kurtij wrote:NEW MEXICO LOOKS LIKE DOM REP UNIVERSE 2008.
More like Miss Dominican Republic 2012 (The one that was dethroned)
kurtij wrote:NEW MEXICO LOOKS LIKE DOM REP UNIVERSE 2008.
Queen of the Clouds wrote:MISS KENTUCKY USA 2020 IS LEXIE ISLES
This was Lexie's fourth time competing in Miss Kentucky USA. She previously was the 1RU in 2019, non-finalist in 2018, and a semifinalist in 2017. Lexie works as an accountant (just like Allie Gonzalez does).
Full results:
Miss Kentucky USA 2020: Lexie Isles
1RU: Michaela Arnold
2RU: Rayni Lasley
3RU: Lizzy Neutz
4RU: Kayelin Tiggs
Top 16:
Amber Allen
Anne Baldridge
Hannah Johnson
Jordan Crozier
Meredith Ellis
Parker Deppen
Ramya Kondaveeti
Rebecca Cook
Taylor Flake
Veronica Chisholm
Yulia Perevozchikova
I think that was a relatively good choice for Kentucky. Lexie was not the most stunning contestant, but she is obviously very cute and is stronger than some of the girls competing at Miss USA already. What's important is that she has a legitimate and well respected job, which will definitely earn her points with IMG. I don't see her as a frontrunner who'll steal the show, but I will not be surprised at all if she nabs a placement. Every year, this is the kind of girl who steals spots in the semifinals away from the bombshells who focus on appearance rather than résumé, but then don't make it to the top five. I can really see that being the case with Lexie. Being from Kentucky, that would be a very good result for the state, cheers.
missfinlandia wrote:
My top 15
Top 5
Idaho
Utah
Georgia
Virginia
Connecticut
Top 10
Ohio
Montana
Arkansas
Illinois
Nevada
Top 15
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Hawaii
Mississippi
Some comments:
-Hawaii, Missouri and Mississippi are gorgeous but they all give strong teen vibes
-People forget Illinois, she's very classic beauty and very Olivia Culpo'esque
-I'm not feeling Maryland. I've followed Taelyr for years hoping her to win, but her reign has not convinced me. She has been outshined by other girls in group photos constantly.
-Michigan is plain. Go to her instagram and see candids with no pageant make up. She's a big no to me.
-Montana has very 2020 cause, being a vegan and campaigning against agriculture industry in her state. She has bit round face but she can look gorgeous too + great speaker and influencer.
-Nebraska looks too pale with her black hair and often looks unhappy in photos. She looks like a goth to me sometimes even though she's not. I'm not feeling her at all, gives so cold vibes.
-Nevada is better than people say. She actually looks beautiful and classy, I don't get why people think her looks aren't IMG.
-New Jersey has bit of the same problem as Nebraska. She just looks stone cold and I don't get personality out of her.
-New York is gonna divide opinions. Her facial proportions are very unusual and I'm not the biggest fan of her.
-North Carolina screams IMG, I would be surprised if she's not in
-Texas is weak for Texas. She's 50/50 to me.
-Virginia and Oklahoma are facially gorgeous, let's not forget Madison Nipe. Beautiful face can take you far.
-Wyoming just seems model and not a beauty queen. I don't get personality out of her, another cold alert.
-Washington and DC are not facially pretty, somehow I fear IMG will love them
-I need to see more of California before making an opinion
-North Dakota is the worst contestant. She's religious, super conservative and is campaignin against human rights + looks old. Her pro-life agenda is to get abortion banned in her state. Ugh.
itsrowdy801 wrote:Upon further consideration, I'm making a change, and taking Texas off my list - tbh, I threw her on at the last minute because I was keeping my list to 14 saving a spot for Rayni and when she didn't win Kentucky, I just added Texas weighing her MGI experience too heavily, since I don't really think that carries the same weight as, say, a former Miss Earth US or Miss World America would/has, but I still have an eye on her.
Adding Tennessee in her place, I honestly can't believe I forgot about her while making my list, she has a great advocacy for endometriosis, and IMG loves firsts and she would be the first (I think, correct me if there's another I'm forgetting) Jewish Miss USA if crowned.
Queen of the Clouds wrote:MISS KENTUCKY USA 2020 IS LEXIE ILES
This was Lexie's fourth time competing in Miss Kentucky USA. She previously was the 1RU in 2019, non-finalist in 2018, and a semifinalist in 2017. Lexie works as an accountant (just like Allie Gonzalez does).
Full results:
Miss Kentucky USA 2020: Lexie Iles
1RU: Michaela Arnold
2RU: Rayni Lasley
3RU: Lizzy Neutz
4RU: Kayelin Tiggs
Top 16:
Amber Allen
Anne Baldridge
Hannah Johnson
Jordan Crozier
Meredith Ellis
Parker Deppen
Ramya Kondaveeti
Rebecca Cook
Taylor Flake
Veronica Chisholm
Yulia Perevozchikova
I think that was a relatively good choice for Kentucky. Lexie was not the most stunning contestant, but she is obviously very cute and is stronger than some of the girls competing at Miss USA already. What's important is that she has a legitimate and well respected job, which will definitely earn her points with IMG. I don't see her as a frontrunner who'll steal the show, but I will not be surprised at all if she nabs a placement. Every year, this is the kind of girl who steals spots in the semifinals away from the bombshells who focus on appearance rather than résumé, but then don't make it to the top five. I can really see that being the case with Lexie. Being from Kentucky, that would be a very good result for the state, cheers.
itsrowdy801 wrote:I have less confidence in Pageants NW which has an atrocious record of one Miss USA placement in ten years between their four states - and that makes me a little nervous for Kim.
itsrowdy801 wrote:Yaaaaay QotC thank you so much for your takes! I couldn't agree more with most of your takes, and you even touched on the reason why I gave Utah the edge over Idaho (directorship) in my prediction. I have complete confidence that Shanna will send our girl impeccably prepared, and I have less confidence in Pageants NW which has an atrocious record of one Miss USA placement in ten years between their four states - and that makes me a little nervous for Kim. Maybe directorship doesn't matter as much as I think it does, Allie Gonzalez got 1RU last year despite having a horrendous director as she recently talked about, but it is still important.
Queen of the Clouds wrote:itsrowdy801 wrote:Yaaaaay QotC thank you so much for your takes! I couldn't agree more with most of your takes, and you even touched on the reason why I gave Utah the edge over Idaho (directorship) in my prediction. I have complete confidence that Shanna will send our girl impeccably prepared, and I have less confidence in Pageants NW which has an atrocious record of one Miss USA placement in ten years between their four states - and that makes me a little nervous for Kim. Maybe directorship doesn't matter as much as I think it does, Allie Gonzalez got 1RU last year despite having a horrendous director as she recently talked about, but it is still important.
The thing is with having a bad director, the individual girl has to put in so much more of their own effort. Shanna is honestly probably the top director in all of the Miss USA state pageants, so a girl with her as their director is going to have amazing guidance and opportunities without having to find her own connections. With a shitty director, you might have seek opportunities out on your own. Like if I'm not mistaken, some of the better directors will provide you with top notch trainers (I think Shandi and Susie are contracted with one directorship, not sure which and if that's still happening but I think I remember hearing a year or so ago that winners of a few states automatically would be trained by them), but if your director doesn't provide that then you'll have to find the trainers you want and pay them yourselves. Allie was always going to be incredibly prepared, so I think she would have succeeded no matter who her director was, but then there are some girls who probably aren't *as* serious about winning and will just do whatever their director tells them to do.
If Kim wants this and is willing to put in more work than some of the other girls who may have things easier, then I don't see her directorship pulling her back, but she's gonna have to want it.
itsrowdy801 wrote:just saw this on the Miss USA 2020 wikipedia page
I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source in the world by any means, but does this carry any weight?
If true, it would be nice to let Cheslie give up her crown at home.
Queen of the Clouds wrote:I've given some time to sit on things, and I think I'm ready with my early top fifteen (emphasis on early). I don't even know if we could be considered in the pre-arrivals phase right now (maybe pre-departures), so everything can change and probably will change in the next few months. There were 27 girls that I considered adding to my top fifteen, so I do think this is a very strong year. For the record, these are not predictions, they are my opinion.
Top 15:
DC – Let's get this clear. If Cierra is able to fine tune her styling, she would jump very far on my list; right now, that's all that's holding her back for me. This girl has one of the best résumés of all girls competing. I don't even have time to list everything she's done, but it's a lot. Judging on her résumé alone, I think she'll definitely place, and can easily go further. Cierra is the type of girl who if she makes it to top five, she'll have a real chance of winning, because that's what's going to be her strength. She also is a former MAO state titleholder, which we all know brings huge advantages to IMG era Miss USA. Look out for her, DO NOT write her off just because she isn't the most pretty.
Indiana – I think Alexis has proven she's a very fun person with a great personality, but her looks can be very hit-or-miss. I did not like her crowning look at all, but then I'll see other pictures of her where she looks stunning. Judging from how she carries herself on social media, I think she'll do very good in interviews, and she also is a professional model so she'll definitely have strong stage presence. I just need her to make sure she gets her looks right.
Maine – Julia has such a girl-next-door, all-American look to her. She also is very everywoman, and doesn't really look much like a model (or even a pageant girl) at all, despite still being very beautiful. I think IMG will like that. She's still a college student, which means she may not have enough experience to be very competitive, but she studies education, which she could use to make into a platform prioritizing education (maybe for girls abroad?). I think that could help her a lot, we'll see how she does. I'm rooting for her.
Missouri – Megan is the Barbie of this year, and I think she's much less polarizing than last year's Barbie Katerina Rozmajzl. Something that will help Megan is that she has a legitimate platform, which is endometriosis awareness. She also claims to be an entrepreneur, although I haven't been able to find any details regarding that claim. She's a Shandi and Susie protégée which will definitely help her out, I can see her placing but I don't know how far she'd get.
Tennessee – Initially, Justice was one of my frontrunners, but she's faded a lot as I don't think she's standing out next to some of the other girls. She has a legitimate platform, which is endometriosis awareness, and has had this platform much before winning her state title, which is a huge plus to her. I worry though that with two girls prioritizing endometriosis awareness (herself and Missouri), will only one of them be able to stand out? If so, which one will it be. I think Missouri is physically stronger, but Justice has the stronger platform. We'll see.
Top 10:
Connecticut – Chelsea is stunning and clearly has a good platform and résumé, considering she legitimately works for a charity. My only issue with her is that I think she may be too sexy. If you go through her Insta she's obviously gorgeous, but it's a lot bikinis, tight dresses, and skin showing. I have no issues with it, but I think IMG isn't looking for sexy bombshells, they want everywomen who are relatable to the general public; beautiful, but achievable. Maybe that won't be true at all for Chelsea, only time will tell, but that's what's stopping me from moving her up further.
Kentucky – Okay, I really love Lexie. I think she has the exact kind of beauty that IMG looks for; she is clearly beautiful, but not in an intimidating or cold way, she's approachable and warm, and her appearance is not unrealistic for women. It's the kind of beauty that counteracts Connecticut's, and what I think IMG is looking for. Besides her beauty though, she has a legitimate career as an accountant, and that is exactly what the beloved Allie Gonzalez did. I'd say that's a good sign. I can see her stunning at prelims and shocking everyone, I love her a lot.
Mississippi – Asya is someone to definitely look out for. Not only does she get the MAO state titleholder bump, she has A LOT more than that to offer. We all know about the first African-American titleholder in Mississippi which is a HUGE deal, but she's also the owner of a cosmetics company, which totally gives into the girl boss narrative IMG likes to have, and is an advocate for children of incarcerated parents. Not to mention, Asya is an absolute doll (she gives me some young Gabrielle Union vibes). I think she can end up going very far. My only qualm is that I wish she was a bit taller, but that's a very minor criticism and not something she can change obviously.
Nebraska – I absolutely love Megan and think she's being a bit underestimated. She's former MAO state titleholder, so we know that she already has an advantage here, but just take a look at her résumé. CEO of her own organization? Dedicated to motivational speaking and women's empowerment? That screams IMG. This girl will hands down be an amazing speaker, and everyone needs to stop underestimating what she can do. I also find her look enchanting. I'm always a sucker for people with super dark hair and super light eyes, so I find her just incredibly beautiful. I think she has the potential to go even farther than top ten, but I have her here for now.
Ohio – Sthephanie has so much personality, and I think that will definitely help her standout. I have a particular love for state titleholders who have YouTube channels, because they really give you such insight into their reigns that you wouldn't be able to get from Instagram posts; a YouTube video is just so much more personal and detailed than any Instagram post could be. I haven't seen much of a résumé from Sthephanie other than being an actress and model, but she has spoken about being an advocate for Alzheimer's disease awareness, which will win her points. I can see her placing, but I don't know how far she'll get.
Top 5:
Arkansas – Haley may be one of my biggest sentimental favorites so far. She gives off such girl-next-door energy, and I'm really loving the girls Arkansas has been sending; they are due for a winner very soon. Placing Haley so high is mainly her being one of my sentimental favorites. I don't think she's really given off any hints of what she may make her platform, but she has a degree in nutrition and can easily make a platform out of healthy/active lifestyles. I don't know if she has anything from her personal life she may want to highlight instead of that, as that's something we cannot just predict, but if she's a good speaker with a platform she can do very well. If not, she may just be a pretty face who gets lost in the batch, but I still do really like her.
New York – If this was Trump era, Andreia would easily be the biggest frontrunner here. She is the only delegate with major international experience (no, sorry Texas, I do not consider Miss Gwand International a major international pageant), and she will obliterate the other girls on the runway. However, as we all know, now you need more than that to win. Andreia seems to be decently covered on the more IMG sides of pageantry though: she's a professional public speaker, participates in many philanthropic efforts, and has the personal narrative of being an African immigrant to the US. I can see Andreia going down the Génesis Dávila route, where she gets hyped massively, stuns everyone, but then makes it far but doesn't win. Part of me just doesn't get winner vibes from her, although she'd easily be our best titleholder in a long time.
Top 3:
Idaho – Kim was instantly my frontrunner from the moment she was chosen, and she still is. Kim's path to the crown is all résumé, because hers is one of the strongest this year: an Ivy League-educated veterinarian, who also has pageantry experience as a Teen titleholder and modeling experience being a part-time model. She will be hitting it from all angles. If Kim is also a very strong speaker (which I expect that she will be), she can easily soar right to top three. Since she is half-Filipina, I think IMG also may be eager to crown the first Asian-American titleholder since Brook Lee (more than 20 years ago). The one thing holding Kim back is her directorship. As has been mentioned, Pageants Northwest is an atrocious director; they direct four states but only have one placement across all four states in the past ten years; sure it can be argued that Idaho and Montana are small states and that's why they don't have much success, Oregon and Washington are not, and there's no excuse for them doing so poorly all the time too. Kim will need to put in a lot of work on her own if she wants to win, and I really hope she wants it (part of me thinks she's more doing it for experience and the fun of it than really wanting to be Miss USA).
Hawaii – Samantha has been one of my top choices for Miss USA for awhile, and I'm especially happy she went back to her home of Hawaii to capture a Miss title. From what I've noticed, the path to doing well in IMG Miss USA is either having a strong résumé or being a very strong speaker (of course having both doesn't hurt). Samantha is an actress and model, which sure is respectable, but it's not an IMG worthy profession. However, she is an amazing speaker. Samantha is a supporter of the Toastmaster International public speaking nonprofit, and promotes the cause of children being taught public speaking skills. Basing her entire platform around a skill that is looked for in a Miss USA rather than having a distinct platform while also using the skill to advance that platform is an interesting strategy. Hawaiian girls are often extremely well-trained, so I expect Samantha will do well regardless considering she's the strongest Hawaiian titleholder since Chelsea Hardin.
Utah – I think Rachel has a very real chance of winning this year. She is so obviously the next step pageantry has to make. Black women have been fully embraced (as can be seen by the all black queens narrative that has been in the media all year), but LGBT women have not. Rachel is the first openly LGBT woman to take part in Miss USA, and that is going to be a huge narrative the media will run with; and they already have done so. Besides that though, Rachel is a dedicated advocate for mental health awareness, and I think her legitimate devotion to the cause and candid personal struggles with mental health will help her rise to the top of the many girls who nowadays make mental health awareness their platform. As can be seen through her social media, she's a very outgoing person and a gorgeous girl. Definitely someone to look out for, especially considering she has the amazing Shanna Moakler as her director.
----------------------------
Almost there:
Georgia – Alyssa has the MAO state titleholder bump, but I need more than just that. She doesn't have much of a résumé but she's very cute. I don't think she's a winner but she could snatch a placement, too early to tell.
Oklahoma – I legitimately think Mariah is one of the most physically beautiful girls competing this year, but she needs to show more than that. She works in film and media which is fun and all, but that's not something IMG will be impressed by. She needs to be an amazing speaker or have a great platform, and I haven't seen either of that yet, so we'll see. I do want her to do well though.
Almost almost there:
Generally all of these girls have given me something I like, be it a piece of their résumés or their styling, but what I do like is not nearly enough for them to compete with the girls I like a lot. They have room to improve, but I need to see that improvement:
Illinois
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
New Jersey
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Wyoming
Specific to Maryland, Texas, and Wyoming, they all are very pretty but I do not see anything from them that is IMG worthy, they appear more like Instagram models than modern beauty queens to me.
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