The Preliminaries Have Begun – Congrats to Delaware and Indiana!!!

January 21, 2009

Okay, folks -- pageant week is in full force and the competition has officially begun. For people who aren’t as familiar with how the entire process works, I thought I’d explain a bit about what happens.   America usually only has the opportunity to see the final competition on Saturday night in which the top 15 will be seen actually competing on TV. But the true competition began first thing Monday morning.  Allow me to explain…

The 52 contestants are divided up into three competition groups: The MU Group, the ALPHA Group and the SIGMA Group.  The MU Group has their private interviews on Monday morning, with ALPHA following on Monday afternoon and SIGMA on Tuesday morning. Then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings are the preliminary competitions where all 52 contestants compete in Swimsuit, Evening Wear and Talent. They also have an onstage question which is not judged, but a chance to see the ladies think on their feet in front of a large group of people.

Here’s the breakdown for who does what when in the prelims:

MU Group: 
Tuesday night – On Stage Question
Wednesday night – Swimsuit/Evening Wear
Thursday night – Talent

ALPHA Group:
Tuesday night – Talent
Wednesday night – On Stage Question
Thursday night – Swimsuit/Evening Wear

SIGMA Group:
Tuesday night – Swimsuit/Evening Wear
Wednesday night – Talent
Thursday night – On Stage Question

There is a gala on Friday evening so there is one night of non-competition “rest” prior to the Saturday night finals, when the top 15 semifinalists are announced (including YOUR four choices from the gold sash holders!!). Those 15 then do everything all over again and compete for the title of Miss America.

The Miss America Organization names the judges' preliminary winners for Swimsuit and for Talent each evening, and Tuesday night’s winner in Talent was Miss Delaware, Galen Giaccone for her piano performance of “El Cubanchero”. The Swimsuit winner for Tuesday evening was Miss Indiana, Katie Stam. Way to go, ladies!  The general “buzz” in the pageant world is that both prelim wins were well deserved. 

If anyone is interested in the breakdown of the competition groups, here’s a handy-dandy little table you can print, cut out and keep in your wallet (Okay, I’m joking about the wallet thing, but here’s the breakdown anyway, and it is also the order in which the contestants will be competing):

MU Group
Monday AM - Interviews
Tuesday – On Stage Question
Wednesday  – Swimsuit/Evening Wear
Thursday – Talent
ALPHA Group
Monday PM – Interviews
Tuesday – Talent
Wednesday – On Stage Question
Thursday – Swimsuit/Evening Wear

SIGMA Group
Tuesday AM – Interviews
Tuesday – Swimsuit/Evening Wear
Wednesday – Talent
Thursday – On Stage Question
Mississippi – Jazz Dance
Maine – Violin
North Dakota – Piano
South Carolina – Piano
Virginia – Pop Vocal
Louisiana – Vocal
Oregon – Belly Dance
New York – Vocal
Florida – Theatre Style Dance
Missouri – Vocal
Alabama – Piano
Illinois – Contemporary Dance
Maryland – Vocal
Nevada – Vocal
Indiana – Vocal
Vermont – Vocal
Washington – Piano
Wyoming – Comedic Vocal
Connecticut – Lyrical Dance
Nebraska – Vocal
Arizona – Lyrical Dance
Alaska – Vocal
New Jersey – Jazz Dance
North Carolina – Vocal
District of Columbia –
Contemporary Ballet
Delaware – Piano
Colorado – Jazz Dance
New Mexico – Vocal
West Virginia – Piano
Georgia – Vocal
Texas – Tap Dance
Iowa – Tap Dance
Wisconsin – Classical Vocal
Rhode Island – Classical Vocal
Kansas – Vocal & Piano
Oklahoma – Lyrical Dance
Minnesota – Vocal
Montana – Raqs Sharqi Dance
Utah – Piano
Michigan – Jazz Dance
Idaho – Classical Vocal
Tennessee – Classical Vocal
California – Ballet en Pointe
New Hampshire – Vocal
Hawaii – Tahitian Dance
Pennsylvania – Piano
Kentucky – Piano
Massachusetts – Lyrical Dance
Arkansas – Flute
Ohio – Vocal
South Dakota & Virgin Islands – Vocal

I will be attending the Thursday evening preliminary competition, so I’ll be able to give more “this is what it’s like” reports after that – but for now, let’s congratulate the first two winners and look forward to Wednesday’s competition!!

Pageant Week Is Here!!!

Okay, please forgive me in advance for the unnatural amount of caps and exclamation points I may be using, but I am SO EXCITED!! The contestants have arrived in Las Vegas, and pictures are already starting to circulate of the various events. It’s like Christmas for pageant people!!

So if you are like me on any normal year, you are deep in the midst of planning your pageant party for finals night (this year is party-less for me because I’ll be attending the actual pageant). Well, if you check the TLC Miss America web page you’ll see that they are doing something really cool – they are helping with your party planning! They have downloadable ballots, a link to special Miss America Evite invitations, and printable tiaras so that everyone at your party can be appropriately fancy. I love it!

I think I always have the most fun with the ballots for my parties – I always try to come up with silly questions and funny “bonus point” things to get the non-pageant people just as interested as us pageant folks. I mean really, people bring their boyfriends and husbands, and I can tell you that they are much more likely to participate if I include “will anyone trip/fall onstage??” on the ballot instead of just a straight: “Name your top 15/10/5”.  And since most everyone at my parties are Atlanta transplants and most of us are from different states, I always end each ballot with “Did your home state make the top 15?” as a bonus question. It looks like TLC liked that idea as well. :) I think the most important thing is to make it as fun as possible, keeping in mind that not everyone attending may be as cuh-razy about pageants as you most likely are. So print out the ballots, because having a picture of each of the contestants on hand is surely helpful for those who don’t know their top 15 prior to arriving at your place, and ENJOY!

Now, another thing you want to give some thought to is food.  I always do the same thing, so my friends have come to expect it so much that I don’t think I could change it if I wanted to.  I am rather proud of my chili recipe (I actually entered it in a chili cook-off this year with more than 70 entries and actually tied for fourth highest score... woo hoo!), so I always just cook up the biggest pot of chili that I can, supply the beer and wine and let my guests bring a sweet if they wish to for dessert. I’ve heard of some pretty creative things from other people, though. Things like choosing your own personal top 10/15 contestants and making a dish to represent each of their states (or assigning each guest a state and asking them to bring a dish representing that state if it is a pot-luck type of thing). 

Some other tips to remember:

1) If the pageant begins at 8, DO NOT tell people that is when they should arrive. People are notoriously late, and there is NOTHING more offensive to a pageant person than folks showing up and pulling focus during the introductions. Once the pageant starts, I do not answer the door or my phone until commercial breaks, people!!!

2) In reference to the ballots and the whole “contest” atmosphere that it creates among your guests: The person with the most points at the end of the evening naturally is the winner, and it may be wise to have some sort of prize on hand for that person. I say this because it didn’t even occur to me to have a prize at my first pageant party, because pageant people are happy enough with just the “title” of winning the most points. But non-pageant people tend to need a reward for staying involved throughout the whole process, so in the relatively annoying case that a non-pageant person wins, it is best to have a little something planned to give them. Of course, toilet paper sashes are always an inexpensive and crafty way to properly award the winner their title, if you’d rather not spend the extra money on an actual “prize”. Other inexpensive ideas are plastic tiaras, anything sparkly and/or girly, or a good bottle of wine.

3) And last, if you are a pageant person and some of your guests aren’t, don’t be afraid to pepper the crowd with inside tidbits throughout the pageant. Non-pageant people really dig that stuff, and they always are amazed that you know how many times Miss New York competed before she won, what Miss Colorado’s platform is, and the fact that Miss Maryland loves Golden Delicious apples.

Get to planning, people!!

“Countdown to the Crown” Episode Three – Fashion, Baby!!!

January 16, 2009

If you love fashion, you no doubt enjoyed Episode 3 of the reality series as much as I did. It got me to thinking about fashion in general, and how much we all try and look as good as our budgets will allow.

Given these tight economic times, it’s all the more important to watch our wallets, but you can still look great – and I’m going to tell you how I do it. And while I’m no fashion expert, I’d like to share some of my tried-and-true fashion tips and invite you to post some of your own fashion tips. Hey, we can all help each other look great on a budget! 

By the way, I also want to point out that you can forward this blog to a friend (using the “ShareThis” function), so if anything I say happens to sounds good, please feel free to email my thoughts along to any poor, unsuspecting fashion victims you may know.

The first “problem” I always think about with fashion is how we, as women, have to basically have two wardrobes. Our work wardrobe doesn’t really work for our casual life, and vice versa. I don’t really have a solution for this… just lamenting. I do, however, think that you can strategically buy certain pieces that can double for work and non-work life, like tops to wear under blazers or sweaters and those cool corporatey-type pants that are made out of denim material.  But overall, it comes down to having stuff for work, and stuff for non-work life. So if we are stuck having to have two wardrobes, how about some ideas on how to spend a little less on both of them? 

To really do it right, women need to fully utilize the three “C’s”: Clearance racks, consignment shops, and discount department stores. Yeah, I know – that last one wasn’t a “C”…  I was hoping you’d all breeze past that in wild anticipation of the amazing fashion advice you are about to receive. Anyway, moving on … 

Clearance racks: They are the first place that I go in a store! You have to be prepared to buy things off-season. I cannot count the sweaters I’ve purchased in June or tank tops in November, but they were cheap, baby!! And winter off-season is easier than summer off-season. Tank tops, short sleeves and lighter fabrics can be layered and worn year-round, so buy away!!

Consignment shops – okay, I recognize that some people just cannot get past the whole “someone has worn these clothes already” thing. Fine. But for the rest of us, THIS is the best way to get name-brand stuff at a great price! You need to be patient, though, because many times you will find racks and racks of stuff to go through. But your patience will pay off.  My favorite consignment shop is McShane’s Exchange in Chicago. I think Oprah even mentioned it on her show. This place is stocked with good deals. And I’ve also found a couple of consignment shops that I like in Atlanta where I live: Plato’s Closet and Alexis’ Suitcase, come to mind. Do an internet search in your area and I’m sure you’ll be able to find some similar shops.

Discount department stores – ohmygosh, seriously. These. Places. Are. The. Best. TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and my personal favorite – Filene’s Basement. I really like name brands/labels but I also don’t want to pay full, so these stores are the perfect solution!  It’s the best alternative for those who can’t do consignment. Even then, you need patience here as well, because clothing is not always in the best order and you may find yourself digging to find the style/size you desire. But there is a crazy the amount of label/brand name stuff you can find. So good luck in looking fabulous!

Now, on to some specifics from Episode 3 of “Countdown to the Crown”:

Oooh, a shopping challenge! So the contestants all have to buy new interview outfits with shared money. Can I just say that I love the fresh new looks that we see in interview now?  I’m so glad that the days of the stuffy interview suit are over. Way to go, Grey and Green!!

I just have to say how much I love Maine’s completely genuine reaction to being chosen as one of the wildcard contestants – I love “real” reactions and hers was really endearing.

And the “Little Black Dress” individual competition – I thought the contestants did a really good job, for the most part!  Some of my favorites were Oklahoma (I LOVED the peacock feather!), South Dakota, and the other contestant who used a white feather on her shoulder (who was that, anyway? Well, at any rate, she looked great). Way to go, South Dakota! I thought her design really took advantage of her height, yet it was kept nice and simple. 

We are getting so close to the grand finale. I can almost taste Vegas, where I will be blogging to you live, straight from the pageant.

Till next time!

The Platform Evolved, Thanks to a Dedicated Nurse

January 15, 2009

Two of the things that really set the Miss America Pageant apart from other pageant systems are the talent competition and the requirement for each contestant to have a platform. I’d like to give you the background on this – tell you a bit about its history and what it means within the competition for the contestants. Sound good? Great! Let’s go!

The idea of the platform came about thanks to Miss America 1988, Kay Lani Rae Rafko.  Kay Lani was a registered nurse, and the country was in the midst of a nursing shortage during her reign. She decided to speak to students of all ages, nursing colleges, healthcare organizations -- pretty much anyone and everyone that she could talk to about her profession. Her dedication did not go unnoticed by the nursing industry. The American Nurses Association stated that she single-handedly improved the nursing shortage through the “power of the crown”. The Miss America Organization also took notice of her accomplishment and decided to implement a new requirement for all contestants to have a platform going forward.

A contestant’s platform can be any issue they want to support – abstinence, drug and alcohol education, AIDS research, support for homeless veterans, teen self-esteem, eating disorders – the list goes on. What do you DO with your platform, you might ask? Well, the short answer here is: Anything and everything. I was amazed to hear some of the contestants’ stories when I was at Miss America. You really need to come to Miss America ready, because my Miss America interview was 95 percent about my platform. 

You need to know your platform inside and out, be aware of the arguments against it, and be able to defend it. And perhaps most importantly, you need to have DONE something for it. It’s a bad idea to walk into a Miss America interview with “plans” to do things for your platform, but having done nothing about it. You need to be able to back up your words. In other words, be prepared to discuss the things you have already done.

And speaking of “doing” things, the Miss America Organization also gives a Quality of Life Award. This service-based award is another opportunity to award scholarship money to these incredible women for doing good, selfless things. And seriously, how cool is that?

The number of programs implemented, people educated, and dollars and awareness raised from the contestants in this program is mind boggling. Whatever your opinion about pageants, or pageant girls – there is still no contesting the incredible amount of “good” they have done.   

“Countdown to the Crown”: Episode 2 -- Why Swimsuits?

January 09, 2009

Since the main focus of the second episode of “Countdown to the Crown” is physical fitness, I thought it might be fun to talk about the swimsuit competition. Why is it in the pageant? Why is it important? How has it evolved over the years? What do the contestants really think of it? Let’s examine these questions, shall we?

In the early days of the Miss America pageant, swimsuits had a much larger focus in the competition. In fact there were also categories for men, children, organization and comedic attire.  The Miss America titleholders from 1935 to 1947 were crowned in their swimsuits and were often required to make appearances in swimsuit after Catalina Swimwear became a sponsor in the mid-1940s. All of that changed when Yolande Betbeze, Miss America 1951, refused to appear for publicity photos in a swimsuit because she wanted to be acknowledged for her operatic talents. Pageant officials granted her wish.

It seems there has always been some degree of controversy surrounding the swimsuit portion of the competition. In fact, there was a year (sometime in the mid 90’s) when the public was allowed to vote during the live telecast whether or not to have the swimsuit competition at all. The answer from the public was “yes”, and the swimsuit competition has lived on.

The swimsuit competition has definitely changed throughout the years; that is for certain. From 1948 until 1996, only one-piece swimsuits were allowed in competition. And when two-piece suits were originally allowed again in 1997, there were all sorts of rules involved. There was a strict “no string bikini” rule when I competed, and we had the straps of our suits measured to be sure they were the required thickness. The rules have softened again since then and now I think the only main rule is no thongs.

But I love the freshness that the competition has – the contestants really seem to have fun with it, and the focus seems to have shifted from the “va-va-voom, look-a-that girl in a bathing suit” feel to one of physical fitness and comfort in your own skin.  As a matter of fact, the swimsuit competition really isn’t even called the “swimsuit competition” anymore, is it?  It has since changed to be called “Lifestyle and Fitness”, which I think says a lot about the real focus of the competition.

So, what about the contestants? What DO they really think about competing in a swimsuit? I would say in general that no one really loves it. Did I get nervous?  Sure. Was I super-duper-excited to do it? Nope, not really. But the more I competed, the more comfortable I became with it, and in turn the more comfortable I became in my own skin. Not only did I become more confident in myself and learn how to carry myself well in what could be an awkward situation, but it helped keep me in shape. It gave me a constant “goal” to work towards, which really helped me stay focused on being healthy. While I’m sure that it probably takes a little getting used to for most contestants, it really is just a necessary step in the process towards getting that crown.

A few specifics about the episode: The obstacle course! How funny!  I cannot tell you how badly I want to slide through that suds-filled tunnel. I’m glad Miss Kansas didn’t hurt herself too badly. Can you imagine her having to explain WHY she needed to compete in a back brace for Miss America?? Whew! Thank goodness that crisis was averted. Congrats Blue and Grey!

Oh my gosh, I love the guest consultant, Shakara Ledard. I love that there is an honest-to-goodness model giving tips on the swimsuit walks. I love the more fashion-esqe and less pageantry tips she was giving. The girls did a great job on that runway!

Way to sass it up in the individual competition, ladies! This is truly a beautiful, fit and confident group.

Congrats to Miss Georgia on her golden sash win! Since I live in Atlanta now, I definitely consider myself an honorary “Georgia Peach”, so thanks for representing, girl!

Let Me Address Your Questions and Concerns about the Pageant

I thought it might be a good idea to “officially” address some of the questions that have been coming through from some of you in the comment section (thanks for commenting!  I love hearing everyone’s thoughts). 

I also wanted to touch upon concerns that I know many people still have with the reality show concept. I’m certainly not the “powers that be”, but the “powers that be” do read the blog, so why not talk about the elephants in the room so that they are all out in the open? Seriously, I’d much prefer my elephants out stomping around where I can see them instead of lurking in the shadows, as I’m sure you all do as well. Ok – no, I don’t really know where I was going with that… but let’s chat, shall we??

First of all – question: The gold sashes. How do they work? Are there four, or 15? And so on.  Let’s walk through the process of the gold sashes and see if that doesn’t clear everything up for everyone.

I think perhaps the confusing part is that while we know that there are going to be 15 gold sash holders that the public will be voting on, the reality series keeps alluding to the four sashes that the contestants can win. Well, what we have to remember is that, at this point in the series, WE know more than the contestants do. They are competing under the impression that there are only four sashes to be won, but in the end the total number of contestants with gold sashes will be 15. The public will then vote, and out of those 15 girls the four with the highest number of votes will automatically move on to the semifinals at the Miss America pageant, along with the 11 contestants who scored the highest in the preliminary nights of competition.

Another question about how the sashes work is: What will happen if one of the contestants who the public has selected to move on to the semifinals ALSO has one of the 11 highest preliminary scores? Will the next highest vote-getter get a gold sash in her place, or will the next highest preliminary score winner move up into the top 11? The answer there is the latter – once the public selects the gold sash winners, those contestants will be in the semifinals as the gold sash holders. The remaining 11 semifinalists will be the contestants who had the highest preliminary scores aside from those who hold the gold sashes.  So if one of the gold sash holder also has one of the top 11 preliminary scores, the next highest score would move on to the semifinals.

I think that should cover all the gold sash “business” – now let’s talk about that elephant, yes?

I know this whole reality show concept is a little crazy for some people, and I get that. I can completely understand why a long-time pageant fan might be up in arms a bit over the idea that a titleholder works really hard to get her title, and then is asked to compete in a bunch of crazy competitions on TV to possibly get into the semifinals, when shouldn’t the semifinals just be the top scorers like always? Well the good news here is, the top scorers ARE still advancing to the semifinals –the top 11 scores to be exact, which is more than the ten that were historically allowed to move on to the semifinal competition until the early 2000s  So in that sense, the integrity of the pageant is still there, and is still intact. I think what folks may be worried about is that the reality series is somehow demeaning to the contestants, and that it doesn’t show them in the best light as the intelligent, driven women that they are. I know I cannot speak for all of the contestants, but I do believe that the general consensus was that they had a great time filming the reality show. It was a way to spend some time with each other outside of full-on competition “mode”, and to really let their hair down, so to speak. And we, as the viewing audience, have the opportunity to watch them for an hour every Friday prior to the Miss America pageant. We have the opportunity to get to know about their personalities, their humor and their warmth towards each other. I love that we are able to see this truly “human” side of them, and to witness their camaraderie and their competitiveness. It is touching to really feel with them just how badly they want this job. It makes me feel better knowing that the crown will really be safe on one of their heads, y’know?

I know that no situation is ideal, and that everything could use a tweak or two. But when you look at the fact that this IS a different era of the Miss America pageant – that this is a different era of the world, for that matter, you must see that the pageant needs to change with the times or we run the risk of losing it forever.

For the time being, I am enjoying this new angle and the opportunity it affords me to get to know these ladies – and I am waiting anxiously on the edge of my seat to see where the next “era” takes us on this journey.

A Trip Through Pageant History: A Real Slice of Americana

January 06, 2009

Hearing the questions that the contestants had to answer about Miss America history on the first episode of “Countdown to the Crown” made me think that it might be interesting to write about how this whole Miss America “thing” began in the first place. So let’s step back in time a bit, shall we?

The first pageant was held in Atlantic City, N.J. in September 1920 as a way to keep tourists in Atlantic City after the Labor Day weekend. The following year, newspaper sales were hurting due to the advent of radio, so to increase business, newspapers decided to select representatives from their respective cities (from among their readers) and send the winners to Atlantic City as special guests of the Second Annual Atlantic City Pageant. Their arrival was heralded in the press, and thus a contest was quickly designed to select one contestant from the pool of regional winners. Eventually, the winning contestant became known as "Miss America".

The first Miss America was 16-year-old Margaret Gorman, who was Miss Washington D.C.   

Here are some other pageant “firsts”:

1926 – the first year that a woman of Native American heritage, Norma Smallwood, won the title
1939 – the first year that a “Miss Congeniality” was chosen
1945 – the first Jewish Miss America, Bess Myerson, was crowned. Also for the first time, Miss America was awarded a college scholarship.
1950 – the first year that the winner’s title reflected the following year (the winner that year was Miss America 1951).  As a result, there was no “Miss America 1950”.
1954 – the first year the Miss America Pageant was televised.
1955 - Bert Parks hosted the pageant for the first time. Mr. Parks became an icon of the Miss America pageant, hosting and singing the famous “There She Is, Miss America” song which made it's debut the same year.
1983 – Vanessa Williams of New York, became Miss America 1984. She was the first African-American to win the title.
1989 – the first year that the platform (a social issue in which a contestant would dedicate her year of service) was required in competition. This followed Miss America 1988, Kaye Lani Rae Rafko’s dedication of her year towards care for the terminally ill.
1994 – Heather Whitestone is crowned Miss America 1995. She is the first woman with a disability to win the title.
1997 – the first year since 1947 that two-piece swimsuits are allowed to be worn by contestants.
2000 – Angela Perez Baraquio of Hawaii, Miss America 2001 is crowned. She is the first woman of Asian-American heritage to win the title.
2006 – the first year the pageant was held in Las Vegas, Nevada after an 85-year history in Atlantic City, N.J. This is also the first year since 1949 where the Miss America title is not post-dated. Crowned in January 2006, Oklahoma's Jennifer Berry is crowned Miss America 2006

So, now that we are all versed in Miss America history, I don’t think we could be any MORE ready for the next episode of the reality series, “Countdown to the Crown”. Don’t forget to watch the next episode, which airs Friday, Jan. 9 at 10 p.m. ET -- and don’t forget to tune in right here, as always, for the “after-show” discussion. Who knows: Perhaps there will be another “first” to add to the above list in 2009! I can’t wait!

Until next time,
Nicole

"Countdown to the Crown": Episode One

January 05, 2009

Hi everyone! Did you enjoy the first episode? I wrote my blog as I watched it, so here are my random thoughts: The first contestant (Oklahoma) walks out and I think, ‘Wow, Oklahoma is gorgeous!’ Then the rest start to walk out and I think, ‘Wow, wait a minute. They are ALL gorgeous!!’ Dang, they look good!

I LOVE that Miss Illinois kept right on walking past the open curtain – too funny! I’ll bet she wasn’t the only one. I like that they kind of throw unexpected circumstances at the contestants. Give ‘em weird stuff to deal with, so that when one of them is Miss America (and when the others go back to their respective states), nothing will throw them off.

Go Grey and Green! Congrats on winning the first challenge! I was so enthralled. I was on my couch cheering. At first when I saw the crowns hanging up in the air, I thought I was going to see the contestants climbing up in the rigging, and I got scared for a minute. Thankfully, that was not the case.

Yay Gretchen Carlson! She is so eloquent and stunning. What a great guest consultant. I loved her story about finding out she was the keynote speaker five minutes prior to her speech – now THAT’s a true test of a Miss America. I only hope they continue with more former Miss Americas – I love seeing them!

I wish we could’ve heard more of the conversations about the controversial topics before the wild-card contestants were chosen. It was fairly obvious who each consultant was going to pick based on the editing. Oh, well. I guess we only have an hour, huh?

Yes – speaking as a challenge! Perfect. AND, one of the things the contestants need to speak about is the platform, which should be the easiest thing for any of them to talk about. But seriously, aliens? Oy.  I think Virgin Islands was a good reminder that a little humor can really diffuse what might otherwise be an awkward situation, right?  And also, the whole alien thing is good to remind the contestants that not every single situation needs to be “super serious”. It’s just as easy to prove yourself by being charming and witty as it is by showing your intelligence.

Miss America is kind of like a final round of a job interview. By this point, we KNOW they are all intelligent women. Now we just need to pick the one who best fits the job, and this series is helping us get a good idea of their personalities.

Congrats to Miss Indiana on her golden sash win. From what I saw, she was really charming in the competition.

It was interesting to see the contestants compete for the sash without knowing what it really meant until afterward. It will definitely be interesting to see if/how the competitions change now that they know how important getting one of those sashes is.

This is so exciting and it’s just the beginning! Just 22 more days until Miss America. I really do love that we are getting a chance to get to know the contestants beforehand. I wish this kind of thing existed when I competed!

By the way, please take note: There is an option to leave comments after the blog.  Let’s discuss what everyone thought of the episode!

Till next time,
Nicole