Miss Puerto Rico

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

Miss Kentucky

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

Miss Arkansas

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 groups which 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

 

 

 

Miss South Carolina

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

Miss Washington

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

Miss Florida

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

Miss Texas

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

Miss Nevada

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 California

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

Miss West Virgina

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

Miss Wyoming

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

The Junkies in North Carolina!!! :)

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

Miss New Mexico

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

Miss Arizona

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

Miss Louisiana

Miss Louisiana 2011 Hope Anderson might of been a bit of a surprise to some people, but we saw her from the get-go!  Super tall, dark hair, and oh... turns out the men in her family (father, uncles) used to vacation/hunt near the Junkies hometown !!!

This dress was stunning on-stage... her Top 10 finish was well deserved! Hope also received the Miracle Maker Award, given to the 3 contestants who raised the most money for Children's Miracle Network... Hope raised $40,000!!! :)

Louisiana History:  Out of all the states who've never had a Miss America, Louisiana is our pick for getting one the soonest!  Sooooooooooooo many 1st runner ups, it's not even funny!  Patricia Brant (the ventriloquist in '85), Ericka Schwartz in '97, Faith Jenkins in '01 and Jennifer Dupont in '04.  If the Saints can pull out a Super Bowl victory, we're thinking Louisiana can find a Miss America in the next few years!!! :)

Best Junkie Research Tool:  Hands Down... This video is worth the 28 minutes.  If you want to know who will will Louisiana, just take notes while you watch... then see if your picks match our below. :)

Who to Watch:

Carly McCord - 1st runner up in '11, her first year at Miss LA

Mallory Cox - 3rd runner up in '11, piano player, Prelim Talent Winner

Lauren Vizza - 4th runner up in '11, and 3rd runner up in '10

Kassy Sanchez - Honebee Festival Queen... 1st time at LA (we think)

Megan Dupre - strong presence, 2nd time at Miss LA

Aja Majkrzak - violin player, former talent winner and 4th runner up at Miss Minnesota

Miss Louisiana will be webcast this year!!!  Looking forward to the first round of Prelims Tonight!!!

GEAUX LOUISIANA!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Indiana

The pride of Goshen, Indiana... Jackie Jerlecki, Miss Indiana 2011 is beautiful, talented and in her spare time, she talks to frogs...

 

Photo by Nicole Mehl...

Well ok... that's not quite the whole story... Jackie was at an appearance and was participating in a frog jumping contest.  On her Facebook page, Jackie said she was trying to offer some 'encouraging words to Walter'... but to no avail.  Obviously, the frog must've been deaf to begin with.

We loved watching Jackie all year long... and we're guessing Indiana was pretty happy with their 2011 queen too! :)
 
Miss Indiana History:  The one and only Miss America from Indiana was Katie Stam, Miss America 2009.  Katie was also "America's Choice" on the show.

Best Junkie Research Tool:  The Miss Indiana Organization keeps a strong Facebook and Twitter presence... Their competition order can be seen here... But full headshots of the girls can be seen here... :)


Who to Watch:

Caroline Holcomb - 1st runner up in 09 and 11, 5th time at Miss IN

MerriBeth Cox - 3rd runner up in '11, Illinois OT in 07, baton twirler

Rachael Bazzel - ANTSO Teen in 05, 4th runner up in 10, Top 10 in 11

Victoria McKee - 4th runner up in 09 and 11

 PRELIMS START TONIGHT for Miss Indiana!!!  All the Best to Everyone!!!

MAJ

Miss Ohio

Ellen Bryan... not only did she have an unusual platform to promote at Miss America ("When Lightening Roars, Go Indoors"... based on her own sister being struck by lightening 12 years ago)... Ellen decided to do something we've not ever seen a Miss State even pretend to attempt!

She decided to ride her bike across the state of Ohio, visiting 6 different Children's Miracle Network hospitals and raising money along the way!  Yup!  27 days, 45 cites and 850 miles across the Buckeye State in the name of CMN! In case you missed it, the official webpage with all the details is here... :)

Ellen's platform work earned her a Quality of Life finalist award at Miss America... Well Deserved!!!

Ohio History:  Technically, Ohio has 6 Miss Americas --- but one of them was crowned twice!  Mary Campbell in '22 and '23 (the only Miss America to hold such a distinction), Marily Meseke in '38, Jacquelyn Mayer in '68, Laurel Schafer '72, and Susan Perkins in '78...So 5 different women from Ohio have been crowned Miss America a total of 6 times. :)  Ohio's been in a bit of slump... once upon a time you could count them in as always having a strong competitor, but it's been 18 years since they've had a runner up (Lea Mack 2nd runner up in 94).

Best Junkie Research Tool: Here's the link to the Miss Ohio contestant page...

Items of Note:  This is simply our observation... Ohio seems to want to crown "good girls" who love the program, will represent the state of Ohio well and continue to give back.  They don't seem to take chances on girls who might perform well at Miss America or 'stand out' specifically for any reason.  Almost as if they'd prefer to have a great "Miss Ohio" instead of a chance at Miss America.

Who to Watch: 
Alyssa Brumbaugh - 1st runner up in '11, prelim swimsuit winner, 2nd time at Miss OH

Meggie Whitman - 3rd runner up in '11, prelim swimsuit winner, musical theater major, 3rd time at Miss OH

Jenna Fowls - Top 10 in '11 and prelim talent winner

Cayla Hellwarth - Top 10 in '11, prelim talent winner as well

Tera Coleman - Top 10 in '10, law student, should have a strong interview

Junkies Love O - HI - O !!! :)  All the Best, Ladies!!! :)

MAJ

Miss South Dakota

Anna Simpson, Miss South Dakota 2011 wins our vote for most original training opportunity with a mentor!  Check out this nation-wide story that NBC's 'Today Show' did featuring Anna and her piano teacher!

Now THAT'S a benefit to technology we never envisioned!!!  What an amazing way to train with one of the best mentors available!  Big Kudos to Anna and the Miss South Dakota team for finding a way to hone your craft without regards to the miles in between!!!

Anna Simpson was also wonderful at updating her Facebook page with new photos almost every week of her reign! There were plenty to choose from, but we've always loved this 'artsy' pic of her at center ice, about to 'drop the puck' during a Rapid City Rush Hockey game (kinda like throwing the opening pitch at a baseball game!).

Miss South Dakota History: Having never produced a Miss America, SD did come stinking close one time... Irene O'Connor was the 1st runner up to Yolanda Betzebe in 1950.

Best Junkie Research Tool:  All headshots can be found here on the Miss South Dakota website...

Who to Watch: Actually - this is interesting... 12 girls competed last year... of the 11 who were eligible to come back this year (12 minus current queen Anna Simpson), 7 are back! 

Veterans Include:
Calista Kirby - she & Anna were double prelim winners last year, and Calista finished as the 1st runner up
Heather Johnson - 2nd runner up in '11
Brittanie Vernard - 3rd runner up in '11
Autumn Simunek - 4th runner up in '11

Rookies Include:
Jade Possail - she's an athlete and she's got that 'cute and spunky' thing going for her
Tessa Dee - she's done A LOT of work on her platform and was even featured in FourPoints Magazine

If I name any more names, I'm gonna end up telling you about every girl in the contest (lol)!

Best of Luck Ladies!!!  Make this year one to remember in South Dakota!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Georgia

Miss Georgia, Michaela Grace Lackey went to Miss America channeling her inner 'Audrey Hepburn'...

Taken by Matt Boyd Photography, this photo quickly became our favorite of the entire year (and for the record, Matt Boyd Photography takes some pretty amazing pictures/headshots of lots and lots of pageant girls!).  Michaela was also the first GA Outstanding Teen to win the Miss Georgia title (one of the nine girls who competed for Miss America 2012 which we wrote about here...).

Michaela was also the 3rd consecutive winner from Marietta/Cobb County to win the state title!  Now that's quite a winning streak! 

Georgia History:  One Miss America comes from Georgia, Neva Langley in '53... and at least four 1st runner ups to Miss America including Jody Shattluck '57,  Kara Martin '93, Monica Pang '05 and Chasity Harmon '08.

Best Junkie Research Tool:  Headshots can all be seen here...

Items of Note:  This is another 'WIDE OPEN' pageant where anyone can win!  Lots of beautiful girls, lots of veterans and a fair amount of girls who could 'come outta nowhere' to win this year!


Who to Watch: Veterans
Briana Jewett - 1st runner up '09 (originally 2nd runner up, but Winner gave up crown and everyone moved up one position), 4th runner up in '11
Stephanie Burkhalter - Prelim Swimsuit and Gown in '11, and Miss Cobb County this year
Leighton Jordan - Top 15 in '11, very 'even' in all areas of competition
Abby Killough - 4th year at Miss GA, Semi-finalist twice
Lauren Edmonds - GA OT in 06, Top 10 in '10
Carly Mathis - 2nd time at Miss GA, Top 12 in '11

Rookies to Watch (well ok. not all rookies - but girls who haven't yet made the cut... this could be their year)
Jazmine Scroggins
Charlene Bibeau
Shelby McLeod
Annie Wilson 

Who will take the Miss Georgia Crown this year???  Stay Tuned... Prelims begin Wednesday with the Finals on Saturday!  All the Best from the Junkie Nation!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Tennessee

Hellooooooooooooooooo Miss Tennessee 2011, Erin Hatley!!!

Although the photo with the mug was taken nearly a year ago (shortly after Erin won the crown), we love it!  The mug, the ring, the smile, the hair... it's soooooooooooo Miss Tennessee!!! :)

If you don't know anything about Miss Tennessee, at least know this much... Tennessee ALWAYS crowns GORGEOUS girl!!!  And because it's that way year after year, you begin to wonder if they always crown the most beautiful girl in the state pageant simply on looks alone!  But then - if you take a closer look at all the Miss Tennessee contestants, you'd see that it's not hard to crown a gorgeous girl when you have this many beautiful women to choose from!  Check out their Facebook page here... we dare you to tell us who the ugliest girl is in this bunch ('cause who could tell???)

Tennessee History: Barbara Walker in '47 and Kellye Cash in 87 (yes - the grandniece of Johnny Cash in case you never knew!)

Best Junkie Research Tool: Tennessee keeps a very up to date Facebook page for the organization, and a separate page for the queen and has a strong Twitter presence.  Plus here's the website... in case you wanted to see each of the girls head-shots all on one page.  

Who to Watch:  Wow - the better question is... who not to watch???  With the help of some info sent to the Junkie Nation, in addition to our own research, here's what we can tell you!

Chandler Lawson - 2008 Tennessee's Junior Miss, was Miss TN Top 10 in 2009, 1st RU & Tennessee's Sweetheart in 2011
Kyndall Convington - 4th runner up in '11, strong vocalist, last placement in her prelim group
Kristen Mosley - piano, former AL Junior Miss, finished in the top 10 at AJM, first time at Miss TN
Hannah Disterdick - daughter of Miss Tennessee 1982 Desiree Daniels, TN Junior Miss in 07
Cyrena Wages - 1st runner up in 09 and prelim talent winner
Sara Mitchell and Brooke Stegeman won swimsuit prelims in 2011 & 2010 respectively and are in the same group this year

These girls all finished as Semi-Finalists in '11
Camilla Baton
Leah Beth Bolton
Ivy Depew

Also, rumor has it Sam Haskell will be in attendance Friday and Saturday night... And Laura Kaeppeler will be there starting with Prelims on Wednesday! :)

All the best to everyone at Miss Tennessee!!!  Looking forward to your next Drop-Dead-Gorgeous Winner!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Maryland

Miss Maryland 2011, Carlie Colella's crowning moment happens to be on You Tube... tears and all... and yes, that's Susan Powell, Miss America 1981 emceeing the event! :)

It was Carlie's first trip to Miss Maryland and she certainly made the most of it!

Interestingly enough... all of Carlie's runner ups are back for the crown this year... along with 3 other ladies who were Miss Maryland Outstanding Teens!  Given that background, this might be the most competitive Miss Maryland we've seen in recent history!  So - let's get to it!

Maryland History:  They've never produced a Miss America, but Maryland is actually a strong pageant state with Miss USA and several other types of pageants.  If this state can tap into that experience, you could see a surge from them!  We'll always remember Marina Harrison Miss Maryland 2003 who was 3rd runner up to Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004 (Marina was also a Miss Maryland USA 2005 and placed in the Top 10).

Best Junkie Research Tool:  Besides this photo above (which is pretty good), the Miss America site has all the headshots of each contestant here..

Who to Watch:  As we said, there are 4, count 'em 4 former State Winners of MAO Teen competing for the Miss Maryland Title this weekend!

Joanna Guy - MD OT 08, 3rd runner up to Taylor Fitch MAOTeen 2009
Hannah Mollerick - MD OT in '06, 4th runner up in '10 and '11, National Sweetheart contestant in '10
Mary Teal Mulligan - MD OT in '10
Stephanie Meadowcraft - MD OT in '09, Miss MD International in '09, Delaware Teen America in '06

Others to watch include:
Jessica Bermuez - 1st runner up in '11,
Stephanie Kelman - 2nd runner up in '11, Top 10 in 10, 3rd time at Miss MD
Danna Thomas - 3rd runner up in '11, Maryland Teen America in '06
Lauren Kolozski - Top 10 in '11

You never know who's going to win in states like this!  Could be anyone's crown to take home!  Good Luck To All!!!

MAJ

Miss North Carolina

From the very get-go, Miss North Carolina 2011 Hailey Best was on our 'list to watch' at Miss America.  She's been on stage half her life, she's incredibly photogenic, and she was very active with her platform. Then, when we saw her in hot pink heels at 'Phantom of the Opera' at Miss America, we knew we'd chosen correctly (Phantom Photo Here!).

Hailey was a Top 15 finalist at Miss America, many thought she might win preliminary talent the night Betty Thompson's Irish Dance won instead, and she was a Duke of Edinburgh Award recipient.  In fact, this is a fabulous photo of her and Laura Kaeppeler in Birmingham during the awards ceremonies...

Miss North Carolina History: NC has had 1 Miss America, Maria Beale Fletcher in '62.  We saw Maria in Vegas as she was honored on her 50th anniversary and let me say, she was radiant!  A great reminder that Miss America can/will endure as long as we continue crowning qualified, capable and competent young women!  In addition to one Miss America, we'll always remember NC as having back-to-back 1st runner up finishes in '98 and '99 (Michelle Warren to Kate Shindle and Kelli Bradshaw to Nicole Johnson).

Best Junkie Research Tool:  Check out these videos by a local news outlet (who's broadcasting the Saturday night finals)... Just click here and you can see  the girls who are comfortable on camera (aka, most likely to be comfortable in the interview room).  You can also see all the contestants on the Miss NC Facebook page here...

Items of Note:  THE JUNKIES ARE HEADED TO NORTH CAROLINA and couldn't be more excited to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Miss North Carolina!  We can't wait to bring you the inside scoop and be there live to see Miss NC 2012 crowned!  The Junkies are PUMPED to say the least!!! :)


Who to Watch:  Even though we're headed to Miss NC, we'd like to make it clear that we've never met any of the contestants before... this list is solely based on our own research!


Maddisson Shephard - 2nd runner up in' 11, prelim Talent winner

Mary Catherine Tucker - 4th runner up in '11,

Kensley Leonard - probably our favorite video, former OT contestant, Watermelon Festival Queen

Sarah Southard - Top 10 in '09, 3rd time at Miss NC, sister to Miss NC 09 Katherine Southard

Brianna Hester - NC OT in 07, Top 10 last year, definitely stands out due to her bangs :)

Also to watch:
Malloy Honeycutt - Top 10 in '09 and prelim swimsuit,
Bindhu Pamarathi - Top 5 in '10
Amanda Sowards - To 10 in '09 and prelim swimsuit winner,  3rd time at Miss NC

Prelims for Miss NC begin MONDAY NIGHT (which is honesty why we had to get this blog done!)... Mon-Wed prelims, Thursday Teen Finals, Friday 75th Anniversary Gala, Saturday Miss NC Finals!  Whooooooooooooooooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Montana

Miss Montana, Veronika Ohlinger was one of 9 contestants at Miss America 2012 who had previously been named a State MAO Teen. :)

This photo was taken at the Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition in Orlando in August of 2011, prior to the Miss America competition in January of 2012.  We also did a blog post about it (invoking farm systems) that you could read here... back before Miss America.  The above photo is of (from left to right) Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Georgia and North Dakota.

In my humble opinion, Miss America is salivating at the thought of crowning a former MAO State Teen with the title of Miss America 2013.  Again, in my humble opinion, I think states would be wise to crown a former Teen State Winner as their Miss Contestant - if she's got the goods, this could be the year!

In addition to being a MAOTeen (from West Virginia), Veronika was originally named the 1st runner up in Montana before Taryn Chuter resigned due to a knee injury that required surgery.  Luckily, Veronika was able to take over the crown about 6-7 weeks after the Miss Montana pageant - allowing her to essentially 'BE' the queen all year long. :)

Montana History:  Another state on the list that's never had a Miss America...

Best Junkie Research Tool: You can find all your favorite contestant information here... -- plus, you can also vote for your favorite contestant!

Who to Watch:

Jill Sharp - 4th runner up in 2010, prelim talent winner

Cortney Bury - 4th runner up in 2011, prelim swimsuit, funky hair, plays the double bass

Alysse Charlesworth - Miss Montana OT in 2009, tap dancer

Junkie Love to Miss Montana!!!  Wishing all the best to all the contestants!!! :)

MAJ

Miss New Jersey

Katharyn Nicolle, Miss New Jersey 2011 was a beautiful representative at Miss America this year! If there was a 'Miss Photogenic' award, she'd be our pick!!! :)

Plus - we also love 'her love' of shoes - as evidenced by her own blog!  Check out these pretty pink babies! ;)  The Junkies firmly believe that good taste in shoes will take you far!

Katharyn was also a Miss NJ Outstanding Teen... which we'll talk about in our next blog (so stay tuned).


Items to Note:  The ever-fabulous Dena Blizzard (Miss NJ '94) will once again emcee the Miss New Jersey pageant... Dena is a comedian who also has been seen emceeing the prelims of the Miss America pageant.  Feel free to check out her full bio here... One of our favorite moments at Miss America 2012 was when Dena and Kris Jenner were sharing the stage, talking about spanx and Kardashian wigs (I'm sure you had to be there... but the photos can also be seen here...)

Item of Note #2:  While we don't normally take time to discuss judges in State Competitions, we wanted to note that Miss Oklahoma 86 Mignon Merchant is one of the judges at Miss NJ this year.  She was also Miss OK USA in 83 and a Non-Finalist Talent award winner at MA with her comedy routine.  We found a great article where she speaks candidly about her pageant background here... Well worth the read! :)  The Junkies saw her at Miss OK last weekend in the role of 'David Letterman' on stage in Tulsa and she was a Hoot!  We're guessing there's bound to be stories about her and Dena before the weekend is through!  Makes us wish we would've picked NJ to watch this year!!!

New Jersey History: Betty Cooper in 37 and Suzette Charles (the infamous 1st runner up to Vanessa Williams) in '84


Best Junkie Research Tool:  The Miss New Jersey website has everything you need right here...

Who to Watch:  Truthfully - New Jersey could be won by any number of contestants this year... so without listing 9 different girls, here's our best picks...

Lindsey Petrosh - former NJ OT - lovely vocalist

Vanessa Baez - 3rd runner up twice ('10 and '11), Top 10 twice ('09 and '08), 5th time at NJ


Cierra Kaylor-Jones - Prelim Talent and photogenic award in '11

Anna Negron - 4th runner up in '11, Prelim Swimsuit

Lauren Talvacchio - musical theater major, 3rd or 4th time at NJ

All the Best to Everyone at Miss New Jersey!  Never been the same since Atlantic City birthed the Junkies' Obsession with Miss America!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Washington DC

Ashley Boalch showed up at Miss DC as her first ever pageant… and she won!  Yes - just like Miss Maine (highlighted yesterday), Ashely walked on the Miss America stage participating in her second pageant in her entire life... it still boggles our minds!!!   

Ashley won the non-finalist interview award at Miss America this year – as no surprise to us!  She’s extremely articulate and represents herself as a strong, capable, competent young woman.  She’s one of these gals you should look up in 10 years to see what company she's running!

DC History:  Our very first Miss America Margaret Gorman '21 and Venus Ramey in '44.

Best Junkie Research Tool:  The Miss DC site has large headshots of all the contestants along with their platform, talent and age!  You can also vote for your favorite contestant as 'the people's choice'.  Lots of states are jumping on this bandwagon --- Oklahoma announced they raised $19,000 based on $1 per vote!  WOW!!!  The Miss DC link can be found here...

Who to Watch:

Allyn Rose - former Miss Maryland USA '11, National Championship Roller Skater, beautiful, wants to be a constitutional attorney

Helen Hua - flute player, Top 10 previously in Massachusetts, second time at DC


Jachele Velez - Top 10 in New Jersey '11, prelim gown, swimsuit and interview winner, ANTSO Jr Teen 05


Melissa Youssef - competed previously in California, 2nd time at DC, previous state interview winner future attorney as well.


All the Best to Miss DC!!!  The Junkies Love Our Nation's Capital!!! :)


MAJ