I was asked by Shannon L. Ford who represented Florida in Miss USA 2002 to be on a panel of five Judges for Miss Miami USA 2007 and Miss Miami Teen USA 2007. Shannon recently returned to Florida after a 5 year stint in New York and became involved in the Miami Pageants. She was awarded the Miss Photogenic award in 2002 at Miss USA and was a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader.
The event was hosted by Jamie Converse Estrada formerly Miss Florida USA 1998 and currently Mrs. Florida America and the entertainment was quite memorable by Just Dance It!. In one act a little girl about 4 or 5 years old stole the show with a dance to “Vienna” with more facial expressions than this guy. But she was a billion times cuter.
While I can not discuss the details or scoring of my decisions, I can say I was quite impressed with all of the contestants - a total of 8 competitors in Miss Miami USA and 7 in Miami Teen USA. Unlike, Missouri USA, Florida USA requires all girls to place or receive an award in a local preliminary competition before going to state. In MO, anyone can go straight to the state level.
It was wonderful to be on the other side of the stage because I remember how all the girls felt. The anxiety, the pressure of standing on stage in four heels and a bathing suit - and then the aftermath of analyzing what you could have done differently. Sometimes it just depends what day it is - like when you go to Baskin Robins and there are 31 flavors of ice cream. Sometimes you are in the mood for Pralines and Cream or maybe Mint Chocolate Chip. Just like a pageant, you never know what flavor will win that day. Most importantly a pageant should be an opportunity for self discovery, personal growth, lasting friendships and should go well beyond the actual pageant itself.
The biggest insight I received is how significant the interview competition can be. I was always told it was insanely important - and I really felt it as a judge. It’s all about first impressions.
For the first category we had one on one interview with each girl for 2 minutes so it is extraordinarily important that each girl is well prepared for how to handle any question. The more time you need to think, the less time you have to express who you are. Two minutes goes by really fast and I can only imagine that in a large group of 51 girls most of the interviews end up forgotten. The interview is the first impression and that’s what sticks with a judge when there are tough choices to make. The judges go back the impact of the interview and make mental notes about how well rounded a girl is.
So in the end, beauty may grab attention but it won’t always win the crown.
I’m happy to announce the new representatives if Miami USA and Teen USA 2007:
Congrats to both!
Additional reading: The difference between Miss USA and Miss America
Entry Filed under: TV + Film