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] Date Posted:00:32:03 01/02/25 Thu
There's a lot to unpack from tonight! I thought it was a great first night of competition. Overall, it was a good production. It did seem to go long at times with each competition, but I guess this is what it is going to be for the foreseeable future. The stage looked a little boring during the opening number. However, when the contestants started competing, they had pictures of each of them on the monitor. For fitness, they had them training and for evening gown, they had them in evening gowns. Some of them wore their same evening gowns; others were different. The fitness music was On the Floor by Jennifer Lopez. I am not sure what the evening gown music was.
This year I probably know the least about the contestants than any other year I have been posting. I think that's the most fun, though. Sometimes it can feel a bit anticlimactic, like the year Katie Stam won. So, it's good to be in the dark. Some of the contestants stood out to me tonight for different reasons including:
Michigan-she works for the NBA. I would love to hear more about her job. She's got a great look, very young and modern. I'd love to see her go far or win. She'd get a lot of good attention for the program.
South Carolina-I really like her. She reminds me of another of my favorite Miss South Carolinas-Jeanna Raney (01.) They both have that sweet, humble quiet nature about them, but you remember them.
Kansas-when she spoke during OSQ (more about that later) she disclosed being a survivor of abuse. She spoke very eloquently about it.
Kentucky-one of my favorites, she like fellow Kentuckian Heather French has veterans' issues as her platform.
Indiana-she's just so damned cute.
South Dakota-she's one I really hope is a dark horse. She really loves nature. I think it might be part of her platform. There's something very likeable about her.
Wyoming-she is a youth athletic coach. I found her very interesting and would like to hear more about that. She has some nice energy.
West Virginia-she seems to either be a physicians' assistant or in PA school. She's not outstanding in onstage competitions but when she spoke, she was so naturally confident and could articulate her passion for it very well.
Some other things that I learned tonight I will talk about more when we get to OSQ.
As far as who is standing out to me, it is not some of the usual suspects. Right now, the one who has emerged for me as a real contender is Miss Ohio. She really stands out. She has a lot of confidence in each competition. I remember her. The contestant who stood out to me in a surprising way tonight was Missouri. She's really competitive! She is by far the strongest Miss Missouri I have seen in a LONG time at Miss America, and that includes Simone in 18. She does seem a bit young, especially with her tone of voice, but you really notice her in each competition. She has amazing stage presence. Another contestant who is jumping out at me is Nevada for the same reason. She spoke a bit rapidly in her onstage question, but she has the it factor. She's very confident and she did well enough in all categories tonight. Another one of my pleasant surprises is Maryland. She has a quiet confidence but there is something regal about her. You notice her, and she's consistent across the competitions so far.
The following also did very well and were consistent across all competitions. While they did not win preliminaries, I could very well see them in the top 10 if their talent is good tomorrow:
Alabama
Arkansas (sort of)
California
Illinois
Mississippi (sort of)
A couple of others of note:
New Jersey-she comes across in an unusual way. In a way she seems very original, maybe not polished but when she speaks, she really is commanding. In gown, she seemed confident. I have a feeling she could be the 25 years later equivalent of Victoria Andrews Page if the judges like her.
North Carolina-more in the OSQ rundown, but she has a platform of dealing with inclusivity in the Miss America Organization. When I was taking notes I wrote, "listen to her." I have a feeling if she can articulate herself very well, she's one to watch. I do not think she is the next Miss America, but I really think she brings a relevant conversation to the forefront. I think the judges might appreciate that.
Louisiana-she was one of my high hopes this pageant. I saw her compete before and was a big fan of hers. However, she's so subdued. I am not sure what happened to LA overall, but they can't seem to rise to dominance as they did before. Their contestants do not have that fire they used to. It is not just Olivia.
The last thing I wanted to mention was the judges' panel. There is a Paralympian and another judge who has worked with the disabled community. There are a good number of contestants who have that as platforms, so I am curious to see if they will resonate with the judges. Also, many of them seem to have executive and business experience, which also makes me wonder if they are looking for someone to market the program.
The buzzword this year is "opportunity." Apparently, this is the Miss America Opportunity, not the Miss America pageant. Finally, the venue looks very nice. It reminds me of the theater where they hold the Academy Awards.
I am going to start posting the individual competition rundowns probably not tonight but start looking tomorrow around late morning-noon.
[> Subject: I forgot to add Kentucky to the list of consistent contestants. Also one more thing I wanted to note: usually NY is THE powerhouse. This year although I like her, she's not really standing out to me so far. With the state preparation I am not ruling her out, but I also do not think she is near as strong as some of the other contestants of the last 5 years.
Date Posted:00:34:28 01/02/25 Thu
>There's a lot to unpack from tonight! I thought it was
>a great first night of competition. Overall, it was a
>good production. It did seem to go long at times with
>each competition, but I guess this is what it is going
>to be for the foreseeable future. The stage looked a
>little boring during the opening number. However,
>when the contestants started competing, they had
>pictures of each of them on the monitor. For fitness,
>they had them training and for evening gown, they had
>them in evening gowns. Some of them wore their same
>evening gowns; others were different. The fitness
>music was On the Floor by Jennifer Lopez. I am not
>sure what the evening gown music was.
>
>This year I probably know the least about the
>contestants than any other year I have been posting.
>I think that's the most fun, though. Sometimes it can
>feel a bit anticlimactic, like the year Katie Stam
>won. So, it's good to be in the dark. Some of the
>contestants stood out to me tonight for different
>reasons including
[> Subject: Great thoughts here. I have very similar impressions. I didn’t watch Kentucky compete in the past but recognized her name (and red hair) as a girl who has been in the system for a while (often expected to place or win at state). I sort of assumed she would come across as patty, but she does not at all. She is very likable, genuine, and smart. I know talent is her strong suit (again, not from witnessing it, but from following state pageants on this hoard), so I would not be the least bit surprised to see her make the cut.
Date Posted:13:31:54 01/02/25 Thu
>There's a lot to unpack from tonight! I thought it was
>a great first night of competition. Overall, it was a
>good production. It did seem to go long at times with
>each competition, but I guess this is what it is going
>to be for the foreseeable future. The stage looked a
>little boring during the opening number. However,
>when the contestants started competing, they had
>pictures of each of them on the monitor. For fitness,
>they had them training and for evening gown, they had
>them in evening gowns. Some of them wore their same
>evening gowns; others were different. The fitness
>music was On the Floor by Jennifer Lopez. I am not
>sure what the evening gown music was.
>
>This year I probably know the least about the
>contestants than any other year I have been posting.
>I think that's the most fun, though. Sometimes it can
>feel a bit anticlimactic, like the year Katie Stam
>won. So, it's good to be in the dark. Some of the
>contestants stood out to me tonight for different
>reasons including:
>
>Michigan-she works for the NBA. I would love to hear
>more about her job. She's got a great look, very
>young and modern. I'd love to see her go far or win.
>She'd get a lot of good attention for the program.
>South Carolina-I really like her. She reminds me of
>another of my favorite Miss South Carolinas-Jeanna
>Raney (01.) They both have that sweet, humble quiet
>nature about them, but you remember them.
>Kansas-when she spoke during OSQ (more about that
>later) she disclosed being a survivor of abuse. She
>spoke very eloquently about it.
>Kentucky-one of my favorites, she like fellow
>Kentuckian Heather French has veterans' issues as her
>platform.
>Indiana-she's just so damned cute.
>South Dakota-she's one I really hope is a dark horse.
>She really loves nature. I think it might be part of
>her platform. There's something very likeable about
>her.
>Wyoming-she is a youth athletic coach. I found her
>very interesting and would like to hear more about
>that. She has some nice energy.
>West Virginia-she seems to either be a physicians'
>assistant or in PA school. She's not outstanding in
>onstage competitions but when she spoke, she was so
>naturally confident and could articulate her passion
>for it very well.
>
>Some other things that I learned tonight I will talk
>about more when we get to OSQ.
>
>As far as who is standing out to me, it is not some of
>the usual suspects. Right now, the one who has
>emerged for me as a real contender is Miss Ohio. She
>really stands out. She has a lot of confidence in
>each competition. I remember her. The contestant who
>stood out to me in a surprising way tonight was
>Missouri. She's really competitive! She is by far the
>strongest Miss Missouri I have seen in a LONG time at
>Miss America, and that includes Simone in 18. She
>does seem a bit young, especially with her tone of
>voice, but you really notice her in each competition.
>She has amazing stage presence. Another contestant
>who is jumping out at me is Nevada for the same
>reason. She spoke a bit rapidly in her onstage
>question, but she has the it factor. She's very
>confident and she did well enough in all categories
>tonight. Another one of my pleasant surprises is
>Maryland. She has a quiet confidence but there is
>something regal about her. You notice her, and she's
>consistent across the competitions so far.
>
>The following also did very well and were consistent
>across all competitions. While they did not win
>preliminaries, I could very well see them in the top
>10 if their talent is good tomorrow:
>
>Alabama
>Arkansas (sort of)
>California
>Illinois
>Mississippi (sort of)
>
>A couple of others of note:
>New Jersey-she comes across in an unusual way. In a
>way she seems very original, maybe not polished but
>when she speaks, she really is commanding. In gown,
>she seemed confident. I have a feeling she could be
>the 25 years later equivalent of Victoria Andrews Page
>if the judges like her.
>North Carolina-more in the OSQ rundown, but she has a
>platform of dealing with inclusivity in the Miss
>America Organization. When I was taking notes I
>wrote, "listen to her." I have a feeling if she can
>articulate herself very well, she's one to watch. I
>do not think she is the next Miss America, but I
>really think she brings a relevant conversation to the
>forefront. I think the judges might appreciate that.
>Louisiana-she was one of my high hopes this pageant.
>I saw her compete before and was a big fan of hers.
>However, she's so subdued. I am not sure what
>happened to LA overall, but they can't seem to rise to
>dominance as they did before. Their contestants do
>not have that fire they used to. It is not just
>Olivia.
>
>The last thing I wanted to mention was the judges'
>panel. There is a Paralympian and another judge who
>has worked with the disabled community. There are a
>good number of contestants who have that as platforms,
>so I am curious to see if they will resonate with the
>judges. Also, many of them seem to have executive and
>business experience, which also makes me wonder if
>they are looking for someone to market the program.
>
>The buzzword this year is "opportunity." Apparently,
>this is the Miss America Opportunity, not the Miss
>America pageant. Finally, the venue looks very nice.
>It reminds me of the theater where they hold the
>Academy Awards.
>
>I am going to start posting the individual competition
>rundowns probably not tonight but start looking
>tomorrow around late morning-noon.
>
>Until then!
>The Mod
[> [> Subject: Thank you! I agree with everything you said about KY as well. If her talent holds up she is a good lock for me. She is very likeable and I could see the judges really liking her, too.
Date Posted:16:09:30 01/02/25 Thu
>>There's a lot to unpack from tonight! I thought it was
>>a great first night of competition. Overall, it was a
>>good production. It did seem to go long at times with
>>each competition, but I guess this is what it is going
>>to be for the foreseeable future. The stage looked a
>>little boring during the opening number. However,
>>when the contestants started competing, they had
>>pictures of each of them on the monitor. For fitness,
>>they had them training and for evening gown, they had
>>them in evening gowns. Some of them wore their same
>>evening gowns; others were different. The fitness
>>music was On the Floor by Jennifer Lopez. I am not
>>sure what the evening gown music was.
>>
>>This year I probably know the least about the
>>contestants than any other year I have been posting.
>>I think that's the most fun, though. Sometimes it can
>>feel a bit anticlimactic, like the year Katie Stam
>>won. So, it's good to be in the dark. Some of the
>>contestants stood out to me tonight for differen
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