Ex- Miss Delaware offered chance to compete in Miss USA pageant

Source: Fox News

Amanda Longacre, the Delaware beauty queen who was stripped of her title and her chance to compete in the Miss America competition because she's too old for the crown, may have a chance to compete for the title of Miss USA.

The Donald Trump-produced Miss USA pageant is inviting Longacre to enter their competition for the Delaware crown later this year. She lost her Miss Delaware title after about two weeks when the organization realized she would turn 25 before the year's end, disqualifying her from representing the state in the Miss America pageant and costing her the crown. The Miss USA rules dictate the pageant's age limit for contestants is 27. "We have invited her to compete for the Miss Delaware USA pageant this November," a spokesperson for the pageant said. "If she wins that title she will go on to compete for Miss USA (and then maybe Miss Universe). She did not 'age out' of our pageant system."


Reps for the Miss USA pageant told TMZ they became aware of Longacre's situation when they were bombarded by irate pageant fans, who mistakenly thought that they were responsible for her disqualification.
A message on the Miss Universe website, which oversees the Miss USA competition, explained, "Please be advised the recent dismissal of Miss Delaware and Miss Florida has nothing to do with the Miss Universe Organization and they are from a completely different pageant system."

Ex-Miss Delaware Fights to Win Title Back, Compete in Miss America Pageant

by REBECCA MACATEE

Beauty pageants aren't always pretty—just ask former Miss Delaware 2014 Amanda Longacre! The 24-year-old was stripped of her title Tuesday when pageant officials determined she was too old to compete in the pageant (The Miss America Organization has a rule stating that contestants must be 17 to 24 years old, and Amanda will turn 25 in October.)

First runner-up Brittany Lewis, 24, was crowned Miss Delaware Thursday, and will go on to compete in the Miss America pageant on Sept. 14. And while Amanda has learned she will get to keep the $9,000 in scholarship money she originally won (this amount will also be awarded to Brittany), she appeared on Today Monday and told Savannah Guthrie she wants "the title I rightfully won" back.

VIDEO: Ex-Miss Delaware tearfully breaks down on Today over lost title
"I am Miss Delaware. I was nothing but honest from the beginning. I did not know that rule, I did not know that rule at all, and they reiterated to me since they beginning that I was eligible to compete," she said. "I asked from the beginning, 'Am I eligible?' They said yes, they signed off on my contract, they had my birth certificate. I gave them everything." Her lawyer explained to Today, "What we want is to see Amanda compete at Miss America and serve as Miss Delaware, and to our mind, that's what's fair. If we have to sue to do it, we will, but our goal really here is that she be allowed to enjoy the title that she's earned."