.s, and board members should be invited to roll up their sleeves for even greater impact at Miss Ohio's Community Service weekend.

Nothing says “Caring” or “Community Service” like vain people like TV personalities or pageant contestants working outside in the hot summer sun for six hours! :)

Miss South Carolina Teen USA Speaks Out…

... Coherently this time... kind of.

CLICK HERE to see her on the Today Show.
First is a very corny, staged clip of her "explaining" a lunar eclipse, then click on her still picture below for an interview with Matt and Ann during which she talks about her blunder and reanswers her onstage question. (For some annoying reason the interview URL keeps going to the eclipse video even though they're separate. Gggrrr! Frustrating internet!)

Pageant Poll of the Week: Supportive Locals

Last week’s Pageant Poll of the Week found out that “Supportive E.D. and committee/ helpful preparation for Miss Ohio” is most important to contestants when selecting which local pageant to enter.
So, this week let’s find out which local that seems to be!
*Scroll below for a disclaimer.*


Direct link to poll

Disclaimer: I initially hesitated in making polls that asked about local pageants; I do not want to offend directors if their pageant doesn’t get a vote. However, that fear was quickly discarded because the contestants of these pageants are constantly allowing themselves to be judged and E.D.s often serve as judges, so turn about’s fair play, right?

To E.D.’s, if your program doesn’t do as well in my silly little poll as you would like, just tell yourself all the fluffy crap you tell your titleholder if she doesn’t do well at Miss Ohio. :)

Bonus Poll: Your Favorite for Miss Teen USA

Direct link to poll

Sadly, Miss South Carolina Teen USA’s awful onstage question is getting major press, from CNN to TMZ! I feel bad for the girl, but I feel worse for the rest of us who compete in pageants, but can also speak! Like I told my friend Jeff in a comment below, her answer is one giant stiletto step backwards for contestants everywhere!

Click here for news articles and videos.

Questions of Teen Eligibility

*This entry has been modified/corrected. -8/27 12:35 a.m.

Recently teen eligibility in Miss America pageants has been questioned. Here are the facts, as explained to me by a local committee member, who I thank very much!

First, the rules for Miss pageants were changed to stipulate that a woman still in high school must graduate high school within six months of receiving her crown. Therefore, some women who competed in early closed locals were actually ineligible and upcoming pageants, like Miss Northwestern Ohio, who usually recruit several local high schoolers could no longer do so. I couldn’t find the logic behind this rule; it literally blocked out an entire group of women, since seniors in high school are not eligible for the teen pageant either!

Luckily, the wording in the contract null and voids this stupid rule. I’m told just a few lines later it contradicts itself, thus all high school seniors can compete in all local Miss preliminaries, not just those six months within their graduation. Miss Ohio Board President Steven Oliveri stated, “Miss America has acknowledged their mistake with the complete wording of the rule and has indicated to us that we are to accept contestants that challenge this rule. They will make the necessary corrections for next year’s contestant contract.”

Second, an anonymous commenter asked me how 12 year olds were able to compete in Outstanding Teen pageants; they thought the age requirement was 13 to 17. The teen rules state, "Participants must be 13 on or before the date of the pageant. You may be 17 and a Junior on the date of the National Pageant. However...You may NOT be 17 and a SENIOR on the date of the National Pageant."

This is confusing and begs the question, does "the pageant" mean the local pageant, state pageant or national pageant? Since teens can enter directly into the state pageant as at-large contestants here in Ohio, I suppose a local contestant could be 12 IF she will turn 13 by the state pageant in the summer. It's likely up to the discretion of the local director. (At-large entry to Ohio's Outstanding Teen cost $435 to $510; I don't know what local teen pageants charge.)

I don’t know the ages of the contestants at Miss Lake Erie’s Outstanding Teen, but there was a 12 year old who placed at the West Central Teen pageant. As it turns out though, the West Central program does not have an Outstanding Teen franchise this year, so they could operate their teen pageant however they wanted. When I shared the results of that pagenat here I did think it was an official Outstanding Teen local; I will correct that entry. Their winner is 15 and I would not be a bit surprised if she competes for Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen as an at-large contestants.

Someone please post a comment correcting me if any of this is wrong.

Miss Teen USA Pictures

Photos from the AP

Congratulations to the New Miss Teen USA, Hilary Cruz!

Miss Teen USA: Colorado

1st RU: New Jersey
2nd RU: North Carolina
3rd RU: South Carolina
4th RU: West Virginia

Check me out! My predictions were right on! :)

Abby and Loren's Final Predictions!

Abby's Predictions:

Miss Teen USA: Colorado
1st RU: New Jersey

2nd RU: North Carolina

3rd RU: South Carolina

4th RU: West Virginia

Loren's Predictions:

Miss Teen USA: Colorado

1st RU: New Jersey
2nd RU: South Carolina
3rd RU: West Virginia
4th RU: North Carolina

Our thoughts: I really like Miss New Jersey Teen USA, but I think it will be Miss Colorado Teen USA. We both really liked South Carolina Teen USA... until she opened her pretty little mouth!

What do you think?

Miss Teen USA Official Top 5 and Other Awards

South Carolina * Colorado * West Virginia * North Carolina * New Jersey

Miss Congeniality: Mississippi Teen USA
Miss Photogenic: Maryland Teen USA

Loren and I are really shocked that West Virginia made it, and this time we only predicted 3 out of 5.

Abby and Loren's Picks for Miss Teen USA Top 5

1. South Carolina
2. New Jersey
3. Alabama
4. Virginia
5. Colorado

Our thoughts: I wouldn't be surprised if Miss North Carolina Teen USA also got into the Top 5, but her Evening Gown presentation was not solid.
Although I think the dress is totally over done, we really like New Jersey Teen USA since she's a "fiesty red head." Miss South Carolina Teen USA performed best in Evening Gown... I said "She's pretty..." Loren said, "It's not just that, she's pretty and she knows it!"

Miss Teen USA Official Top 10

Alabama * West Virginia * Virginia * South Carolina * Rhode Island *
North Carolina * New Jersey * Minnesota * Kansas * Colorado

I'm very excited to see Alabama, Colorado and New Jersey in the Top 10! However, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Minnesota are surprising...
But Loren and I did pretty good with 7 out of 10!

Abby and Loren's Picks for Miss Teen USA Top 10

1. Alabama

2. Kansas

3. Colorado

4. Virginia

5. Hawaii

6. New Jersey

7. North Carolina

8. Illinois

9. New Mexico

10. South Carolina

My thoughts: The singer was very obviously lip-sinking and Miss Illinois desperately needs to bush her hair!

Our favorites: Alabama, New Jersey and Colorado

Miss Teen USA Official Top 15

Alabama * Kansas * Tennessee * Wyoming * Colorado * Virginia * Hawaii * West Virginia * New Jersey * South Carolina * Minnesota * North Carolina * Rhode Island * Illinois * New Mexico

I am truly surprised that Miss Ohio Teen USA didn’t make the cut. :(

Out of these 15 ladies I’m keeping my eye on Miss North Carolina Teen USA, apparently she’s a cousin to actress Julia Louis Dreyfus…
Hey, working for Oprah sure didn’t hurt Miss USA Rachel Smith!

Pageant Poll of the Week: Selecting a Pageant (Part 1 of 2)

This should have been posted Monday, but I was out of town and didn’t feel well yesterday... EDs and committee members, unless you are a former contestant, please don't vote; this is designed to give you helpful information, but will not be as valuable if you manipulate the results.



Direct link to Poll

Pageant Poll of the Week: Selecting a Pageant (Part 2 of 2)

Direct link to Poll

Updates Galore!

Miss West Central Ohio's Teen Pageant

Tonight in Lima at the Allen County Fair a new Miss West Central Ohio's Teen was crowned! Miss Ohio Roberta Camp and Miss West Central Ohio Shannon O'Neill emceed the event and Kelsey Barrett entertained the crowd and crowned her successor.
The results are as follows:

West Central Ohio Teen: Monica Bates, a 15 year old dancer
1st RU: Ashley Heckman, a 12 year old vocalist
2nd RU: Veronica Wende, a 15 year old who sang "Shy"
3rd RU: Emily Werling, a 14 year old opera singer

Talent Award: Monica Bates, she performed a Musical Theatre dance to "So Long Dearie," complete with lip-sinking and gymnastics.

(P.S. Last night Kaylee Piatt won Little Miss Ohio; more about that soon, I promise...)

Best of Luck to Miss Ohio Teen USA!

This Friday, August 24th Miss Teen USA will take place live from Pasadena on NBC. Ohio is being represented by 18 year old Rachel Epperly.















CLICK HERE to get to know Rachel and see video of her preliminary Swimsuit and Evening Gown presentations and CLICK HERE for many more photos of her from Pasadena.






Poignant Pageant Farewells

Elyse Healey [right] placed in the Top 10 this year at Miss Ohio as Miss Greater Cleveland and was Third Runner-up last year as Miss Stark County. Despite her competitive abilities Elyse announced on HER BLOG this week that she will be hanging up her stilettos.

I never got to know Elyse very well, but I certainly empathize with the tiresome struggles of pageantry she describes in her well-written explanation linked above.

I am also sad to report that former contestant, Zaina Marie, has publicly severed her ties with the program due to being rejected as a judge for an upcoming local pageant. Zaina is friends with a well known and wonderful pageant coach here in Ohio and has helped with some mock interviews for contestants, as well as backstage at a few pageants. Although she does not consider herself a coach and would not have been judging women she had ever helped, there was a fear she might discredit the “image of an unbiased judging panel.”

The above information was posted by Zaina on a Miss Ohio (unofficial) message board. Like Elyse, I never really got to know Zaina, but I do know she is loved by many and won several Spirit awards while competing; this was a difficult decision for her and she will be missed.

Fabulous and Crazy!

[Above Left: Miss America Lauren Nelson with Ross the Intern of the Tonight Show; Right: Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund atop Mackinac Bridge. It's such an amazing picture, I had to share it!]

Over 20,000 Hits!

Thank you to all my readers! I am happy to provide this blog and my rising webcounter is sweet validation!

Now that blogger seems to be working better, I'll have photos and info from last night's pageant and the Poll of the Week soon...

Blogger is being impossible! It'll be amazing if I can even post this...

Hopefully I can figure things out quickly and get back to our
regularly scheduled programming! :)

I got home from Lima and the Little Miss Ohio pageant just a couple hours ago... Unfortunately blogger is encountering some errors and I can't upload photos. I only had a few from the pageant, but there are a few other pictures and graphics I was going to share... Such as, thank you for helping me get to 20,000 hits! Very exciting!

The Little Miss Ohio Pageant

I’m leaving town this afternoon, as I’ll be co-emceeing a “Little Miss Ohio” pageant tomorrow night at the Allen County Fair (Lima) along with Miss West Central Ohio, Shannon O’Neill. This is part of my duties as “The Great American Dream Queen” which means I have to dig out that gargantuan crown I won in the Dream Queen TV show last November.

Then, on Tuesday night Miss Ohio Roberta Camp will be at the Allen County Fair for Miss West Central Ohio’s Outstanding Teen pageant. I imagine Shannon will also be there, as well as the outgoing Teen, Kelsey Barrett.

Pageant Pictures

Thank you Paul Krajnyak for these great shots!
For more go to Miss Ohio News.

[Top Photo L-R: 1st RU Emily Cousino, Miss Lake Erie Kasey Wilson, Miss Ohio Roberta Camp, Miss Lake Erie's Outstandig Teen Sara Hider, Miss Northern Ohio Nanciann Strosnider, 2nd RU Becky Minger and 3rd RU Jenna Wilson.]

Congratulations to the New Miss Lake Erie, Kasey Wilson and New Miss Northern Ohio, Nanciann Strosnider!

These two always helped make Miss Ohio week a better time!
With tonight's crowns they're both heading back for a fourth try.

Both are vocalists; Kasey sings opera, while Nanciann has a musical theatre voice. Kasey works with M.A.D.D. and Nanciann advocates Arts Education.
[Photos from Miss Ohio 2006]

1st RU: Emily Cousino
2nd RU: Becky Minger
3rd RU: Jenna Wilson

Interview: Emily Cousino

Talent: Kasey Wilson
Swimsuit: Becky Minger
Spirit: Heather Lindsay

Miss Lake Erie's Outstanding Teen: Sara Hider

Teen 1st RU: Lauren Hawkins

Best of Luck to the Miss Lake Erie/ Miss Northern Ohio Pageant

Tonight in Lexington two more women will earn the right to compete at Miss Ohio next summer! In addition to the very successful title Miss Lake Erie, a brand new Miss Northern Ohio will be crowned, as well as Miss Lake Erie’s Outstanding Teen. The pageant will take place at Lexington High School at 7:30 p.m. Excitingly, all contestants will earn at least $50!

The theme is “She’s a Lady” and will include Miss Ohio featured dancer David Dunn and former Miss Lake Erie’s Bryn Hough, Leslie Ondrey and Marlia Fontain; Marlia was, of course, also Miss Ohio. Emcees for the evening are WMFD TV's Brigitte Coles and Nick Kosir.

Outgoing Miss Lake Erie, Nanciann Strosnider [above left] won a Talent Preliminary Award at Miss Ohio and was named 4th Runner-up. However, she has opted to compete for the title Miss Northern Ohio rather than giving up her crown. As I understand it, she will not be pictured or listed in the program book as the outgoing Miss and she forfeits the right to crown her predecessor. In any double crown competition all the ladies compete together and there is only one panel of judges; the top two women then get the two crowns. In this case it is up to the auditors to give Nanciann Miss Northern Ohio (and NOT Miss Lake Erie) if she is one of the top two.

This is an extremely competitive group of contestants and it should be a great pageants. In alphabetical order they are:

Amy Allen is a vocalist who works with Habitat for Humanity. She holds a Master in Business Administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene. Amy is no stranger to the pageant system, having won many Spirit awards.

Katie Bowen studies Clinical Laboratory Science and Business at Ohio Northern University. She was recently 2nd Runner-up at Miss North Coast; I think she plays the flute for her talent.

Emily Cousino is a vocalist who advocates Heart Start Education. She studies Art Therapy and Business and Computer Systems at Lourdes College. This year at Miss Ohio as Miss Mansfield she won the Non-finalist Interview award.

Sophia Davis is a dancer who studies Speech Communications at Miami University. Her platform is Every Child Counts: Improving Self-esteem in Youth. She competed last year at Miss Ohio as Miss Mansfield; this summer as Miss Miami Valley she was in the Top 10.

Alyssa Hanson is a Communication and Voice major at the University of Cincinnati. She is a vocalist who advocates Promoting a Positive Body Image for Young Women. She competed this summer at Miss Ohio as Miss Heart of Ohio.

Heather Lindsay is a student at Sinclair Community College. She is a vocalist who works with the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program. This summer at Miss Ohio she won a Swimsuit Preliminary award as Miss Hamilton.

Karissa Martin studies Music and Communications at West Liberty State College. She is a vocalist; her platform issue is Skin Cancer Awareness. In her first try at Miss Ohio this summer she was named 2nd Runner-up at Miss Scioto Valley.

Becky Minger studies Interpersonal Communications at Bowling Green State University. She is a vocalist who advocates Youth Self-esteem with her platform "It's not your booty, it's your inner beauty." She competed at Miss Ohio this summer as Miss Northwestern Ohio and was 1st Runner-up last year as Miss Greater Dayton.




Nanciann Strosnider is a Musical Theatre major at Elon University. For pageants she sings and advocates Arts Education. At Miss Ohio she was in the Top 10 as Miss Portsmouth and named 4th Runner-up as Miss South Central Ohio and Miss Lake Erie.






Heather Wells was recently 2nd Runner-up at Miss Greater Cleveland/ Miss Open City. She has competed for a year or so, but the only other information I have is that she is a dancer.

Jenna Wilson is a vocalist studying Communications and Voice at Ohio University. For her platform she works with the March of Dimes. Jenna competed at Miss Ohio in 2006 at Miss Southeastern Ohio.

Kasey Wilson studies Voice at Ohio State University; thusly, for talent she sings opera. Her platform is M.A.D.D. Kasey made the Top 10 at Miss Ohio as Miss Licking County and Miss Clayland; this year as Miss Central Ohio she was named 3rd Runner-up.


*Jenna and Kasey are not related.

Megan Wombacker is an Accounting major and Marketing and Management minor at Kent State University, with plans to go into their MBA program. She is a tap dancer who advocates Vision Awareness. Megan has competed in several local pageants over the past two years.





*You may have noticed several of these women are still holding the pageant titles they won last year, and yes, they are allowed to compete despite that. It is rather common for women to hold over-lapping titles. Most pageant directors do not have a problem “releasing” their titleholder to compete in the new pageant season; if they didn’t allow her to compete, then they would be lessening her chances to get back to Miss Ohio.

The Teen contestants are:
Kari Boles
Lauren Hawkins
Sarah Hider
Stormee McHargue
Christina Muha

[Photos from either the Miss Ohio website or the CMN Donation Pages.]

Pageant Pictures: MAO Teen, Former Miss America Sightings and the Henry County Tomato Pageant

Miss America's Outstanding Teen

On the left: Miss Ohio Roberta Camp with Ohio’s Outstanding Teen, Ashley Miller, in Orlando where both women participated in an array of events. During the pageant Ashley sang Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" for the Talent competition and she wore a snow skiing outfit for Fitness Wear. She roomed with Minnesota's OT and in a stroke of bad luck, she was last to select her contestant number during the random online lottery; thus, she was #2 in the first flight. Below: Roberta with MAO Teen 2006 Maria DeSantis and other Miss States.

Former Miss America Sightings

Above left: pageant enthusiast and volunteer Nancy Wheeler with Heather French-Henry at a church event the morning after Heather emceed Miss West Central Ohio. Right: Former Miss Ohio Renee Autherson Brown and her son Peyton at a Reds game with Deidre Downs, representing ReSound.

Henry County Tomato Pageant

Right: Miss Ohio Roberta Camp and Miss All*American City Lauren Hogan at the Tomato Pageant. Left: The pageant court: 2nd Runner-up, Stacy Gershutz, 1st Runner-up Megan Badenhop, 2007 Tomato Queen Jessica Moser and 3rd Runner-up Erin Rettig.
All of these women attend Ohio State University, thus the pose.

This pageant does not go on to anything, but former Tomato Queens include Miss Ohio contestants Lauren Hogan and Blythe Gresser and former Miss Ohio Kelly Creager.

*Click all photos to enlarge; thanks to everyone who sent these to me.*

Pageant Pay-back... and Payment

Yesterday I spent a few hours shopping at Cabela’s in Dundee Michigan with my boyfriend, Loren. If you’re not familiar, Cabela’s is a hunting/camping/fishing mecca! It’s as large as a Meijer, complete with a food court that serves bison, elk and ostridge. (I only had a coffee.)

While I was a fish out of water in my sundress and heels, I didn’t mind. I figure it’s my due diligence considering all the pageant shopping trips he’s gone on and all the pageants he’s sat through for me. I realize, I am still deep in debt!

Once you get used to all the dead animals staring at you in a place like Cabela’s there are a few things to be learned. A. Unlike regular clothes, guys don’t whine about trying on hunting gear… I think mainly because they can do it without going to a dressing room. But more importantly, B. pageants are really not that outlandish in comparison to other passions.

The expense surrounding pageants gets a very bad rap, even by its own fans. It’s hard for a lot of people to fathom spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on fancy garments that can only be worn onstage. As an avid bargain shopper, my big pageant purchases are hard for me to swallow, and when someone else foots the bill for me, I feel tremendous guilt. I've always felt terrible about the cost of my parent’s hotel and tickets for Miss Ohio week too! While we’re paid back in valuable experiences, it’s really one giant expense, and sadly not all women make a “profit” with scholarship money.

But, in comparison to hobbies like hunting, boating, showing horses, competitively dancing, etc… pageants can actually be quite cheap! Loren bought special hunting socks for $20, which totally justified my $20 interview hosiery that I nearly had a coronary over! I saw single pieces of hunting apparel for $400; I could find several amazing cocktail dresses for that price!

The finer details of pageants may seem petty to some, like finding the perfect shoes, or spending $50 on a pair of earrings… but yesterday we spent fifteen minutes in the glove isle because deer might hear the Velcro finger flap, but the pair with a silent magnet was too bulky to maneuver the bow and arrow with and it’s silly to buy the best glove without the flap, only to cut the finger tips off!… I’m not making fun of Loren; quite the opposite, I get it! I just wish the rest of the world would.

To get to the bigger picture, no matter what your passion, or hobby, or competitive event, there are expenses and niceties. So the next time you hear someone saying pageants are unreasonable and lavish, by asking enough questions about them, you’ll surely find their indulgence!

I’ve been told that some people can’t see the Poll of the Week below. Loren said it’s probably because your computer doesn’t allow active x … or something like that… It has something to do with your internet settings.

So, for those with that problem, here is the direct link for the poll. Hopefully it works instead.

http://www.polldaddy.com/p.asp?p=86012

Pageant Poll of the Week: Miss America’s TV Home

In light of the recent pageant news that Miss America will air on TLC, the first Pageant Poll of the Week is designed to find out how readers of this blog feel about that. Vote once for one network.

I don't know why, but I've found you have to click "view results" twice, then they'll appear. Thanks for voting!

Breaking Pageant News: Miss America to Air on TLC

Well, nevermind the rumored 4 p.m. announcement, the Miss America website has posted a press release stating that Miss America will air on TLC January 26, 2008. TLC is a cable network known for such shows as Trading Spaces, What Not to Wear, Miami Ink, house flipping shows and lots of reality/documentary type shows.

...through a new reality series, we'll get to know 52 of the country's smartest and most beautiful women as they prepare for a competition they've dreamed of their entire lives. The series will culminate in the ultimate pay-off - the Miss America 2008 Pageant itself.

...Miss America's move to TLC will give it the proper promotion and attention it deserves. Our brand is rich in both philanthropy and history, and this new multi-million dollar partnership will not only preserve this wonderful institution, but will, in fact, build the Miss America brand.

CLICK HERE for the entire press release.

Of course a major TV network would be best, but if it has to be on cable I think TLC is a great choice. It’s a huge improvement from CMT because I think TLC appeals to a much broader demographic and they have experience producing docu-reality shows.

This announcement dispels rumors that E! or The CW would air the pageant. Miss America, Lauren Nelson, was recently on E!News with Debbie Matenopoulos promoting Dairy Queen’s support of the Children’s Miracle Network. She was also interviewed on "Yo! on E!" national radio with host Micheal Yo, so many speculated E! will broadcast Miss America. The CW also got a lot of buzz, for no particular reason.

Deadline Alert: Enter Miss Miami Valley!

Executive Director Ronda Morris is one of the sweetest people I met during my years of competing; contestant's chance to enter her pageant this year has almost past! The entry deadline is this Tuesday, August 14. The pageant is Saturday September 1 in Dayton at the Montgomery County Fair.

You can download paperwork at www.missohio.org and mail it to 2204 Dinah Court Mt. Juliet, TN 37122 or 2646 Highland Village Drive Miamisburg, OH 45342. Since the deadline is looming so close, you’d probably be wise to let the directors know you’re things are on the way, just in case. (Ronda: 615-773-4311; Tammy: 937-266-1863; missmiamivalley@missohio.org)

Ronda and Tammy are both wonderful and caring women. I was Miss Miami Valley back in 2003; two years later Melanie Murphy held the title and won Miss Ohio and this year Miss Miami Valley, Sophia Davis made the Top 10!

This pageant is a bargain; it’s $4 to get into the fair with no additional cost for the pageant. Some women may be hesitant to enter an outdoor pageant, but it’s like New York ladies, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere! I won two outdoor pageants in my day and I feel I was a better contestant because of it!

Ohio's Titleholder's at the National Teen Pageant

Hopefully more and better picutres will surface soon.

[Top photo from Miss Indiana's OT website;
bottom two photos from Miss Washington's Facebook album.]