When reflecting back on what was honestly a 10 day journey of my dreams unfolding, it’s very difficult to put into words the emotions I felt throughout that time, or to explain the level of friendships which I made. My time at Miss America was a time that will surely always be remembered at “the time of my life”. From the minute my parents took me to the airport (riding in style in a limo fit for a queen), to the moment I got patted down in RDU security because “all my bling made the machine blow up” (haha) I knew the trip was going to be interesting!
Funny enough, I met some great NC folks on my flight from Denver to Las Vegas. They were from Aberdeen and became new friends and wonderful supporters too! That gave me a sense of peacefulness going into the week of the unknown! I arrived at LAS and was greeted by Miss America security and taken straight to the hotel where I began my whirlwind. From checking my competition wardrobe in, to fittings with Express and the Miss America staff, to having an interview with ABC’s On the Red Carpet (from LA), to finally applying lip gloss and combing my hair before the Arrival Ceremony, I was already tired! After the official Arrival Ceremony, all the contestants went to our rooms and dressed down for a big kick off meeting. This is when I finally saw my hotel room, and my wonderful roommate for the next 10 days!
The next few days were in sane! We were in rehearsals ALL day long, with meals and interviews galore mixed in there somewhere! In our “down
time”, we learned more about each contestant, forming small groups on the carpet in the corner of the huge ballroom and just chatting away until we exhausted ourselves! Thankfully MAO kept a plentiful supply of tea and coffee to keep us going! (Thanks MAO!!) It was funny to see girls curled up in the corner napping during down time at rehearsal, or in another corner doing crunches and lunges to make sure they were 100% swimsuit ready! Funny enough….I was always in the talkative, get-to-know-you group! We were the ones snacking and chatting, chatting and snacking!! I made some AMAZING friends in the process though!
Throughout the week before competition, we had several special trips from Phantom of the Opera, to Buca di Bepo and PF Chang’s for dinner, and even an IHOP pancake breakfast! We also participated in an awesome fashion show for Express, followed by an autograph signing at the mall. These were all fun chances for us to bond even more and take over parts of Las Vegas as a team!! We had a great time.
Our Sunday full of filming at several different spots around Las Vegas was a long one, but very fun! We literally danced ALL DAY and learned a lot about how to keep ourselves going even when we really wanted to just sleep! We ate on the bus going from destination to the next, and tried not to freeze to death in our Joseph Ribkoff outfits at 11pm on the rooftops of the hotels! What a cool experience it was, and what an awesome finished product! (The opening number Parade of States video everyone saw on Saturday night finals) Being in front of the camera that whole day and learning the ins and outs of filming something like that was a learning experience in itself! So much fun.
Interview was Tuesday morning for me. It went amazingly well! I had so much fun with the judges, and truly felt like I was at lunch with friends. They were all so down to earth! I really felt like they were trying to get to know ME, rather than trying to stump me with questions that told them nothing about who I really am and what I stand for. They were very interested in my musical family and my music/performance background, my nervous butterflies in my feet, and my opera singing dog! It was a lot of fun, and could not have gone any better! (What a relief!!)
Once preliminaries started, another burst of adrenaline kicked in (which was much needed after many rehearsals and filming days, etc). We finally got to perform what we had all been working so hard at for weeks, months, and even years! We were also ready for visitation—a chance to FINALLY see our wonderful families and friends! Preliminary competition was awesome. I could not be happier with the way I performed swimsuit and evening gown on Tuesday night, Talent on Wednesday night, and finally On-Stage Question on Thursday. I truly felt like I gave 150% to my performance, and wouldn’t change a thing if I could do it again!
Thursday night before competition began, Teresa Scanlan came into our dressing room to give everyone a pep talk before the final night of preliminary competition. She gave a wonderful speech about how she truly admired each one of us for chasing our dreams and for working so diligently. She went on to explain that she knew only one of us would walk away with the Miss America crown, but she thought every one of us deserved it. So, she removed 53 stones from her crown and placed them in necklaces for each one of us to keep around our necks as a reminder that we all were Miss America in the eyes of our states and our families and friends, and were all representatives of
what that sparkling jewel represents. I was touched beyond words, and will be forever grateful to Teresa for honoring each of us that evening with something so meaningful and special.
During the week, I was presented with both the Duke of Edinburgh award and the Miracle Maker Award for raising over $40,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Both were amazing honors that I will cherish forever.
Friday was a long day of TV rehearsal and finally the Crown Gala with our families and state committees. Beth and I got to walk the red carpet and be introduced together, hand in hand, as a wonderful NC team along with all the other state titleholders and their EDs. Then, I joined my family and friends for a lovely dinner and a presentation by Teresa Scanlan of military families who had lost a loved one at war. Many of them were from North Carolina, and I had the honor of meeting them and taking pictures with them after the wonderful presentation. The gala was a nice time to relax with my biggest fans, and to really take every bit of the experience in with no pressure of competition that night.
Saturday, we had rehearsal again….imagine that! It was all about getting “camera ready” and prepared for the big night. And then, it was time!!!! The night we had all been waiting for was finally here. We danced our hearts out in the opening, then anxiously awaited the Top 15 names to be called. After several LONG commercial breaks, I heard my name! Lucky number 13, Miss North Carolina Hailey Best!!!! WOW….what a feeling! I can’t even explain the joy and excitement and rush of adrenaline I felt at that moment. I was so thankful to the judges, and to my supporters for believing in me all the way! I quickly rushed to put on my swimsuit and competed in that phase of competition wearing my teeny weeny bikini for all to see on national television! After swimsuit came the yucky elimination process everyone has been asking about. Alabama, Virginia, and I stood at the front of the stage and waited for our fellow contestants to line up behind us to show their support. I will never be able to express my thanks enough to my dear friend Ariana Walker, Miss North Dakota, for reaching her arms from behind me to hug me and whispering “I’ve got your back girl”. It was at that moment that I felt completely content with whatever happened next. I knew that I had made friends for a lifetime, even if I did not move on in the competition. That was enough for me! After being eliminated, I joined the other non-finalist girls, and was received warmly with hugs and kisses and lots of tears! The girls went on to say they were sorry about what we just went through, and explained that if they had known what production was going to make them do, they would have formed a large circle around the 3 girls at the front of the stage, held hands, and refused to choose between 3 of their sisters. Of course there was no time to think of that and communicate it to everyone in the short amount of time they were given, but it was so nice to know that we truly are a sisterhood, and a family that will stick together no matter what. I sat over in the lounge for the remainder of the evening and cheered on some of my greatest new friends as they competed in evening gown and talent competitions. We were then rushed to the dressing room to put on our evening gowns for the crowning ceremony. You should have seen all the pizza and m&ms being eaten in those sparkly gowns!! I am definitely guilty of that! J We were then escorted back out on stage to watch one of our sisters be crowned Miss America 2012. I was so happy for one of my dearest friends, Betty Thompson, who was named first runner up! She is truly a class act and a wonderful friend, who was very deserving of how far she went in the competition. Go Betty!!
Laura Kaeppeler, Miss Wisconsin, was named Miss America 2012! What a beautiful, kind, deserving young lady she is. Laura is absolutely gorgeous, so well spoken, and so passionate about her platform. She will represent us so well. I am so honored to say that I am her sister in the class of 2012, and will continue to support her throughout her reign and beyond this year as well. Thank you, Laura, for representing us so well and for the amazing job you are already doing as our nation’s most beautiful representative.
I am truly and eternally grateful to all of my supporters, my friends, and my family, for the tremendous amount of love I have felt so far in my journey as Miss NC. Miss America was a wonderful 10 days of learning, growing, developing friendships, and becoming an even stronger and more passionate Hailey Best, Miss North Carolina 2011. I can never thank all of you enough. I am so proud to be your state representative, and will continue to travel our state with enthusiasm and passion!
