Guidelines for “Non Traditional” MAO Locals

Click each thumbnail to enlarge.

Miss America Lauren Nelson on "SexySassySmart TV"

Pageant Press: Is Anything Private Anymore?

Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo is featured on the cover of today's Parade.

Amy Polumbo, 22, restricted her page on Facebook to 100 or so people who knew her password. “It was a way for me to keep in touch with friends all over the country,” she says. But after she was crowned Miss New Jersey in June, someone downloaded pictures of her and threatened blackmail. She thwarted the attempt by releasing the photos herself (they’re quite innocent) but suffered weeks of embarrassment.

“I know how easy it is for someone to take advantage of you on the Internet,” says Polumbo. “The Web is a place where people can destroy your reputation if you’re not
careful.”

CLICK HERE for the entire article, but Amy's only in the paragraphs above.

A Negative Miss America Article in the New York Times???

I have no idea if this letter is legitimate; I guess time will tell…

Dear State Executive Directors,

Recently, our office was approached by a writer from the New York Times inquiring about the scholarship program and how our contestants are paid each year. The writer had been researching this subject for several weeks and had spoken with some previous contestants who reached out to her directly. These former contestants, to the best of our knowledge had NOT followed MAO guidelines and proper procedures and therefore may have missed out on some of their scholarship awards. This will be the focus of the story.

Our office spoke at great lengths with this writer to present a more accurate account of the process that we have in place to present a fair and balanced story. Unfortunately, the writer seems to be focused on a very small number of girls that missed out on the scholarships and not on the thousands that benefit every year from our program.

We hope that you will understand when reading the story which should come out within the upcoming week, that it was handled aggressively, yet in an extremely measured and thoughtful way. Our Organization's behavior is beyond reproach and we hope that our position is interpreted in this way. Our statement is as follows:

The Miss America Organization is absolutely unaware of any young lady that has ever been denied payment of scholarships after properly following the application process. When questions arise and come to our attention, we are very proactive and call the individual state to discuss any contestant confused by the application process. The Miss America Organization is built on a tradition that spans over 86 years and continues to be a wonderful institution because it enables young women every year to participate in the Scholarship Program to further their education and to help them achieve their goals. The Miss America Organization will ALWAYS stand behind payments to its contestants by ensuring that its state organizations follow their own official scholarship agreements filed with our office.

We thank you for your continued support,

Sharon Pearce
Director of Communications

Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Caitlin Brunell

New "official" photo by Zak G.

Miss Universe, Riyo Mori

This was taken during a Fadil Berisha photo shoot;
I can't wait to see the actual photo!

P.S. Ouch! Very cool... but ouch!

From Miss to Mrs.: Congrats Erin and Tim!

The beautiful Erin Jeffery competed at Miss Ohio as Miss North Coast, Miss Ohio Valley and Miss Maple City; at Miss Ohio USA she placed in the Top 5 in 2005 and Top 15 in 2006. Last weekend she traded her pageant crown for a bridal tiara, marrying long time boyfriend, Tim Rathman! Congrats to Erin and Tim! I wish I could have attended the Cincinnati-area wedding, but unfortunately my beau, Loren, gets limited Saturdays off work. Thankfully Erin’s mom, Jenny, shared the pictures below with me (click most to enlarge):

They always say you'll meet your bridesmaids by competing in pageants... can you name these ladies?

Above on the left is Kyrsten Chambers, Miss West Central Ohio 2006;
on the right Laura Estrada, Miss Greater Cleveland 2006.

Triple Crown?

I spoke with my former directors yesterday, the wonderful Eric and Linda Wagener of Miss Maumee Valley and Miss All*American City.

They have an impressive new sponsor and could financially offer a Triple Crown pageant! Yes, you read correctly, one pageant could culminate with three new Miss titleholders!

I say could because something is missing… The money is there, but the contestants are not. I believe the minimum number of contestants required to give three crowns is fifteen. Understandably, Wagener’s can not wait until the last minute to know how many crowns they are offering, so APPLY TODAY!

Obviously the new CMN donation requirement is reducing the number of local contestants and it’s been suggested it’s also why women are only applying for one pageant at a time. Even though Miss Maumee Valley/Miss All*American City/ Miss ??? is not until November 4, I urge contestants to enter early; you could have a one in five chance at a crown!

Pageant Poll of the Week: Contestants and Networking Sites

The Internet has dramatically affected every part of our society, especially pageantry. As we’ve seen recently, when the current generation of contestants act like their peers, posting information and photos on the Internet without a second thought, it can cause a major crown crisis!
Due to Internet exposure "appropriateness" is questioned at every turn.

How do you think contestants and titleholders should balance their Internet life with their pageant life, regarding sites like MySpace and Facebook? Read carefully, answers for both contestants and everyone else are all in the same poll... (Direct link to poll.)

Related Articles:

Revealing photos are becoming passe in America

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two decades after a nude photo scandal helped cost a Miss America her title, Americans may be adopting a more ho-hum attitude toward people who bare it all for the cameras...

Amy Polumbo

Listen For Me On Andrew Z!

THIS MORNING on Toledo’s 92.5 KISS FM I’ll be on the “In the ladies room” segment of Andrew Z in the Morning with Trish between 8 and 9 a.m.! If all goes well that will become a weekly gig for me. Wish me luck and tune in!

MTV's Video Music Awards

Brittany's big come back was a train wreck and Miss USA/Universe titleholders walked the red carpet promoting their new reality show!
Miss South "Such As" Carolina Teen USA was even in the VMAs!

Check out Amy's blog for more...

Delphos Canal Days Pageant Pictures

Special thanks to Victoria's mom, Chris Miller for these photos! Click each picture to enlarge it. They feature Victoria after being crowned and in "Fun Wear," as well as the court and all the contestants in the Hairspray opening number. Oh, and of course that's me in the white dress with Victoria after the pageant... Yes, I know Labor Day has passed, but didn't you hear, that fashion rule is out of vogue, especially considering it's still 80 degrees!


CLICK HERE for a brief article about the pageant.

Fall Application Deadlines

Deadline - Pageant name (Pageant date)

September 15- Miss North East Ohio (October 7)
September 15- Miss Clayland (October 13)
October 1- Miss Portsmouth/Miss Scioto Valley (October 27)
October 22- Miss Maumee Valley/ Miss All American City (November 4)
NO DATE- Miss Northwestern Ohio (November 10)
December 31- Miss Maple City (February 2)

Contestants, I completely understand how much of a huge pain pageant paperwork is! Trust me, I do. On the other hand, it's important for you to understand how difficult it is for E.D.s to plan their program, create judges books, program books and scripts when contestants apply at the last minute. I'm sure Terri Tinsman (Miss Ohio's business manager) and a few local E.D.s are chuckling right now because I was always late. Always! I knew that made me look bad and it lowered my self-confidence.

Save yourself the embarrassment and multiple days of paperwork woes and make a day of filling it out and sending it in to multiple programs. I always hated the annoying cost of postage and having to let go of several copies of headshots and talent c.d.s, but honestly, with the accessibility of computers, the photos and c.d.s aren’t that big of a deal. This may sound weird, but I think it would actually be easier to spend $20 or $25 at the post office once instead of making several head-ache causing, time consuming trips that cost $3 or $4 each.

Also, you may think applying to multiple programs makes you seem less confident in your ability to capture the crown; but I guarantee the attributes of organization and preparedness win out in this circumstance. You will be a well-liked contestant by E.D.s and committee members; you’re not more or less likely to win based on when you send your paperwork in, but a warm reception by the people running the pageant sure is nice, as opposed to being the girl that made their job harder!

Dine to Donate Tonight in Mansfield!

Click to enlarge and print the flyer on the left.

Present it TONIGHT from 4 to 9 p.m. at Mansfield's Applebee's and 15% of your bill will go to the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program.

Congratulations to the New Miss SEO Teen, Renae Wright!

Miss SEO Teen ($1,000): Renae Wright
First Runner-up: Miranda Walker
Second Runner-up: Sierra Moore

Spirit Award: Emileigh Brocklehurst
Evening Gown: Emileigh Brocklehurst
Health and Fitness: Emileigh Brocklehurst

Other contestants: Jennifer Guerin, Amanda Lanning and Tori Green.

"She's very articulate, very polished," said judge Meghan Olmstead, who is a former Miss Greater Akron and Miss Summit County. "She has great leadership skills. You could tell in the interview that she really has an idea of the tactics she would take to tackle a problem."

Areas of competition included interview (30 percent), talent (20 percent), commitment to community service (20 percent), health and fitness (15 percent) and evening wear (15 percent).

"The best part is watching the girls engage the audience and really connecting with them," [pageant director] LeVeck said ... "And seeing their growth from year to year. An event like this really prepares them for things like the Y-City Star or other pageants. I'm proud of them all."

CLICK HERE for the entire Zanesville Times Recorder article.
Photo above by Matthew Leasure.

Congrats to Victoria Miller, the Delphos Canal Days Queen!

Tonight Victoria Miller was selected to reign over the Old Fashion Canal Days next weekend in Delphos and awarded $500. Victoria was recently the First Runner-up and Swimsuit winner at the Miss West Central Ohio pageant.

First Runner-up ($250): Jenna Dancer

Second Runner-up ($100): Rachel Osting
Third Runner-up ($50): Alexis Mohler

Congeniality: Alyssa Pohlman
People's Choice: Alexis Mohler

All of the contestants are above, L-R: Victoria Recker, Lindsay Blankenship, Jenna Dancer, Alexis Mohler, Alicia Odenweller, Rachel Osting, Jennifer Morris, Alyssa Pohlman and Victoria Miller.

It's obviously a horrible photo because I didn't have my infamous good camera with me, but I must point out that six of these nine ladies had gowns that pleasantly surprised me! These were juniors and seniors in high school, yet most of the gowns didn't scream “prom dress;” I found most of them to be age appropriate, beautiful onstage and expressive of the girls personality.

CLICK HERE for an article with very detailed bios of all the ladies.

I'll have more on my judging experience and better photos from Victoria Miller's mom soon.

Great Growing Dane!

Last night Loren and the dogs and I stayed with my parents since I judged a pageant near my hometown today. Taking pictures of Hanz (our Great Dane puppy) at my parent’s house has become a measuring stick for his growth. Even if you're not an animal person, these are just funny!

In the photos he's about 7 weeks, then 4 months
and now just over 10 months.

Great Growing Dane! Part 2

Photo Alert!

The Miss America website has finally updated the "Class of 2008." Unfortunately Roberta is one of a handful of state titleholders’ whose picture is not showing up yet. You can check out most of the other ladies headshots and short bios HERE.

As I looked thought the pictures that are up on the website, I found myself thinking “Are you kidding? That’s the picture you sent in your quest to become MISS AMERICA!?!” I feel badly picking pictures apart because I completely understand how hard it can be. Believe me I do; a few months ago I had theatrical headshots taken and I hate them. But this is their one chance to be Miss America and sadly the pictures either look amateur, or overair brushed and devoid of personality.

I did really like the following:

Indiana and Tennessee were very dramatic in a different and non-pageant-like way that I really like. Washington and Oregon both said “fresh and fun” to me. Nebraska and South Carolina both have an “IT” factor in every picture I see of them. Finally, despite what you thought of the ones that were on Facebook, there’s no denying New Jersey takes a good picture!

Current Event Queries

I feel like I’m getting old! Why? Because I’ve actually wanted to pay attention to the news lately! It used to be a part of my life because of requirements of the Forensics (speech) team, as well as pageants. But over the past year since I haven’t had to watch the news, I have taken great pleasure in not watching!

Recently though I’ve been paying more attention to it. I tend to get bored of it since popular media dwells on a single topic, but yesterday there actually seemed to be several notable things going on.
So, contestants, be aware of the following:

* A video from Osama bin Laden is expected on the anniversary of 9/11. He has not been seen in a video since the fall of 2004 and the U.S. has not been able to confirm his whereabouts since 2005.

Q: Has the U.S. done enough to try to catch bin Laden? Do you think U.S. television should play such videos, or does that empower al Qaeda's rhetoric?

* Republican Fred Thompson, aka District Attorney Arthur Branch of the TV show Law and Order, official announced his candidacy for President on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Q: How do you think Thompson's acting career will affect his candidacy? Who are you planning to vote for in the primaries?

* Black comedian Eddie Griffin was pulled off-stage after using the “N” word one too many times during a standup act.

Q: What does racism mean in 2007? Have we taken strides forward, or is it worse than ever?

* Ohio Republican Congressman Paul Gilmore died.

* Opera great Luciano Pavarotti died.

Mrs. America Results

Well, I thought Mrs. America co-hosts Alan Thick and Omarosa Stallworth were bizarre, but they’re nothing compared to the way the finals of this pageant were conducted! The following information came from an email supposedly sent out by Mrs. Kentucky.

The following states were called to the Top 10: Kentucky, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Maryland, Louisiana, New Mexico, Montana and ???

Five additional contestants were added because they scored well in the pre-pageant challenges, diapering changing, golf, scavenger hunt, tennis, and a horseshoe toss. They were Utah, Vermont, District of Columbia, Tennessee and ???. Note, Mrs. Tennessee didn’t actually compete in these challenges because she was bitten at a rattlesnake at the resort, but was given courtesy points. I don’t know why Mrs. Kentucky included “???” instead of names; South Carolina and Alabama are names also floating around the internet as part of the finals.

Mrs. Kentucky said that because of a tie all fifteen women competed in Swimsuit. Then, in a very American Idol-like way, they divided the fifteen women into three groups of five and eliminated a whole group! The Top 10 competed in Evening Gown, although I’m not exactly sure who that was.

The Top 5 were Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

But then a sixth contestant was added! The remaining 40 contestants voted who to “bring back.” Mrs. California was the lucky winner.

The final pageant results were:

Fifth Runner-up - California
Fourth Runner-up - New Mexico

Third Runner-up - Oklahoma
Second Runner-up - Nebraska
First Runner-up - Tennessee

Mrs. America - Wyoming

Best State Costume – Louisiana
Most Photogenic – Illinois
Mrs. Congeniality - Vermont

*These results have been edited; I originally had the Second and Third Runners-up switched. 9/7/07 1 p.m.


So let’s review, Mrs. Tennessee somehow became First Runner-up even though she didn’t make the judges Top 10 and didn’t compete in the silly bonus challenges that formed the Top 15 and Mrs. California gets Top 6 billing even though she didn't compete in the finals at all! I would be one unhappy pageant diva if I were a contestant in this crazy production! I'm also very curious if the ladies were told about the extra challenges in order to practice...

If you get the WE network you can watch the whole bizarre mess on September 22. I guess the good thing is the winner, Mrs. Wyoming, Kelly McBee seems to have won by normal pageant means.

Links

Mrs. Ohio America's Blog
National Sweetheart Pictures

What Gives?

Okay people, I’ve gotten twenty-times more hits to this page than votes in the most recent Pageant Polls since posting them. That has to mean... Either you’re already sick of polls, you’re not into this specific poll topic, there’s a technical error, or the same nine people check my blog - a lot!

You can leave anonymous comments, so please let me know what’s up!
I thought the polls were really cool and thought everyone would like being interactive… maybe I was wrong...

Pageant Polls of the Week: Preparation Expectations

Okay, I feel bad because last week’s poll put local directors in the hot seat by asking which program is the most supportive. So this week let's answer this question for the E.D.s, “What do they want from us?!?!”
Everyone is welcome to vote. Of course, every titleholder has different needs, but with these polls we can find majorities…



Click here for the direct link to the check list, I mean first poll.
Click here for the direct link to the second poll.

Congratulations to Erica Gelhaus, the National Sweetheart!

Ohio’s Erica Gelhaus bested 30 other state ruuners-up to win the National Sweetheart Pageant! She also won both Swimsuit and Talent preliminary awards. Congrats to her, this is very exciting!

I believe this was only Erica's third pageant; she won her first local, Miss Lake Festival, and then went on to be named First Runner-up at Miss Ohio. She is a second year Music Performance major at Otterbein College; her platform is Youth Literacy.


Other Sweetheart Awards:

1st Runner-up: Michingan's Ashlee Baracy
2nd Runner-up: Louisiana's Jennifer Soileau (Prelim Swimsuit winner)
3rd Runner-up: The District of Columbia's Michelle Crosby
4th Runner-up: Georgia's Caitlin Andrews (Prelim Talent winner)

Overall Swimsuit Award: Louisiana's Jennifer Soileau
Overall Interview Award: Louisiana's Jennifer Soileau
Overall Talent: Georgia's Caitlin Andrews
Non-Finalist Talent Award: New Hampshire's Natalie Shaw
Miss Congeniality: New Mexico's Sherry McDowell
Producers Award: Utah's Sarah Pettit

CLICK HERE for a brief news article.

Erica is Ohio’s third Sweetheart winner, following Irene Meyer in 1957 and Judy Duncan in 1964. Ohio’s Miss America’s are Susan Perkins (1978), Laurel Lea Schaefer (1972), Jacquelyn Mayer (1963), Marilyn Meseke (1938) and Mary Katherine Campbell (1922 and 1923). Other national winners from the buckeye state are Miss USA 1965 Sue Ann Downey, Miss USA 1981 Kim Seelbrede and Miss Teen USA 2005 Allie LaForce..

(National Sweetheart winners get a $1,000 scholarship, but other than that this pageant serves as a good time and good experience. The winner does not advance to another pageant nor does she have responsibilities as Miss Sweetheart, in fact, some of the contestants who competed this weekend had already won a local title in their state. 22 of the past 30 Sweetheart winners have gone on to win their state title; between these statistics and the fact that Erica is only 19, her chances look great, but as we know of pageants, anything can happen.)

Well, the Sweetheart pageant Top 5 has not yet made it through the grapevine and I'm already five minutes late to meet some friends...

So, you'll have to check other sites to find out how Erica does, or wait for me to get home... Sorry, but see,
I do have a life beyond pageants and my blog! :)

No Surprise, Erica Makes the Top 10 at Sweetheart!

At the National Sweetheart Pageant Ohio's Erica Gelhaus was a Talent and Swimsuit preliminary winner, so it's no surprise that she made the
Top 10 in the finals, which are going on right now!

The rest of the Top 10 are:

Louisiana * Nebraska * Oregon * Indiana * DC *
Illinois * Georgia * Michigan * South Carolina

Melanie Murphy Tune-in Alert!

Tonight and tomorrow former Miss Ohio, Melanie Murphy, will cohost the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon on WBNX, Cleveland's CW.

[Graphic from WBNX; click to enlarge.]

Congratulations to the New Miss Miami Valley, Alyssa Hanson!

[Photo above by Paul Krajnyak; for more visit Miss Ohio News.]

Miss Miami Valley: Alyssa Hanson

1st Runner-up: Katie Camp
2nd Runner-up: Jillian Dansko

Interview: Kelly Jo Zink
Talent: Kristy Moneysmith

Swimsuit: Katie Camp

Contestants:
Katie Camp
Jillian Dansko
Alyssa Hanson
Kristen Ligouri
Heather Lindsey
Kristy Moneysmith
Kari Thomas
Kelly Jo Zink

Scroll below for photos and information about the contestants.

Congratulations to Ohio's Erica Gelhaus, the Preliminary Talent Winner at the National Sweetheart Pageant!

Tonight Erica became the only double preliminary winner at the National Sweetheart Pageant! Just like at Miss Ohio, she won the Talent preliminary with Verdi's aria “Sapor Vorreste;" last night she won Swimsuit. Tonight's Swimsuit preliminary winner was Jennifer Louise Soileau of Louisiana.



Tomorrow the 30 contestants from across the U.S. will be cut to a Top 10 and one will emerge the National Sweetheart. I recently read that 22 of the 30 Sweetheart winners have gone on to win their state title; 5 of those became Miss America, 6 were in the Top 5 at Miss America and 5 made the Top 10. Best of luck Erica!

[Photo above by Paul Krajnyak.]

Best of Luck to Miss Miami Valley Tonight!

Tonight in Dayton Sophia Davis [left] will crown a new Miss Miami Valley at the Montgomery County Fair starting at 7 p.m.! Sophia is a dancer attending Miami University who placed in the Top 10 as Miss Miami Valley in her second try at Miss Ohio.

Tonight the following eight young women will compete for Sophia's title:



Katie Camp has placed consistently in pageants over the past few years, but has yet to capture a crown. She is a tap dancer, often using the song/routine “Sandman.” She attends Wright State University; pageant sources have listed her major as Business Marketing, while her Facebook profile says Dance… take your pick. Katie’s platform is Mentoring Through the Arts. (This season: this is Katie's first pageant of the season.)


Jillian Dansko is a tap dancing pageant veteran. She is a graduate of John Carroll University who advocates Artisitic Involvement for the Disabled. At Miss Ohio this year she danced to “Ramalama Bang Bang” as Miss Greater Dayton; she was a Swimsuit preliminary winner as Miss North Coast and was in the Top 10 as Miss Buckeye State. (This season: this is Jillian's first pageant of the season.)


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. Alyssa competed this summer at Miss Ohio as Miss Heart of Ohio; she sang "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. (This season: Alyssa competed at Miss Lake Erie/ Northern Ohio.)



Kristen Ligouri studies Electronic Media at the University of Cincinnati. She is a vocalist who advocates Community Service: Give and Grow. Kristen competed in several pageants last year.
(This season: this is Kristen's first pageant of the season.)






Heather Linsday competed this summer at Miss Ohio, as Miss Hamilton; she won a Swimsuit Preliminary award. She is a vocalist and sang "Stand up for Love" at Miss Ohio. Heather is a student at Sinclair Community College; her platform is the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program. (This season: Heather won a Spirit Award at Miss Lake Erie/ Northern Ohio.)



Kristy Moneysmith is a vocalist who has twice competed at Miss West Central Ohio. She is a student at Wright State University; her platform is Mentoring Through Leadership.
(This season: Kristy was 3rd Runner-up and won a Spirit and Essay Award at Miss West Central Ohio.)





Kari Thomas seems to be new to the pageant system. I don’t have any record of her competing over the past few years and with such a common name I can’t find any definitive information about her.
(This season: this is Kari's first pageant of the season.)





Kelly Jo Zink is a student at Wittenberg College where she is majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and Dance. She is also a twirler, so I imagine she either twirled or danced for her Talent. Kelly's platform is the Ronald McDonald House.
(This season: Kelly was 2nd Runner-up at Miss West Central Ohio.)

I would like to attend this program tonight, but I'm not sure yet; it'll depend if my parents want to come with me. We've gone for the past few years, since I am a former Miss Miami Valley. We like to support E.D. Ronda Morris, who is one of the sweetest people in the system, and it's only $4 to get in... Not to mention the fact that unlike other pageants, my dad can wonder off and look at animals and such when he gets bored! :)

Congratulations to Ohio's Erica Gelhaus, the Preliminary Swimsuit Winner at the National Sweetheart Pageant!

Miss Ohio’s First Runner-up, Erica Gelhaus, is in Hoopeston, Illinois competing in the National Sweetheart Pageant; last night during the first preliminaries she won Swimsuit! [Photo on the right taken at Miss Ohio by the Mansfield News Journal.]

Caitlin Andrews from Georgia won Talent with Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” (otherwise known to Ohioan’s as “that beautiful song Leslie Ondrey used to sing”).

I assume Erica will compete in Talent tonight; the finals are on Sunday.