Leigh-Taylor Smith, Miss Brooklyn 2008, made it all the way to Miss America 3rd Runner-up
Do you have a passion for community service, look good in a swimsuit and high heels, but aren’t quite ready to be questioned by the likes of Rush Limbaugh? Did you know there was a Miss Brooklyn pageant? Neither did we. But luckily we stumbled upon the site today because there are only three days left to apply to become 2010′s titleholder, who will be crowned on March 28 at Brooklyn College. The contest is open to women, age 18-24 (there’s a teen version too) who live, work or study in the five boroughs. Competitors vie for an academic scholarship—this year’s amount hasn’t been announced, but it’s been $1,000 for the last two years—and near-reaching fame.
Keelie Sheridan, the reigning Miss Brooklyn.
Entering’s relatively easy and far less expensive than anything featured on Toddlers & Tiaras; you’re required to raise $100 for the Children’s Miracle Network. If you’re curious about applying, yet a little rusty—or completely inexperienced—in your pageantry, know that all those accepted to the Miss Brooklyn pageant will be granted free admission to the Queens Corner, the East Coast’s premiere pageant social networking convention, held at the Newark Hilton. There you can see other titleholders, coaches, trainers and a variety of other handlers ready to transform you into the finest fame monster you can be. Remember, just smiling with your eyes—or having “charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent“—won’t necessarily put you above the rest.
Miss Brooklyn is determined by an interview, a talent display (mercifully limited to 90 seconds), a lifestyle & fitness (BMI) display in a swimsuit, how fiercely you can wear an evening gown and some on-stage questions. Since this is part of the Miss America pageant network, who knows—you could rise through the ranks and end up like Vanessa Williams, Carrie Prejean, or that unfortunate Miss Teen South Carolina. So, with stakes like those, be mindful of any sex tapes, lewd photos or involvement in the subprime mortgage crisis lurking in your past.
