I Wore Miss America’s Gown, Continued…

Wow- what a crappy day! I’ve been up since 6:30, was at the TV studio for several hours this morning, it's overcast and cold and I just found out my cat has FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disorder). Tomorrow morning I have to do an interview with a radio show, then shoot something else at the Fox station, before heading to my parent’s home to pick up my evening gown and swimsuit from the seamstress, then it’s on to Portsmouth tomorrow night (since it’s a four to five hour drive and check in for Miss Ohio USA is Thursday morning.)

So basically I have the rest of today to do my least two favorite things in the world- clean and pack… and schedule Fuzzy an appointment to get treatment from a different vet… and get a nail fixed that just had to break at quite an inopportune time… and procrastinate (as usual) by blogging instead of doing all those things I should be doing!

Last week I was at my parent’s home to film the Dream Queen contest/show/pageant/whatever… The six preliminary episodes were filmed over three nights (two shows per night) with former Miss Americas as the hosts. The first night was with Kaye Lani Rae Rafko as host, the second and third with Heather Renee French. Again, the phases of competition were Sportswear, Talent, Gown and Quiz Show; there were three diverse contestants each show with three judges. The judges for all six preliminary shows were theatre owner/pageant producer Leslie Norris Townsend, pageant judge and guru Smith Runyan and dance instructor Maeva Nailer. Like Star Search, each judge awarded a theoretical crown to the women they scored highest in each phase.

I was in the fourth show, and competed against Mrs. West Central Ohio Amanda Shaffer and Dream Big contestant Kim Moden. I really commend Kim for coming out at the last minute and competing with a great attitude, after the original contestant cancelled. In the end, Amanda dominated the quiz show, Leslie gave me her Sportswear “crown” and Amanda her Talent and Gown “crowns.” Smith gave me all three of his, and Maeva gave me her Talent and Gown, giving Sportswear to Amanda. Winning six of the ten “crowns,” I won overall and advanced to the finals, to be filmed November 14.

While Heather was the emcee, the woman who won the previous show crowned me. This aspect had not been announced prior, so I had to rearrange my schedule a bit and stay at my parent’s house a second night, to be there to crown the winner of the fifth show. I didn’t mind because it meant spending more time around a former Miss America, getting more local air time that my family can see and catching up with another former Miss Ohio contestant also competing in this show. Who? The lovely Jeana Jones!

Jeana crowned me Miss Maumee Valley, and I immediately thought how fun it would be if I were also able to crown her… but she was competing in the second show of the night, and I was there to crown the winner of the first. However, the woman who I crowned couldn’t inconvenience herself an extra two hours to stick around to crown the next winner! Since I was there, they asked me to do it. Be on this show three weeks in a row? Okay!

The thing was, I only had one evening gown with me, and considering I own several and like to get use out of them, that was just annoying. When I asked how it would look if I wore my red talent dress, Heather said I could borrow one of her gowns!

Heather is one of the most genuine and generous people I’ve ever met! Just like my show, one of the competitors in Jeana’s show saved the day by participating at the last minute because someone backed out. Heather was also letting her borrow a gown. My parents and Loren were there the night I competed, but not the next night, so called them going on and on about how “I’m standing in Miss America’s gown right now!” Not that it’s the one she won Miss America in, but still!

Unlike the night I competed, both shows on the third and final night of preliminary taping were much better because “crowns” went to all three women. During the final taping, Dream Big performers Hope White and Nikki Ramblin each received three “crowns;” Jeana received four and I did indeed get to crown her; we’ll now compete against each other at the finale!

The shows begin airing on WLIO Lima on October 29 at 11:35 p.m. Therefore, I believe the show I compete in will air November 19, and Jeana’s should air December 3. Again, the finals are being filmed November 14; the preliminary winners include three vocalist, a tap dancer, a line dancer and a pianist, ranging in age from 24 to 50 something; I believe Jeana and I are the only finalist who are unmarried and without children.

PHOTOS COMING SOON!… for now, I have to get a fingernail fixed, tan, buy my cat some canned food with which to take his antibiotic and make one of those pricy, last minute pageant-stuff stops at a CVS or Walgreen’s.