Las Vegas Weekly

February 2, 2012 · 6:04 PM

Exclusive: Official portraits of Miss Nevada USA, Miss Teen Nevada USA

By Robin Leach

2012 Miss Nevada Teen USA Katie Eklund.

Photo: Georgina Vaughan/GeorginaVaughanPhotography.com

They are truly stunning official portraits. The first duty of the newly crowned Miss Nevada USA Jade Kelsall and Miss Teen Nevada USA Katie Eklund was to report to Georgina Vaughan’s Las Vegas photography studio for the official post-pageant photo shoot.

Georgina, the 2009 Miss Nevada USA, is now a pageant photographer and released the portraits for a Vegas DeLuxe first look. “There’s no doubt that Jade and Katie are big winners,” Georgina said. “The camera doesn’t lie, and I think I captured them at their best the day after the pageant.

“Their happiness and confidence comes shining through. They are the best Nevada has had, and I agree with many others that they could go all the way to the big title.”

Jade, who was a nightclub hostess at XS in Steve Wynn’s Encore, is the new ambassador of Top Shop, the U.K. chain of hip clothing stores that is opening an outlet in Fashion Show next month. She will represent our Silver State in the Miss USA Pageant here June 3 and airing on NBC, with that winner representing America in the Miss Universe Pageant.

Katie, a senior at Centennial High School and a Bulldogs cheerleader, travels to the Bahamas in August for the Miss Teen USA Pageant. She is already heavily tipped to make it to the Top Five.

Pageant photographer Joe Pier put together a poster of the 2012 Miss Nevada USA Pageant’s Top 12 from their swimsuit presentation Sunday night at the Pearl in the Palms, and, yes, that’s Jade in the center row second from the left already looking like a winner.

Incidentally, in other Miss Nevada Pageant news, actress Dawn Wells, a Reno High School graduate who found stardom on “Gilligan’s Island” as Mary Ann after winning the 1959 Miss Nevada USA Pageant, appears in the new Broadway play “Love, Loss and What I Wore” that also features Sierra Boggess, formerly Christine Daae in “Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular” at the Venetian.

Vegas DeLuxe will continue to cover Jade and Katie as they prepare for their national competitions.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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