Pageant News Bureau - Controversies

Those weird pageant stories

Gerdeen Dyer, the veteran journalist who founded pageant.com, has a worldwide reputation as an expert on beauty competitions. He has been interviewed by many other members of the mainstream media because of his ability to explain complex pageant issues in a simple manner. As a service to reporters seeking insight on recent pageant controversies, PNB conducted this Q&A. Those seeking further information can contact Mr. Dyer at Gerdeen@pageant.com.

Q. Recently, it was alleged that a pageant winner in Puerto Rico was targeted by someone who put pepper spray on her clothing. The new queen reportedly broke out in hives. But police said they found no pepper spray. Is it possible her story was a hoax?

A. It's possible, but more likely she herself was the victim of a hoax. If she had reason to suspect she had been exposed to something harmful, it wouldn't be surprising for her to have nervous symptoms. I don't mean this as a sexist comment. Big strapping men and whole crowds of people have had psychosomatic reactions when they suspected some kind of dangerous substance was in the air or on their bodies. I've heard that the social atmosphere at this particular pageant was tense. Maybe she was threatened or teased about what someone might do, and her
imagination did the rest.

Q. Would contestants threaten each other? Many beauty queens say all the talk of bitter rivalries is fiction.

A. Girls who say that are naive or are just trying to protect the industry's image. Feuds are not unknown. There are pageant rivals who get along very well, and there are rivals who hate each other. It's the same as in sports or politics.

Q. So some contestants can't bear to lose?

A. It can be a huge disappointment, especially when the stakes are high. Pageant girls are trained to keep their composure, and some do, at least until they leave the scene of the pageant. But some sob, some curse and some just pout. This is human nature. It's not peculiar to pageants.

Q. So pageant sabotage is real?

A. Sabotage? If you mean vandalism and violence, those are very rare. But backbiting and trickery are common. Dirty tricks.

Q. Like what?

A. If you advise another girl to do or say something during the contest that you know will backfire on her, that's a dirty trick. And it happens all the time. At least that's what contestants tell me.

Q. OK, on to another topic. Recently a girl was crowned Miss California USA, but the title was taken away within days, and officials said the crowning was a mistake. They gave the title to another girl who they said was the real winner.

A. Yes. That sort of thing is unfortunate. But the fact that they took swift action to correct it is commendable, even though they were embarrassed.

Q. Has this ever happened before?

A. Sure.

Q. Often?

A. No, not often. But it has happened. It has even happened onstage. The wrong name is called and somebody has to say, "Wait, wait a minute!"

Q. How on earth ...?

A. You have a lot of contestants, several judges, several categories of competition, so a lot of scores have to be tabulated. And if you're on a tight schedule, they have to be tabulated quickly. There's a risk of error. It's low, but with all the pageants going on out there, sometimes things go wrong. Remember the Mars probe that crashed because they used the wrong standards of measurement? If rocket scientists can make mistakes, people in the pageant business are probably not immune.

Q. Could this be a publicity stunt?

A. I almost always suspect a publicity stunt when there's a so-called pageant scandal, but not in this case. No competitive industry wants to have the basic integrity of its process called into question. Nobody wanted this to happen. But as I say, I think it shows the pageant's willingness to address problems. And if all turns out well, both young women will benefit from the publicity.