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More Miss Teen USA Swimsuit Photos!

Miss Teen USA 2014 Contestants Sizzle in Their Bikinis

by Chima Simone
Another big night in beauty pageants is coming!

Crowns and gowns will join sashes and false eyelashes on the stage of the Miss Teen USA competition this Saturday when the reigning teen queen Cassidy Wolf is unseated by one of these hot hopefuls. Vying for the coveted title from the tropical Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas, the bathing beauties will also compete in their best evening dresses and answer interview questions (or not) from a panel of judges.


In anticipation of the main event streaming live Saturday, Aug. 2 on missteenusa.com, we're kicking off the swimsuit portion of the show with a sneak peek of the contenders from Alabama to Wyoming flaunting their perfect bikini bods.

Miss America Goes to Washington

by Alan Neuhauser

Call it a meeting of the old and the beautiful.

Members of Congress and Education Secretary Arne Duncan met with Miss America Nina Davuluri this week to talk science, technology, engineering and math education. The Miss America Foundation and Davuluri – herself a science grad from the University of Michigan – have made STEM learning one of their platforms. When the annual pageant returns in September, it will for the second time offer a range of STEM scholarships to its contestants. 

“Sixty percent of the contestants on the Miss America stage were involved in STEM-related fields: PT school, PA school, engineers,” she says, referring to schools for physical therapists and physicians assistants. “If you enter in this organization, you walk away with some form of scholarship money.” Davuluri began competing in beauty pageants to pay for college, she says. Having been named Miss Michigan’s Outstanding Teen in 2006, Miss Syracuse and Miss New York in 2013, and Miss America last September, she’s won about $92,000 – allowing her, with help from her parents, to graduate debt-free.

“I had no means to pay for school aside from student loans, so I started competing,” Davuluri tells U.S. News during an interview on Capitol Hill. “This is not the only way to earn a scholarship and it’s not for everyone. This is a creative way to do it.” Schools and employers have long struggled to attract women and minorities. While women made up more than half of the country’s college-educated workers in 2010, for example, they comprised only 28 percent of the science and engineering workforce, the National Science Board found earlier this year. Meanwhile, blacks, Latinos, American Indians and Alaskan Natives accounted for just 10 percent of science and engineering workers. Asians made up 19 percent. Davuluri, who is Indian-American and the daughter of a physician father and computer-programmer mother, declined to speculate how discrimination and social pressures may discourage women from entering those fields.

“I can’t say I know one particular case,” she tells U.S. News, adding, “I never experienced anything in terms of not being encouraged to go into a STEM field.” She suggested, though, that students, guidance counselors, parents and lawmakers could look more broadly at what a science or technology job might encompass. “Thinking outside the box of what STEM is is something that I’ve been really trying to encourage this year,” she says. Davuluri pointed to her visit to a cosmetics factory, where she learned to make her own lip gloss. “I think a lot of times, we are in those confines of engineer, computer programmer,” she says. “Oftentimes young girls can’t think outside the box of what STEM is.” And that goes for tuition, too: “The cost of a higher education is astronomically expensive,” she says. Paying for it, she continues, “doesn’t have to be what you think might be the normal way.”

CONGRATULATIONS to our Princess America Clients!

CONGRATULATIONS to Pageant Design clients and Princess America delegates

Lexi Webb (West Virginia Junior Teen), 3rd Runner Up in the Junior Teen division, Dominique Collins (West Virginia Teen), 4th Runner Up in the Teen competition, and Gretchen Reece (Indiana Miss), 2nd Runner Up in the National Miss Princess America competition!

And BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Pageant Design client Emmie Kivell,

our new National Miss Princess America!

Dreams did come true for this Florida/Disney Princess,

and the title could not be more perfect for her!

'DROP DEAD GORGEOUS' VS. REAL-LIFE BEAUTY PAGEANTS: CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE?

by ALEX KRITSELIS

Wednesday, July 23 marks the 15th anniversary of beauty pageant mockumentary Drop Dead Gorgeous. 15 years ago, Kirsten Dunst tap danced her way into our hearts as the adorable Amber Atkins, a hard-working resident of Mount Rose, Minnesota, who wants nothing more than to win the title of Mount Rose American Teen Princess. Unfortunately, when she enrolls in the pageant, she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. The pageants’ despicable organizer and host, Gladys Leeman (a hilarious Kirstie Alley), will stop at nothing to ensure that her daughter, Rebecca Ann Leeman (Denise Richards), goes home with the crown — even if it means she has to kill a few people!

I hadn’t seen Drop Dead Gorgeous in a few years, and when I sat down to re-watch it this week, I was struck by two startling realizations: First, “Wow, at times, this is really offensive!” and second, “BEAUTY PAGEANTS ARE SO INSANE!!!” Drop Dead Gorgeous may be a work of fiction, but it definitely takes its cues from real-life beauty pageants. Strange displays of “talent”? Check. Silly costumes? Double-check. Dumb interview questions and even dumber responses? Triple check. You see the same ridiculous shenanigans on television during the Miss America or Miss USA pageants (…minus all of the murder, of course).

To commemorate Drop Dead Gorgeous’ 15th anniversary, I thought it would be fun to play a little game called, “Is It Drop Dead Gorgeous? …Or Is It Real Life?” You can test your knowledge of the movie AND find out how good you are at telling beauty pageant fact from beauty pageant fiction, all at the same time! Finally.

Let’s begin:

QUESTION 1: PUPPETS
For the talent portion of the evening, a contestant lovingly serenades a puppet with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from Disney’s The Lion King. Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s real life! Yes, as strange as it sounds, at the 1995 Miss America pageant, Miss Colorado, Amy Lynn Ciccolella, sang to a puppet in a wheelchair in an attempt to raise awareness of various issues affecting children living with cerebral palsy. Before she burst into song, Ciccolella talked with the puppet (whose name was Mark) about whether or not he felt accepted by his peers.

Mark was a part of the United Cerebral Palsy Associations’ Kids on the Block program, which sought to teach able-bodied children about disabilities through the use of puppets. Though Ciccolella’s intentions were probably good, some people were offended by her act, saying that it perpetuated the idea that we should pity those with disabilities. She did not take home the top prize.

QUESTION 2: STUPID QUESTIONS

During the interview portion of the program, contestants are asked, “If you could be any tree in the woods, what kind of tree would you be?” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s Drop Dead Gorgeous! Yes, this question is fake, but one like it could absolutely pop-up during a real beauty pageant someday. After all, according to ThePageantPlanet.com, contestants have been asked such ridiculous questions as, “Why are you like a mango?” Seriously?

QUESTION 3: STUPID ANSWERS

When asked “Who would you pick to be president, dead or alive?” one contestant immediately responds, “Brett Favre!” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s Drop Dead Gorgeous! The ditzy Leslie Miller (played by a then unknown Amy Adams) answers this stupid interview question with an equally stupid answer.

QUESTION 4: OOPSIE!

When asked about her feelings regarding the controversial practice of euthanasia, one contestant says, “You know, that’s one thing that I’m not very educated on, so I need to look up on exactly what that means. But I do know it’s a vaccine, correct?” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s real life! In preparation for the 2012 Miss America pageant, Miss California, Leah Cecil, totally botched this question during a practice interview. If only she had just stopped talking after admitting that she needed to look the word up! In her defense, sometimes stuff just comes flying out of your mouth when you’re put on the spot.

QUESTION 5: STATING THE OBVIOUS

Shortly after winning the crown, a contestant eerily exclaims, “I’m so excited! I mean, I won. I’m the winner.” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s Drop Dead Gorgeous! Rebecca Ann Leman is just so proud of herself for overcoming so many obstacles and winning a pageant that was rigged in her favor to begin with! She’s an inspiration.

QUESTION 6: MORE PUPPETS

Which one of the following two talents occurred during a real beauty pageant?

A. Slow dancing across the stage with a puppet version of Jesus on the cross to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”

-or-

B. Singing “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” with two ventriloquist dummies that specialize in yodeling

Answer: It’s B! Yes, this atrocity actually happened. Miss Colorado, Alyse Eady, showed off her bizarre talent during the 2011 Miss America pageant. I would like to call your attention to the way that Eady grits her teeth and smiles while each dummy is “singing.” I would also like to call your attention to the way that she occasionally shakes her head at them and then looks up to the ceiling, as if to say, “Can you even believe what’s happening right now? These dummies are sooo crazy!” It’s a horror show. I hope you can sleep tonight.

QUESTION 7: AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

When asked why she’s proud to be an American, a contestant replies, “Living in a country where no matter who you are or where you came from, you can grow up and become what you’ve always dreamed of, makes me proud to be an American.” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s Drop Dead Gorgeous, of course! Amber Atkins is just the sweetest/most naive little squirt there ever was. However, I think she loses her innocence a little bit at the end of the movie when she arrives at the Sarah Rose Cosmetics headquarters only to discover that the company has gone out of business and the national pageant has been cancelled. Devastating.

QUESTION 8: I DON’T EVEN KNOW

Again, during the interview portion of the night, contestants are told, “Describe a pizza and tell how you are like each ingredient.” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s real life! According to ThePageantPlanet.com, pageant contestants have actually been given this ridiculous prompt before.

QUESTION 9: ONE OF THESE TALENTS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

Consider the four bizarre talents listed below — only one of them appears in Drop Dead Gorgeous. Can you pick out which one?

A. Painting a portrait of Bruce Lee while standing on one leg

B. Imitating how various breeds of dogs bark

C. “Freestyle” roller-skating to “Amazing Grace”

D. Clogging to Sam & Dave’s 1967 hit, “Soul Man”

Answer: It’s B! Dog lover Tess Weinhouse shows the good people of Mount Rose, Minnesota just how different dogs’ barks can sound. It’s…quite something. Believe it or not, the rest of the talents listed above are actually legit. Naturally, contestant Lisa Wong painting a giant portrait of martial arts legend Bruce Lee while dancing, spinning around, and occasionally standing on one leg during the 60th Annual Narcissus pageant, is required viewing.

QUESTION 10: GETTIN’ SAPPY

Last one! When asked what the pageant means to her, one contestant responds, “I believe this pageant is an important experience for every young woman. It teaches you what’s really important in life, and it has the power to change you in ways you never dreamed of.” Is it Drop Dead Gorgeous? Or is it real life?

Answer: It’s Drop Dead Gorgeous! At the beginning of the film, Rebecca Ann Leeman gives the audience a little hint as to how far she’s willing to go in order to claim the crown — but can’t you imagine these exact words coming out of a real contestant’s mouth?

Congratulations Emmie Kivell!

BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Pageant Design client Emmie Kivell, our new National Miss Princess America! Dreams did come true for this Florida/Disney Princess, and the title could not be more perfect for her!

Miss FL USA 2015 Visits WTVJ

Ousted beauty queen sues Miss Del. pageant

By Robin Brown, The News Journal

Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson said Wednesday night that the group would have no comment on the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Court of Chancery, reveals an awkward and formerly undisclosed moment just after Longacre was stripped of her crown in June, two weeks into her reign. First, officials told her she was too old and said she had to return her crown, wouldn't get her scholarships and couldn't compete for Miss America. Then, the previously unidentified state pageant official who axed her – executive director Debi Wilson was a named defendant in the filing – "offered to make it up to her by hosting a wine and cheese pajama party," the suit says.

The suit names other pageant winners disqualified after competing and contends pageant officials knowingly recruit ineligible contestants to boost dwindling participation, take advantage of them for fundraising and appearances, then disqualify them. The suit details more than 20 appearances Longacre made, cites her additional fundraising for the organization and the facts that she suspended work on her master's degree in social work at University of Pennsylvania for a year, cut her work to part-time and ended internship programs as required by the Miss Delaware organization to fulfill her duties. Two days after Longacre was disqualified, first runner-up Brittany Lewis of Wilmington was crowned Miss Delaware in a brief ceremony at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, elevating her to the national contest that gives each contestant a $3,000 scholarship for participating and the chance to win a lot more. Longacre, whose only previous pageant experience was for the separate Miss USA competition, says Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization officials recruited her and certified her eligibility after she repeatedly submitted her birth certificate, driver's license and resume – all with her birth date of Oct. 22, 1989 – as she competed successfully first for Miss Pike Creek, then Miss Delaware.

Lewis also is 24, but she was born July 21, 1990. Although state and national pageant websites say those 17-24 are eligible – as the lawsuit notes – state pageant officials said in their one public statement about Longacre's ouster that they discovered after Longacre was crowned that she was too old under Miss America rules. Board member and legal counsel Elizabeth Soucek – who was Miss Delaware first runner up in 2007 – has said national contestants could not turn 24 before Dec. 31, meaning they could not have been born before 1990. She called that "a Miss America rule."

Soucek told The News Journal after Lewis was crowned that she directed Lewis and state pageant officials not to comment about the situation with Longacre "due to the possibility of pending litigation." She couldn't be reached Wednesday night. It was only after Longacre went public with her highly emotional account, first in an interview with The News Journal and then on televised "Today" show, that Soucek said she would get the $9,000 scholarship she earned with the state title. Until that time, according to the lawsuit, the only thing the organization had offered Longacre was the "wine and cheese pajama party." But when Soucek told The News Journal that Longacre would get $9,000 scholarship from the state title, she was asked about her other scholarship funds for winning Miss Pike Creek andstate contest preliminary events and Miss Congeniality. Soucek then said Longacre would get all her scholarship funds.

The lawsuit said the Pike Creek title came with a $500 scholarship and her other wins totaled $1,250. In detailing Longacre's damages, the suit also said she lost potential career enhancements such as television and guest appearances, also that she had to spend more than $4,500 on expenses such as a voice coach, clothing, hair and makeup. Her suit also asks the court to require the pageants to make age requirements clear on their websites and to all potential contestants. While her lawsuit does not seek an apology, Longacre told The News Journal she never got one from anyone with the Miss Delaware pageant. Her attorney, Mark Billion of Wilmington, said before the suit was filed that they reached out repeatedly to organization officials. "Not only did we not get the courtesy of a response," he said, "we haven't gotten anything from them saying she is disqualified."

Longacre recently said she feels lumped in with pageant winners dethroned for reasons from criminal activity to pornography. "I'm being treated as if I did something morally and ethically wrong," she said. "I'm just really heartbroken."

Miss USA 2014 to host benefit for The Shade Tree

By Dyuce Woodson

Newly crowed Miss USA Nia Sanchez will host National Lollipop Day benefiting The Shade Tree at Sugar Factory Town Square. The event will be held on Sunday, July 20.

Nevada's first ever beauty queen to win the Miss USA crown will sign autographs and take pictures with fans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is part of Sanchez's official Las Vegas homecoming celebration. Miss Nevada Teen USA 2014 Alexa Taylor will also make an appearance in support of Sanchez.

Sugar Factory will donate 50 percent of all Couture Pops sold both in-store and online on National Lollipop Day to The Shade Tree Las Vegas. Sanchez, who once lived in a woman's shelter with her mother is an advocate for the organization. Sugar Factory signature Couture Pops are priced at $25 each and are endorsed by stars such as Drake, Katy Perry and Sting.

Miss Florida USA named during Fort Lauderdale event

By Eileen Holliday, Orlando Sentinel

Miss Emerald Coast, a 23-year-old from Grand Ridge in Florida's Panhandle, was crowned Miss Florida USA on Saturday night at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale. 

Ashleigh Lollie will go on to represent Florida in the Miss USA pageant, but not this year. That pageant just finished last month. Lollie will go to the Miss Florida USA 2015 pageant.

First runner-up in the pageant was Miss Central Florida Kailyn Perez; second runner-up was Miss Capital City Jessica Voight; third runner-up was Miss Orange County Lacey Morgan; fourth runner-up was Miss Lake Eola Heather Martin. The Miss Florida USA pageant feeds into the Miss USA pageant, which feeds into the Miss Universe pageant. There were 70 contestants from across the state.

Junior Orange Bowl Royal Court begins its reign

BY CHRISTINA MAYO
THE MIAMI HERALD

Congratulations to the newest members of the Junior Orange Bowl Royal Court, a community honor for over half a century. Emma Gillian, an eighth grader at Trail Middle School, is the 63rd Junior Orange Bowl Queen. Joining her are Princesses Isabella Morales, a seventh grader at Westwood Christian School, and Rebekah Gadea, who is in eighth grade at Palm Springs Middle School.

The girls will serve as volunteers and goodwill ambassadors at the 2014-15 Junior Orange Bowl Festival events and will ride on The Royal Court Float at the 66th Junior Orange Bowl Parade in downtown Coral Gables in November. The newest title of Little Sister was given this year to Gwendolyn Odin, a sixth grader at Miami Springs Middle School. This award is presented to an 11-year-old girl to help her gain confidence to possibly serve as a future Junior Orange Bowl Queen or Princess.

The announcement festivities took place at the Rebeca Sosa Theater in Miami Springs after a series of competitions around South Florida. The Queen, Princesses, and Little Sister are chosen based on personality, poise, and enthusiasm to be involved in the community. All the girls who participated in the search are invited to The Queens Ball at the Biltmore Hotel.

“I am looking forward to a wonderful year with our new Royal Court,” said Royal Court Chair Isa Goenaga. “They are a very smart and beautiful group and possess the qualities of leadership and service to the community that we look for. I am confident that as our young ambassadors, they will represent the Junior Orange Bowl well and make us all very proud.” This year’s judges were Sandy Muller of the Sandy Muller Cancer Foundation, Dr. Anthony Gonzalez, chief of surgery at Baptist Hospital, and Jorge Esteban, owner of Pageant Smart Coaching.

The Junior Orange Bowl is about to begin its 66th festival season for youth with numerous athletic, academic, and cultural events. Volunteers produce all the events. To learn how to become part of the Junior Orange Bowl team, call 305-662-1210 or email jobc@jrorangebowl.org. You can also isit www.jrorangebowl.org for more.

Miss Florida USA 2015 Finale

Congratulations, Ashleigh Lollie, our new Miss FL USA!