Miss Alaska

Miss Alaska... What can you say about the state whose most famous contestant, didn't even win the crown (Sarah Palin, 1st runner up and Miss Congeniality at Miss Alaska 1984).  Well, just because it's not considered a 'pageant state', that doesn't mean the Junkies will pass up the chance to bring you what we know about Miss Alaska!  We admit it's not much... but here's what we know! :)

Photo courtesy of Apogee Studios


Katy Lovegreen was another Irish Dancer at Miss America, making 3 in one year (OK, DE and AK).

Items to Note: There are 13 ladies competing for Miss Alaska this year... which is the same number in states like Nebraska and Iowa...

Alaska History:  Nobody from Alaska has been crowned Miss America... in fact, they've only placed in the Top 10 once --- Jamie Tinker in '98

Best Junkie Research Tool: There are photos from last year's court on the Miss Alaska page here... but for a list of the current contestants, you'll need to go to the Miss America site here...

Who to Watch: 

Sarah Joy Temple - Alaska USA '10, younger sister Veronica was AK OT in '09

Julia Marstall - 1st runner up '11

Tiffany Hancock - 4th runner up in '11

All the Best to Everyone competing for Miss Alaska 2012!!!  Junkies Love the Last Frontier!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Wisconsin

 Your reigning Miss America Laura Kaeppeler, is from the great state of Wisconsin!!!  Which, as we all know means (c’mon Junkies… you know you wanna... so go ahead and say it with me…)… “If the winner is unable to fulfill her duties, the 1st runner up shall take her place.”  And let me say, Wisconsin’s 1strunner up is an outstanding choice!



It takes a special girl to agree to ‘take over the crown’ for only a few months before a new state queen is crowned.  Lots of times you get the 3rd or 4th runner up, or even the girl who finished in 6th place - because the Top 5 are prepared to return, hoping to win, so they can compete for Miss America themselves. Raeanna Johnson was 1st runner up to Laura and by all accounts, you can see that Wisconsin got lucky with both Laura and Reanna in the same year!

Raeanna had just moved to Texas when she watched Laura Kaeppeler be crowned on national television.  After considering her options, she decided to return to Wisconsin and take over the title.  Kudos to Raeanna!!!  If you don't know much about Raeanna, enjoy this video of her --- she's delightful!!! :)

Wisconsin History:  Besides Laura Kaeppeler, Terrry Meeuwsen was named Miss America in 1973 and now is a host on The 700 Club.  There's an interview with both Wisconsinites at this link here...

Best Junkie Research Tool:  We’re guessing that the volunteers in Wisconsin feel like life never stops!  From last year’s state pageant, they spent time preparing Laura for Miss America… then, after she won, they’ve spent time preparing for her Homecoming and several appearances in the Badger state!  Now, they’re about to crown a new queen!  That’s a lot of work to do by people who don’t get paid to do it!  The fact that they’ve been able to keep a strong website despite all this, speaks well of the program.  Check it out here... find it at the 20:10 mark.

Who to Watch:

Tonya Popowski - Miss WI OT in '05, Top 10 in '10 and '11

Desiree Geffers - 2nd runner up in '11, 3rd runner up in '10, 5th time at Miss WI

Katie Williams - 4th runner up in '10, Top 10 in '11, 4th time at Miss WI

Elizabeth Kramer - vocalist, 4th runner up in '11, Top 10 in '10

Mary O'Connell - Top 10 in '11, strong talent 


All the Best to everyone at Miss Wisconsin!!!  Junkies Love Ya!!! :)


MAJ

Miss New York

Kaitlyn Monte is your classic, over-achieving, go-getter of a girl!  She graduated college at the age of 19, she's been performing with the USO as a Liberty Bell, was 1st runner up at Miss Sweetheart in 2008 and she finished as a preliminary swimsuit winner and 2nd runner up at Miss America.  Probably a first born child as well (lol!) :)




Miss New York has come a long way in a short time... There's a sort of 'momentum' that's created when you have girls from the same state finishing strong in successive years.  A girl who makes Top 10 helps the girl she crowns with her insight and 'what i wish i would've known' commentary, and the new girl finishes in the Top 5.  We've seen it happen again and again in state after state.  RARELY does a state come out of NOWHERE to win the crown... chances are, that state was at least a semi-finalist within a couple years of the state who wins it all.  Given this info, we wouldn't be surprised if Miss New York finishes with a Miss America sometime in the next 3 years. :)

Miss New York History:  New York has had 3 Miss Americas... Bess Myerson in 45, Tawny Godin in '76 and the infamous Vanessa Williams in '84.

Items of Note:  Miss New York head-shots are always, ALWAYS the best!  Why?  Hello - it's NYC!  Most of these girls have on-stage performance aspirations (be that acting, modeling or Broadway).  You get good head-shots as a product of the environment!



Best Junkie Research Tool:  Miss NY '10 Claire Buffie has created a video series with each contestant called "What Do You Stand For?"  Don't bother googling "Miss NY"... you won't find it... Start with this link here... and then you can see group 2, 3 and 4 on the right hand side.  Group 5 hasn't been released yet - so you can't see all the contestants on video, but we'll take what we can!

Who to Watch:

Maria DeSantis - Miss Americas Outstanding Teen (National Winner) in 07...Opera Singer

Mallorie Hagen - 1st runner up in '11, tap dancer, 2nd time at Miss NY

Hannah Wright - 2nd runner up in '11, ballet dancer, 3rd time at Miss NY

Desiree Wiley -  3rd runner up in '11, lyrical dancer, 2nd time at Miss NY

Acacia Courtney - Connecticut MAOT contestant, interview winner, really long and tall :)

Shannon Oliver - extremely well spoken, 3rd runner up at Miss Virgina '11

Whooooooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooo for the Empire State!  Good Luck Miss New York 2012!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Delaware

Maria Cahill is a hoot!  Ok, so we don't know her personally at all, but from the outside looking in, she's confident, witty and quirky!  We have a feeling she's always been this way... from her love of Big Mac's to supporting her siblings sporting events, Maria's twitter account is alive and active with updates on who she is and how she lives!  We love it! :)



Maria was given a non-finalist talent award for her Irish Step Dancing routine at Miss America... and we think she should've received an award for 'wearing the heaviest dress' in evening gown!  Check out the full beading on this puppy!!!  I can't imagine how much that thing must've weighed!!!




Delaware History:  Never had a Miss America... but Maria follows in a long line of Delaware contestants who've finished with a preliminary talent or non-finalist talent award... Not bad considering Miss America was only Maria's 5th pageant ever!


Best Junkie Research Tool:  Headshots and details of the girls can be found here at the Miss Delaware site... Everyone has the same background, so we're guessing these were taken during a recent orientation weekend specifically for the website. :)


Items of Note:  Although Miss Delaware is always exciting - a true Miss America Junkie doesn't exist without knowledge of Mr. Delaware 2008. Chris Saltalamacchio was given the title in a male pageant designed to be a fund-rasier for Miss Delaware and the name just stuck!  He's a pageant/dress consultant, entertainer, emcee and reality TV dude as well (as seen on Jersey Couture earlier this season!).  Check out his tweets as well and soon, you'll be hooked too :)

Who to Watch:

Steffi Holmes - 2nd runner up in '11, 1st runner up in '10, 3rd time to Miss Delaware, opera singer

Erin Magnin - 3rd runner up in 11, 3rd time to Miss Delaware, vocalist

Chelsea Betts - Delaware's Outstanding Teen in '07, 4th runner up in '10, 3rd time to Miss Delaware

Alyssa Murray - 4th runner up in '11, 2nd time to Miss Delaware

Others to watch:
Becky Albini - Outstanding Teen contestant in Connecticut
Alix Gardner - Her talent is a comedic routine!
Tierra Fair - Did you get that?  Her name is Tierra (Tiara?) 

All the Best to everyone at Miss Delaware!!!  Can't wait to see who the winner is on June 16!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Utah

Because the Junkies didn't make it to the first night of preliminary competition at Miss America this year, I'm afraid we missed something spectacular... Danica Olsen, Miss Utah in her swimsuit...



Several people who were there, told us it might've been the best swimsuit body they've EVER seen on the Miss America stage since moving to Vegas.  Danica didn't have a 6-pack, she had an 8-pack!  And she was blessed with broad shoulders and a perfectly proportionate body.  She was the very first swimsuit the judges saw at Miss America 2012 and obviously, they didn't like anything else better.  Wowzers!!! :)

Miss Utah History:  Two Miss Americas hail from Utah... Colleen Hutchins in '52 and Sharlene Wells in 85 (known as 'Clean Sharlene' because she was crowned the year after Vanessa Williams gave up her crown).

Items of Note:  Miss Utah is known for getting "new" and "fresh" contestants each and every year.  Very few girls come back year after year, because more often than not, Utah crowns a rookie.  Also, it's a bit of a down year for Miss Utah... there are only 44 girls competing for the crown this year (ONLY - lol!)

Best Research Tool:  The Miss Utah site has oodles of pictures, including last year's preliminary winners (which oddly enough, 3 dancers won all 3 talent prelims last year).

Who to Watch:  Really tough for us to do a good job on this one... considering the fact that there are zillions of newbies... here's our best shot..

Alicia Lee - first time at Miss Utah, Jazz Dancer with lots of personality

Ciera Pekarick - 2nd runner up in 11, prelim swimsuit, will be her 3rd time at Miss Utah

Lauren Tucker - second time at Miss Utah, vocalist, won a tough local

Brooke Christensen - former Miss Utah USA competitor, a registered nurse working in neurology/trauma and intensive care

Meredith Gaufin - Miss Utah Outstanding Teen '09 where she made Top 10, harpist, first time at Miss Utah

Seriously - this might have been the hardest pageant to research out of all of our posts thus far... Apologies in advance if we don't even come close on this one!!!

Junkies LOVE Utah ---- we just don't have a clue who's going to win!?!  LOL!!! :)

MAJ

Miss Colorado

Diana Dreman made history on the Miss America stage earlier this year... She is the only daughter of a Miss America to compete on the Miss America stage herself.  The year was also special to Diana and her mom, as Rebecca King Dreman (Miss America 1974) was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer more than a year ago.  Over the past year, Diana cared for her mother half the time while preparing for Miss America the other half of the time.



There's obviously a special link between moms and daughters... And while Rebecca's cancer is currently being treated with experimental procedures, Diana and Rebecca will always have this year of incredible memories and nobody can take it away from them.

Miss Colorado History:  The Rocky Mountain State has had 3 Miss Americas... Sharon Ritchie in '56, Marilyn Van Debur in '58 and Rebecca King in '74.  Colorado had a string of Top 5 finishes at Miss America 88, 89 and 90, but the only recent semi-finalist was Katie Lehman at Miss America 2010.

Items of Note:  Colorado isn't exactly what you'd call a 'pageant state'... Especially since Jon Benet Ramsey was found dead in her home in '96 (she would've been 22 this year).  Climbing 14'ers is more popular than pageants... shopping at REI is more prestigious than buying a Tony Bowls gown.

Best Junkie Research Tool:  The Miss Colorado site is fancy-dancy... Just make sure you have enough bandwidth to get all the flash graphics!  Plus their Facebook page gives you the chance to vote for your favorite contestant (along with their Talent and Platform information). 

Who to Watch:

Hanna Jo Porter - 1st runner up in 10 and in 11, prelim swimsuit, evening gown and interview winner at Miss Sweetheart where she made the Top 10.  A tap dancer, she's the favorite to win this year (although we all know, there's no guarantees)

Janelle Osborn - 3rd runner up in 11 and CO Outstanding Teen in 09, she radiates confidence on stage

Stacey Cook - 2nd runner up in 11 and a Tahitian dancer... great body

Kayla Brahn - Her 4th time at Miss CO, 4th runner up in '10

Ashley Reichert - Musical Theater major, NAM CO 1st runner up, CO Outstanding Teen contestant, Top 10 in '11

The Junkies will enjoy watching the new Miss Colorado crowned live and in person on June 16!!!  Looking forward to it!!!  Junkies Love Colorado!!! :)

MAJ  

Miss Oklahoma

In the world of Miss America, there are really only a few states that consistently stand out year after year after year.  Enter Oklahoma...

In fact, since Shawntel Smith won Miss America in 1996, Miss Oklahoma has made the 'semi-finalist cut' (whatever they called the first cut that given year... Top 20, Top 15, Top 12, etc) 62.5% of the time!!!  And when it comes to Miss America AAC (After Atlantic City), there's only 1 state who has crowned 2 Miss Americas, and had 2 more Top 5 finishes... That's Oklahoma.  To use a sports analogy, they're the 'Yankees' of Miss America.

And like the Yankees, the Miss Oklahoma organization is a well oiled machine, and they are driven to succeed.  The way George Steinbrenner wants a a World Series, that's they way Miss Oklahoma wants another Miss America.  In fact, because Miss OK is so good at grooming their winner for the Miss America stage, some people believe that whoever wins Oklahoma this year will be the next Miss America, period.  Truth is, it might be harder to become Miss Oklahoma than to become Miss America!  The competition is incredibly fierce and while Oklahoma has crowned a rookie here and there, for the most part, they have a reputation for making you 'pay your dues' before you win. 




Current Queen:  The delightful Betty Thompson finished as America's Choice, a Preliminary Talent Award Winner, and the 1st runner up at Miss America 2012.  She has consistently been described as 'the sweetest contestant' by multiple girls at Miss America... convincing me that the judges could've crowned Betty or Laura - and either of them would've made an outstanding Miss America!  Personally, we have no idea how she was able to look 6 feet tall in this evening gown (she's only 5'2), but somehow she did.  Somehow, the Yankees always find a way to outshine the rest :)

Miss Oklahoma History:  With 6 Miss Americas under their belt, Oklahoma's itchin' for another which would put them atop the leader board of the most Miss Americas ever (currently tied with California).  Norma Smallwood in '26, Jane Jayroe in '67, Susan Powell in '81, Shawntel Smith in '96, Jennifer Berry in '05 and Lauren Nelson in '06 are your queens from the Sooner State.

Best Junkie Research Tool:  Trust us - we've looked high and low on a lot of girls preparing for this post.  The Miss Oklahoma website has great information including head-shots, talent, age, platform title and even the order in which they'll be competing.  It's not a video, but it's pretty close. :)

Items of Note:  The Junkies are headed to Miss Oklahoma to see the new queen crowned in person - and chose this pageant because it's Miss OK's 40th Anniversary with the Kiwanas Club of Tulsa!  The partnership between Miss OK and the Kiwanas is instrumental, as the Kiwanas provide volunteers, donors and sponsors that help make the program a success.  Plus, we're pretty sure it's going to be a reunion of former Miss Oklahomas like we've never seen before! :)

Who to Watch:  As we said, Miss Oklahoma may be the most competitive state in the union... and there are plenty of girls who could take the crown this year, including...

Damaris Pierce - 1st runner up in '11, it's her 6th time at Miss Oklahoma, her rookie year she was 4th runner up and won overall prelim talent clear back in 07.  She can sing and she could win it all this year.

Alicia Clifton - 2nd runner up in '11, it's her 3rd time at Miss OK, Miss OK Outstanding Teen '08, prelim talent winner... she can tap and she could win it all this year.

Alex Eppler - 3rd time at Miss OK, 4th runner up both times before... prelim swimsuit winner and jazz dancer

Sarah Klein - Piano, Top 10 in '11, prelim talent and newcomer talent winner in '11

Megan Johnson - Top 10 in '11, Jazz Dance, 3rd-ish time at Miss Ok (we think), has that 'Betty Thompson super-cute look about her...

Georgia Frazier - vocal, OK Outstanding Teen in '09 

Victoria Renard - former Washington Outstanding Teen and 3rd runner up, tap 

Aly Akers - 3rd time at Miss OK, baton twirler, she broke her arm? or collar bone? earlier this Spring - should be fine this week at State

Others of Interest:
Christin Fairchild - Won "Talent Day"
Veronica Wisniewski - Ballet, Top 10 in '11
Dontreka Matthews - 3rd on Talent Day, vocal
Brittney Bisel - 3rd time at Miss OK, Top 15 in '11 

We'll do our best to bring you all the inside scoop from Tulsa!  Junkies can't wait to see Miss Oklahoma!!!  All the Best!!! :)

MAJ
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