Las Vegas Weekly

January 22, 2009 · 3:45 PM

Miss America Pageant judges, in choosing one winner, face ‘frightening and daunting’ task

By Robin Leach

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

The seven judges of the 2009 Miss America Pageant say they are looking for the contestant who has “poise, elegance and is the most confident.” They admit that it’s a “frightening and daunting task” and the most difficult assignment they’ve ever tackled.

My friend from our early CNN days, Inside Edition chief correspondent Jim Moret, who has covered entertainment news for more than 20 years, even confessed: “It is sobering. It is a very difficult task, and I am more nervous going into this than any other experience I’ve faced in my life. I’ve been sweating it late at night, unable to sleep at 2 in the morning because of the awesome responsibility. ”

Jim admitted that his wife and 19-year-old daughter had talked him into accepting the invitation to be a judge of the pageant that airs Saturday on TLC. “You should do this,” he said they told him. He gave up one week of his vacation time for the unpaid assignment. “Miss America takes this process very seriously. We have security guards watching us the entire time. We do not leave the hotel, and we don’t get out to see Vegas during the entire judging process -- only one night before it starts and then after the pageant itself. It shows great respect for the process and the title.”

Beth Klein, Showtime casting VP who overseas Weeds, Dexter and The Tudors, added: “It’s a daunting experience at the same time as being exhilarating. It isn’t just about looking for one quality or somebody being charismatic. There’s a whole other series of motivating aspects to picking the one right young woman.”

The other five judges of the pageant at Planet Hollywood are former fitness model turned denim designer Paige Adams-Geller, owner of Paige Premium denim, which the 52 contestants have been wearing on stage during rehearsals and preliminaries; actress-singer Laura Bell Bundy, who received Tony and Drama Desk nominations for her lead role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical; Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones Jr., who set team world records in the 2008 Summer Olympics; former Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson, a community service specialist who raises awareness and funds for diabetes research; and Ken Paves, one of Hollywood’s hottest hairstylists who has tended the tresses of Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Alba and Marcia Cross.

Laura told me: “This is a beauty pageant, but, unlike others, we are looking for 100 percent beauty both on the inside and out.” Cullen ’fessed up: “It is a big responsibility. I was frightened with that before I got here, and it got worse once I arrived. I rewrote all my questions for the contestants. I have a newfound respect for America’s young women. They are so eloquent in their responses, and, man, this is hard work to find the best of the best.”

He told me he’s drawing on the same experiences he faced after winning Olympic gold and being thrown right into a mass media grilling. “Then I thought to myself, if I can walk in front of thousands just wearing a swim brief, then I can handle a press conference. So similarly I see these young ladies who are fearless, self-confident and are happy with their bodies without having to worry about any supposed controversy over a swimsuit portion of the pageant. I’m looking for the winning girl to be able to do that for the next 365 days and not falter once.”

Cullen continued: “It’s not unlike new President Barack Obama. All the potential for greatness is there with these contestants. They’ve achieved certain success already, and now they want an even more difficult job to head up. If the young women before them have raised the bar as previous Miss America winners, we as a group are certain we will find one standout who will do even better.”

Ken commented: “Each woman herself is unique. We have to find that intangible quality. One individual with a unique sense of adventure for life. In light of the decay of our youth today, I’d say these girls are so promising. There is hope for the future of America in their hands. They’re not exploiting themselves like some stupid youngsters do on YouTube. That one girl walks in the interview room, and when she speaks, you just know she is the one. It’s a grueling undertaking, but I’m looking for the one who can continue the legacy and having won Miss America will then always be Miss America. It’s all about the respect of maintaining that lineage.”

The judges agreed that it was an awesome, humbling and yet inspirational assignment. “Their willingness to serve and get their hands dirty and try wanting to be the best is amazing. These are awesome women, and remember their age range is only 17 thru 24,” one judge said. “We are awestruck by them. We feel small against them and honored to judge them,” another judge said.

Each contestant is grilled for 10 minutes by the judges, and as Jim told me: “Nothing is off limits. We can ask them anything. You get at the meat of her in the interview process. You see if she can stand up on a political show or an entertainment show, yet is just as much at home with sick children in hospitals and can represent the goals of the Miss America Organization and the Children’s Miracle Network. Many of the girls come in thinking they have to be practiced and rehearsed. Our message is just to be real. Be yourself!”

Miss America Organization Chairman Sam Haskell summed up: “I have no worries that whomever they select to win the title will be an excellent Miss America. Kirsten Haglund has done an incredible job the past 12 months in that role. Lauren Nelson the year before her was phenomenal, and both came out of great groups of contestants. I’ve already told this year’s group their class is head and shoulders above them because they are the best that America has to offer.

“We realize that every group each year brings something extraordinary. I just tell each state winner to be the best they can be, as they are about to write a new chapter of the next path of their destiny. This group of contestants is unbelievable -- each one of them could fill Kirsten’s shoes, and they are pretty big. All of them are so confident and get the big picture of what we’re doing with Miss America. They are ordinary women placed in extraordinary circumstances.

“We can’t define America’s young women by the celebutantes in Hollywood who get all the press with their bad deeds. It would be nice if the good deeds, values, morals and ethics of our contestants won more press and recognition. The good thing, though, is that we have thousands of high-principled, hard-working young women in America helping make this a better place to live. We’re succeeding in that goal of Miss America and re-polishing our brand to make community service and good deeds hip and cool.

“I hate the term, but I’ll let you say it in tabloid headline fashion: goodie two shoes does triumph!”

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