» Full Pageant Weekend

Between the pre-tape shoots at The Westin Diplomat and Miss Boca Raton USA at Florida Atlantic University, this was one full pageant weekend. Not to mention Mother’s Day on Sunday to complete the weekend! We hope all of our very special pageant mothers had a great day!

At pre-tape day number two our Miss Florida USA Melissa Witek got her picture taken with Broward County Commissioner Suzane “Chad Lady” Gunsberger. Everybody remembers the fun we had with the presidential ballots in 2000, right? Well Commissioner Gunnsberger was on national television explaining to the world the “hanging chad” on a nightly basis! You can’t make stuff like this up….all you can do is get a photo op!

Ms. Witek poses with Commisioner Gunnsberger at The Westin Diplomat Fountains (left)

Ms. Witek (with cell phone) poses at The Westin Diplomat Spa along with (top left to right) Choreographer Ali,

Contestant Director Christine and Co Pageant Director Rachel (right)

» Miss Boca Raton USA Recap

Ms. Monnin (Miss Manatee County) with Ms. Godwin

(Miss Palm Beach County) after the pageant

A lovely evening of pageantry awaited the audience at this year’s Miss Boca Raton USA Pageants. Reviving the pageant that was one of the founding six pageants of 2001, Jeanne and Norman Brander presented a first class event. The venue was at The Dorthy F. Schmidt Center for the Performing and Visual Arts on the campus of Florida Atlantic University and it provided a great setting for the return of South Palm Beach to the family.

Miss Boca Raton Teen USA with her sister titleholders Miss Gold Coast Teen USA and Miss Palm Beach County Teen USA (left)

Ms. Berset with the new representatives from Boca Raton (right)

Hosting the evening were Kristen Berset, Miss Florida USA 2004 and Shenna Monnin, Miss Manatee County USA 2006 who did an outstanding job and kept the pageant sharp all evening. Assisting in the crowning was Miss Gold Coast Teen USA 2006 Brittany Houle. In the audience cheering on the winners were the Miss Palm Beach County USA team of Shilah Goodwin and Amber Garrod. It was also nice to see Miss West Broward USA director Barbara Ewald and Miss Palm Beach County USA director Linda DiGiacomo who showed their support to the system and The Miss Boca Raton USA Pageant. Enjoy the pictures!

The Miss Boca Raton USA production team with their new titleholders

» Catching Up With… Miss USA

By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER

Just a few days earlier, Chelsea Cooley was walking to the front of a warm stage amid wild applause while 250 million people around the world watched her being crowned Miss USA. At the moment, however, Cooley is trying to walk a few blocks across Manhattan to a gym - she tries to put in at least an hour every day - and the loudest sound she's hearing is the hawk wind of early spring, which is blowing right at her. "It's cold," says the Charlotte, N.C., resident. "My hands are numb." This isn't the glamorous part of being Miss USA. But that part is coming. She's off to Thailand Sunday to spend 3-1/2 weeks representing the U.S. in the Miss Universe pageant. "I can't wait," she says. "I hear it's a beautiful country." Win or lose in Bangkok, she has a full calendar. Miss USA is, among many other things, a spokeswoman for breast and ovarian cancer awareness, while Cooley herself has been active with Toys for Tots, the Special Olympics and other organizations. She's also, of course, a pageant winner. When she enters a room, heads turn - something she says she's not fully used to. "I don't think it's quite sunk in yet," she says. "When I hear someone say, 'And now, Miss USA,' it takes a second to remember that's me."

What probably won't affect Cooley's year too much, but which is still worth keeping an eye on, is the fact that she's among the first winners in an emerging breed of pageants, the kind that no longer treat entrants as porcelain dolls. The country's most famous pageant, Miss America, is struggling with that issue now. Some are urging its producers to make it more of a "reality" show to attract a new TV contract. But Miss USA, which not by coincidence is partly run by Donald Trump, is way ahead on this one. Before the Miss USA finals this year, TV viewers could watch "Miss USA Fear Factor," in which some of the contestants bobbed in the water while worms and other crawly things were dumped on their heads. It gave a new meaning to the term "swimsuit competition" and drew slightly higher ratings than the pageant itself. "It was fun," said Cooley, who didn't take the worm bath herself. "We even got to watch a little of it ourselves in the dressing room before the finals."

Born in Charlotte, Cooley says she was also a born performer. She was taking tap lessons before she was 3, then moved into piano "and all the rest of it" before, around the age of 14, she entered her first pageant. "I always liked watching pageants," she says. "But I got into it for the scholarship money. I come from a single-parent home, so I figured I needed a way to pay for my own college." Sure enough, pageants paid her way into the Art Institute of Charlotte, where she studied fashion until last fall. "I took a leave to enter Miss USA," she says. "I couldn't do this and keep up with classes. And now that I've won, of course, college will be on the back burner for a while. "Actually, I have no idea what will happen. But I can't wait to see." Especially after she regains feeling in her hands.

»Kudos & Did You Knows:

- Kudos to Brenda Marie Orcutt on her recent appearance on WTSP-Channel 8 in Tampa promoting the Ophelia Societies 'Turn Beauty Inside Out 2005' event this Saturday in St. Petersburg. TBIO is a national event designed to combat negative messages delivered to girls about beauty and body image and to encourage girls to live healthy lifestyles. Sounds like pageantry’s goal also! For more information the link is http://www.tampaymca.org/ophelia/events.htm#tbio. Good job Brenda Marie!

Ms. Orcutt on the set of Channel 8 news

after her live television appearance

- Kudos to our Miss Florida USA Melissa Witek on her volunteering a dinner for charity as The 55^th Annual Hollywood Rotary Auction took place this past Friday and Saturday. The event raised over $200,000 for youth charities of the region and dinner with Ms. Witek went for $1,600.00! Great job Melissa!

Melissa with The Mayor of Hollywood Mara Giluianti

and the live auctioneer at the Hollywood Rotary Auction

»Pageant News Wanted!
Are you a titleholder or at large delegate who is making appearances or doing good things in the community? We would love to tell all of the Miss Florida USA Family your story. Send pictures and updates to telair@aol.com as we feature everything Miss Florida USA on Friday’s at Faces & Places.

»This Week Ahead for Miss Florida USA

The week’s “Road To Hollywood heads all over South Florida this weekend from I-95 in Miami to I-75 and Marco Island and then I-95 again to Vero Beach. First we attend the Miss Miami USA Pageant, one of the original six, that pageant is a Saturday afternoon event starting at 3:00pm. Sunday sees a pageant doubleheader with the Miss Southwest Florida Super Pageant beginning at 4:00pm. Then at 7:00pm the last titles of the weekend are awarded at the inaugural Miss Treasure Coast USA Pageant in Vero Beach. All the results and pictures on Monday and in the audience reports on Friday’s only at Face & Places! Keeping you up to date on everything Miss Florida USA only at YOUR favorite competition website on the internet!

»Alumni News Wanted!

If you know of any Miss Florida USA alumni in the news please drop us an email to feature them in future articles. Email all info to info@missfloridausa.com! Until next week here to good pageantry!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK!

How much prettier can you get then a beautiful home country representative in her majestic city?

That’s why this picture of Miss Thailand USA with downtown Bangkok in the background qualifies

as this week’s special photograph. Enjoy!