The two young women at the center of a beauty queen battle that grabbed headlines across the country will face off once again – this time for the chance to be Miss Texas.
Both Domonique Ramirez, who said she lost her Miss San Antonio crown because of her weight and went to court to win it back, and Ashley Dixon, the runner-up briefly tapped to replace Ramirez, have been invited to compete in the Miss Texas pageant, organizers said Monday.
The 38 Miss Texas contestants include the 17-year-old Ramirez as Miss San Antonio and the 23-year-old Dixon as Miss Bexar County, which encompasses the city. The winner of that pageant, who will be crowned July 1 at the University of Texas at Arlington, will compete for Miss America.
Ramirez’s story caused a major stir in January, when she claimed she was unfairly booted after pageant officials accused her of gaining weight and told her to “get off the tacos.” The pageant insisted weight wasn’t the issue and maintained that the teenager violated her contract with conduct unfitting a beauty queen.
Organizers subsequently awarded the crown to Dixon, but Ramirez sued. Following a week-long trial, a Bexar County jury returned the crown to her March 24.
Valerie Bell, a spokeswoman for the Miss Texas pageant, said the San Antonio franchise could assign another title at any point – which organizers did to make Dixon Miss Bexar County.
“When Domonique’s crown had been contested, they awarded it to Ashley. When Domonique’s crown was restored, they continued to have a crown for Ashley,” Bell said. “It was only fair to allow her to compete. Only fair to allow both to compete.”
Bell said she did not know when the decision to make Dixon Miss Bexar County was made: “Miss Texas doesn’t get involved with the local rules.”
Linda Woods, board president of the Miss Bexar County Organization, which runs the Miss San Antonio pageant, did not return calls seeking comment Monday. Ramirez’s attorney, Luis Vera Jr., also couldn’t be reached.
Bell said Ramirez and Dixon joined contestants from all over the state at an informal meeting where Miss Texas organizers explained the pageant’s schedule and expectations. She said both “were great.”
“The young women from San Antonio are fabulous as are the women from all over the state of Texas,” Bell said.
San Antonio will actually have three women competing for Miss Texas, since Selena Affram, 23, will be in the pageant as Miss Collegiate San Antonio.
Bell brushed aside notions that including both Ramirez and Dixon could reignite the battle for the Miss San Antonio crown.
“We are committed to the ground being equal,” she said. “We don’t want to create hype around anybody that would be unfair to her.”
Woods, the San Antonio pageant organizer, testified during the Ramirez trial that the size-2 teenager showed up to a photo shoot overweight and pictures of her in a bikini were “unusable.”
But she told jurors it wasn’t a few added inches at the waist-line that cost the 5-foot-8, 129-pound college student her crown. Instead, Woods said Ramirez violated her contract by being chronically late for events or not showing up, not writing thank-you notes for gifts and embarrassing the pageant board by turning down vocal coaching from an opera singer.
Ramirez denied gaining weight or being late. Immediately after reclaiming her title, she went to San Antonio’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church to place the crown on its altar as a gift to the patroness.
An ex-Miss Teen Arkansas USA, who was arrested last weekend for public intoxication, is now said to be “mortified” about the situation saying, “sorry if I brought any shame on my state.”
A rep for the Miss USA Organizationsaid it wasMegan Burgess‘ resident assistant at her University of Arkansas dorm who called the cops on Megan for being a drunk nuisance — and when police found her, she was sitting in the snow outside by herself.
But the Miss USA Organization isn’t holding any grudge, “Megan is a sweet girl who exemplifies the values of a Miss Teen title holder and is mortified about this.”
The rep adds, “She even called over to us and said she was ‘sorry if I brought any shame on my state.’”
I love that she was still wearing her fancy dress in the booking photo.
The world already knows that at 17, Teresa Scanlan is the youngest woman to be crowned Miss America since Bette Cooper in 1937.
But there’s a lot more to know about this poised pageant winner:
• She’s Aiming for the White House
The Nebraska-born beauty wants to attend law school, with dreams of someday becoming a Supreme Court Judge. From there, she has plans to set herself up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., as president of the United States. “I certainly hope” to become president someday, she told the Las Vegas Sun. But since one can’t run for that office until the age of 35, she admits, “I’ve got another lifetime to wait.” (LULZ)
• She Doesn’t Hide her Dedication to Religion
On her blog, Scanlan writes about praying before a pageant, and shares how she found comfort in competing: “When I found pageantry, I realized that God had prepared me for this competition by creating me to love diversity, and here was the place I could use the talents He had given me.” She later told Fox & Friends she knows many people won’t agree with her take on things, and is prepared to be criticized for her beliefs. “I respect all of those ideas and different people,” she said, adding that “I don’t want to focus on the criticism.”
• She Was Home Schooled
“They really sacrificed a lot to do what they did,” Scanlan says of her parents’ decision to home school their kids (she’s the middle of seven children). She was at home through her junior year of high school, when she attended Gering High School part-time. Her favorite subject? “Probably government and those [types of] classes,” she told Fox & Friends.
• She’s Single
When asked if she was dating anyone, she said “no” with the wry comment, “17-year- old boys? … Enough said.”
• She’s Got Big Plans for her 18th Birthday
She’s got a big job ahead of her, but she’s still a teenager who wants to have a little fun. She’ll celebrate her 18th birthday Feb. 6, over Super Bowl weekend in Dallas, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Speaking of age, she’s two full years older than the youngest Miss America winners. Back in 1921, the first year the pageant was held, Margaret Gorman of the District of Columbia won at age 15. In 1937, Bette Cooper also won at the age of 15.
“After being crowned Miss Nebraska 2010 in June and becoming the youngest woman to wear the Miss Nebraska crown, she deferred enrollment to Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia, where she is now set to attend in the Fall of 2011. She plans on majoring in Government: American Politics and Policy and then attending Law School to become a Trial Attorney in Criminal Prosecution. Hoping to become a judge and eventually become involved in the political arena, her highest career goals are to become President or a Supreme Court Justice. As a Christian in the political arena, she hopes to break down the stereotype of crooked and dishonest politicians, operating instead under character and integrity.”
Congratulations to Teresa Scanlan Miss America 2011. May she wear the crown well!
On Friday, 46 of the 66 living Miss Americas gathered for a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity.
Together, they shared how they’re part of a sisterhood and many recalled what that crowning moment was like and all they endured on their path to the crown.
Selected Miss Americas also recalled what it was like serving during our most memorable moments of history from the JFK assassination to Sept. 11 to even today and the economy.
Each Miss America was formally announced and introduced on stage during the telecast.
In 1957, Leona Gage won the title of Miss USA, but the next day she was stripped of the title. Gage died at the age of 71 in Los Angeles. She died of heart failure after a weeks-long illness at Sherman Oaks hospital.
Why was Leona Gage Stripped of Miss USA Title?
Pageant officials took the title away from Gage after they found out she had lied to them. Apparently she was the married mother of two children when she won the title of Miss USA, which meant that she was not technically a Miss.
Not only did she lie about being a mom and a wife, but she also lied about her age – she was actually 18, but she told officials she was 21 years old. She also lied to reporters after her win saying that she didn’t even have a boyfriend. She said, “I want to wait until I’m 26 before I become seriously interested in the opposite sex.” Wow! That was really an elaborate lie she was involved in. Of course, she said she was used to being involved in lies after lying to her mom about her first pregnancy as long as she could.
The fallen Miss USA was born Mary Leona Gage in Texas, and she was Miss Maryland USA in the Long Beach, California pageant in 1957. She was exposed after reigning for just one day. In fact, the 18 year old had been married two times before the pageant. Both of her marriages were at age 14, but the first one was annulled quickly. Her second child was born when she was 16 years old – contestants are not allowed to be married or have children.
Leona Gage Television Appearances After Losing Miss USA Crown
Interestingly, after Gage was stripped of the crown, she appeared on several TV shows including the Ed Sullivan Show. She tried to become an actress, but her career never took off. She lost the tiara, prizes, trips and studio contract, which all went to Miss Utah.
Unfortunately for Gage, she had a difficult life. She experienced six failed marriages, and she lost custody of all five of her children – two of them actually passed before she did. Additionally, she had a drug problem and multiple suicide attempts.
What a sad life the controversial former Miss USA Leona Gage had. It is really too bad that she wasn’t able to turn it around. Thankfully most of her children ended up being successful despite their mother’s issues, which is something she must have been proud of.
Kentucky‘s very first Miss Latina has lost her crown after police say she went on a royal rampage.
The twenty-two-year-old Daniela Gaskie was arrested last week in Richmond, Kentucky. Police say she got angry with a gas station employee and stabbed him in the neck with a Sharpie®.
Police say then Gaskie ran across the street to a pharmacy and started beating on her car. When a pharmacist came out to ask why the woman was hitting her car, police say the beauty queen started beating up the pharmacist.
All class.
She has been charged with assault, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
From flags to Facebook, 22-year-old Jimena Navarrete has quickly made it clear what she plans to promote as the world’s newest Miss Universe – her home country of Mexico.
“I want the whole world to know about my country and my people,” the Guadalajara native said after beating 82 competitors for global bragging rights at the pageant in Las Vegas.
“I imagine that they’re all going crazy in Mexico right now,” she said through an interpreter. “I’m extremely proud and I’m sure they’re very proud, too.”
She donned a flowing red dress, strutted confidently in a violet bikini, and said onstage that the Internet is indispensable and requires parents to impart family values.
The model-turned pageant queen then posed for pictures with a Mexican flag and Mexico’s last Miss Universe as congratulations from her countrymen came pouring in.
“Her triumph is a source of pride and satisfaction for all Mexicans, who see in her the fruits of perseverance,” Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a statement. Immediately after her win, Calderon said on Twitter that her victory would help Mexico’s image as a country.
“We won, long live Mexico!” Navarrete said on her fan page on Facebook, spurring 478 “likes” and 218 comments in about one hour.
She was cheered by Spanish-speaking reporters clamoring to talk with her after the pageant, and twice answered questions about Arizona’s recent immigration law.
“Every country has the right to impose and enact their laws,” she said, wearing her new sash and sparkling tiara. “But I tell you that all the Mexicans and the Latins that are living here in the United States are hardworking people – people who want to improve on their quality of life.”
The Miss Universe pageant is known for grabbing headlines – and Navarrete appears ready to make her mark.
She’s Mexico’s second Miss Universe. Lupita Jones – Navarrete’s national pageant director – won in 1991. Navarrete has been modeling since she was 15 and came to Miss Universe after winning for Jalisco, then Mexico, in the country’s Nuestra Belleza pageant.
Navarrete replaces Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela. She also spoiled a bid by Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson from giving the South American country a third consecutive victory. Neither Gibson nor Miss USA Rima Fakih made the top 15 finalists.
With fans in some 190 countries watching on television and keeping tabs on social networks, Navarrete and her competitors introduced themselves while wearing over-the-top national costumes. They then danced in silver and black dresses for the show’s opening number before the last 15 finalists were announced.
The final 15 walked in swimsuits while Cirque du Soleil musicians played Elvis Presley songs including “Viva Las Vegas.” The last 10 impressed in their gowns while John Legend and the Roots played a soulful medley including “Save Room.”
By the end of the show, seven of the top 10 trending topics on Twitter had to do with the pageant, its contestants, its judges or owner Donald Trump. The mogul co-owns the pageant with TV network NBC.
The show was without any major gaffes, except for Miss Philippines’ answer when asked what her biggest mistake in life was and how she fixed it.
“In my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing major,” Venus Raj said.
Before the pageant, Raj was rated among the top contestants in an online poll on the pageant’s website. She finished in fifth place.
Asked by Olympic gold-medal figure skater Evan Lysacek how she felt about unsupervised Internet use, Navarrete said the Internet is important.
“I do believe that Internet is an indispensable, necessary tool for the present time,” she said through an interpreter. “We must be sure to teach them the values that we learned as a family.”
Lysacek was one of this year’s nine celebrity judges. The others were actresses Jane Seymour and Chynna Phillips; actors Chazz Palminteri and William Baldwin; magician Criss Angel; MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall; drummer Sheila E.; and supermodel Niki Taylor.
Navarrete won a package of prizes including an undisclosed salary, a luxury New York apartment with living expenses, a one-year scholarship to the New York Film Academy with housing after her reign, plus jewelry, clothes and shoes fit for a beauty champion.
Campbell won the Miss Congeniality Universe award. Miss Thailand Fonthip Watcharatrakul won Miss Photogenic Universe and a second award for having the best national costume.
First runner-up was Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps, while second runner-up was Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell.
Fakih, a 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant from Dearborn, Mich., spurred celebrations among Arab-Americans when she won Miss USA. Pageant records aren’t detailed enough to show whether Fakih is the first Arab-American, Muslim or immigrant to win Miss USA.
Miss USA has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.
Claire Buffie, crowned Miss New York in June, is the first Miss America contestant to compete on a gay rights platform.
A trained dancer and Apple employee, she knows her profile may seem unusual for a pageant contestant, and that’s exactly why she believes she can win over America in the competition this January.
The 24-year-old Indianapolis native spoke with The Advocate about her platform of improving the climate for LGBT youths in schools, misconceptions about beauty pageant contestants, and the real lesson of Prejean, the 2009 Miss USA runner-up.
Do you think beauty pageant contestants are misunderstood?
Yes, I do. Even upon entering my first local for the Miss America organization four years go, I had some of those stereotypes that are very common — the hairspray, the eyelashes, the glue and the tape, and all those things. What I found was a group of incredibly intelligent, driven, and service-minded women. I have found my absolute best friends through this organization.
The Miss America organization is a scholarship organization. Each of us has a platform that we support. Girls support platforms from a variety of places. Things like promoting the arts, arts education in schools, traffic safety, driving safety.
Do you fit the stereotypical mold of a pageant contestant?
I don’t think I fit the mold at all, but I think that’s been the greatest part and the reason I have such an effect on people throughout the pageant. My coworkers have said, “No offense, but I didn’t think you were a pageant girl.” It’s empowering women.
What is your day job?
I have my own business in commercial portraiture and graphic design. I also work for Apple, but I’m not allowed to say any more about Apple other than I work for the company on the technical side, based on PR restrictions.
How did you get started in competition?
I started just four years ago. My platform was a strong reason in getting started. I think it’s an unlikely challenge for this message to be discussed. I competed in Indiana for two years in college. Once I graduated, I came to New York and continued competing. I don’t think I would have continued competing if my platform was not something about which I’m so passionate.
Are you aware of any predecessors who competed on a gay rights platform?
In the 90-year history of Miss America, we have not yet found any Miss America contestant who has had this platform. It is quite unique.
Miss USA Rima Fakih was a big winner way before she took the crown for Miss USA 2010 last night — the 24-year-old beauty queen is a former “Stripper 101″ pole dancing champion!
Back in 2007, the sexy pageant queen won a stripper contest for local Detroit radio morning show Mojo in the Morning.
Apparently, Fakih earned some fabulous prizes for the victory — which included “jewelry, gift cards, adult toys and a stripper pole for home use.”
This is Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge of the British Army. This is also Miss England.
Dubbed “Combat Barbie” by her commander, Katrina Hodge (now 22) enlisted at 16 on a dare from her veteran brother. When she showed up for duty for the Royal Anglian Regiment, she was wearing kitten heels and fake eyelashes and wheeling pink suitcases. After (presumably) getting her ass kicked all over the base, Hodge served with distinction in Iraq, even winning a bravery commendation after wrestling a prisoner to the ground and disarming him bare handed when he grabbed two nearby rifles.
Rawr.
This year the Miss England competition will not be featuring a swimsuit competition at Hodge’s urging. Although she looks amazing in a swimsuit, she claims that the event is not always fair. Instead, there will be a sports competition this year, which is much more fair.
That was sarcasm. Not everyone gets it. Try to keep up.
“I think it’s nerve-racking enough for girls to get up on a stage and speak, let alone appear in a swimsuit. It’s good the girls are being given a sports challenge in this year’s competition.”
So, aside from destroying the Miss England pageant, Katrina Hodge is a damned cool chick. From walking down a runway to single-handedly making an Iraqi prisoner the laughing stock of Guantanamo Bay, Lance Cpl Hodge has earned my respect. She is a true weapon of mass distraction.
(Click thumbnails for larger images)
Source: ‘Combat Barbie’ is beauty queen & soldier [MSN]
The Miss California USA Organization is tired of Carrie Prejean’s crap. They’ve put out a notice that they’re seeking a Carrie lookalike so that they can mock her relentlessly.
The people behind the pageant (ahem, Shanna Moakler?) are hunting down a Carrie lookalike to play her in a skit for this weekend’s pageant.
A source said that they held a first round of auditions for her part, but there hasn’t been anyone who’s nailed it dead-on, yet.
There have got to be endless opportunities for the woman that they hire. She can talk about gay marriage, not releasing sex tapes, lying about being underage during said sex tape filming, and other random embarrassing tidbits.
This should be interesting. I hope they film it.
source: Miss Cali USA Seeks Prejean Lookalike … to Mock – [tmz]
Oh, how sex tapes make me smile. The porno worthy moans. The strong denials to the media. The embarrassment, the shame. The cashing in of the instant stardom.
The newest wannabe porn stars to hit the tubes are two Miss Universe contestants, Hiroko Mima (Miss Japan 2008) and Anya Ayoung Chee (Miss Trinidad/Tobago 2008). The tape shows the two engaged in a few um… “intimate acts” with Anya’s boyfriend Wyatt, and each other. Carrie Prejean better step it up if she wants to compete.
By “intimate acts” I mean these chicks are filthy. And wonderful.
Right now there are four tapes floating around, watch them here before lawyers descend upon the net like a pack of hungry piranha and want you to pay these future reality TV stars some of your hard earned cash before watching them do a bit of anal.
Of course that link is completely NSFW. And completely awesome.
source: (Alleged) Beauty Queen Threeway Tape Rocks The Internet [Fleshbot]
Carrie Prejean went on Larry King last night to talk about her new book. Unfortunately, Larry King asked about her motivation to settle her lawsuit — she let him know how inappropriate he was.
Even though Larry dropped the subject by taking a phone call, Carrie Prejean still wanted no part of it and removed her microphone. However, instead of leaving the state, she just sat there with this goofy look on her face.
Does she have any idea how ridiculous she looked? Nobody is going to buy her stupid book.
Shanna Moakler and Carrie Prejean have been at each other’s throats since Carrie shunned the Miss California Organization and went off to do her own thing.
And by “doing her own thing”, we mean taking semi-nude photos, and cooking up a solo sex tape, in an attempt to try and stay relevant.
When speaking to a TMZ cameraman, Shanna was asked her thoughts on Carrie’s sex tape, and she responded, “I dunno, I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
As for whether or not the footage would ever be shown, Shanna said, “I dunno.” FYI, the contents have only been viewed by people at the pageant, Carrie herself, along with her own mother.
If it ever gets a public release, we’ll be on top of it!
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is bagging on Carrie for the coincidental sex tape leak and the release of her new book. He said, “She’s trying to act like she’s a nun…so maybe she should release the sex tape and people would see whether or not she is a nun. She’s trying to sell a book. She’s doing the best she can…I can’t imagine too many people would be interested in it, but you never know what sells these days.”
Snap!
source: Moakler — I Wanna See the Prejean Solo Tape! – [tmz]
For those who dare doubt the seriousness of beauty pageants, behold Miss Singapore, in which the entire world of looking pretty has been rocked by scandal.
It seems Ris Low, who had been crowned Miss Singapore World for 2009, has given up her crown under public pressure, after it came out that she has a tendency to steal other people’s credit cards and then buy herself lingerie with them.
Arguably that’s better than buying drugs and goes toward a good cause, but the beauty pageant world will not stand for it.
All told, she scammed nearly $6,000 worth of goods, from seven stolen credit cards taken from patients at the medical clinic where she worked.
As the Reuters story mentions, not only is she a thief, but apparently she can’t properly pronounce “bikini” in English, another of the cardinal sins of the pageant world, which demanded swift and decisive justice.
source: Miss Singapore busted over lingerie crime spree[abc news]
