Beauty pageants, by name these events should be full of beauty queens, fabulous faces and world peace. But, sadly this is not the story, there is a lot more to these events, which we call as scandals and controversies. Be it the nude picture leak or the fake age scandal, every year we witness something or the other. Below are the scams that made headlines in their respective years and got these beauty queens a lot of negative popularity. Just scroll down to a have a look at some of the gorgeous faces that went an extra step and got a tag of being bad… really bad!
Miss USA 1957: Leona Gage
Controversies are not very new to the world of beauty pageants; they have been there since these competitions started. Way back in 1957, Leona Gage, Miss USA was charged with faking her age and marriage to enter the contest. And, the truth of her being 18 with two marriages and four kids was revealed by none other than her own mother-in-law. Well, she was immediately dethroned and since then her life has been more of a hell!
Miss America 1984: Vanessa Williams
The very first African American woman to win Miss America, Vanessa Williams, was dethroned months later of winning the crown after a 10-page spread of Penthouse was made public. In that Williams was seen in nude pictures with other woman. She was forced to leave her crown and was even exempted from all the contracts she then had. It was something very unbelievable but true!
Miss France 2004: Laetitia Bleger
Miss France, Laetitia Bleger, took off her clothes for Playboy and her crown went along with it. She was suspended as Miss France for six months after posing for the cover of French Playboy. Well, what I believe is that this woman was just too unlucky as many other women do the same thing but don’t end up in such consequences.
Miss Pima County (Arizona) 2005: Kumari Fulbright
This is what I call a scandal, which is quite different and very daring! Tucson Beauty, Kumari Fulbright,
who was crowned Miss Pima County that year, kidnapped her boyfriend with the help of four men. She bit him with her teeth, frightened him with a butcher knife and threatened to kill him. All this was ended when he managed to escape after firing an air-shot with Kumari’s gun. Well, she was indeed a step ahead of those half-nude picture controversies!
Miss Hispanoamerican Queen 2009: Laura Zuniga
The so-called world peace promoters, these beauty queens are at their worst when they are caught in something like drug-trafficking, like, the reigning Miss Mexico, Laura Zuniga who had to give up her Miss Hispanoamerican Queen title because of this. She was held along with seven other men with $53,000, weapons, and ammunition in a vehicle. Well, Laura says that she was going shopping, which is quite weird to believe!
Miss USA 2006: Tara Corner
Well, some women are definitely very lucky, like Tara Corner, who got away with a very big scandal without giving up on her crown. She was charged of underage drinking, cocaine use and kissing Miss Teen USA. However, her saving grace was Donald Trump, who found a beautiful heart in the lady and let her kept her position and respect intact. She was just sent to rehab for a few months. Well, now what the real story was, only Tara or Donald can tell!
Miss Great Britain 2006: Danielle Lloyd
She stripped for Playboy, which resulted in her dethroning from the title of Miss Great Britain 2006. Danielle Lloyd is a name people know because of seductive photographs and racial comments on the reality show Big Brother. She even got into the controversy about having a relationship with one of the judges of the pageant. Whatever the case maybe, she is still searched over the net, not for her win but for her bold nude pictures.
Katie Rees: Miss Nevada 2007
Katie Rees won the title of Miss Nevada USA 2007 but was dethroned months later because of an utterly shameful act. Her compromising pictures with another woman in Florida nightclub were released on the MySpace page of an escort service owner. Well, I wonder what Rees was trying to show off with her sexual acts in public; all I know is that she brought a lot of disgrace to the beauty pageants.
Miss Teen Louisiana 2008: Lindsey Evans
Miss Teen Louisiana, Lindsey Evans, lost her crown eleven days early after being arrested on charges of leaving a restaurant without paying a bill of $46.07. Her purse was checked when she left, and the cops found weed and marijuana in her bag which led to a bigger crime. Well, whatever the case maybe, as I always say, drugs are something that is inexcusable until it is Tara Corner!
Miss California 2009: Carrie Prejean
She is a woman who opposes gay marriages and she is someone who has an answer for everything. She is Carrie Prejean, former Miss California who had to give up her position and crown over extreme comments and some sexy photographs. When Paris Hilton asked about her views on gay marriages, she said that she supports only opposite sex relationships, which was a extreme comment by a beauty queen who is supposed to promote peace. In addition to the problems, later in the year, her semi-naked pictures hit the web. Well, whatever, this controversy added disgrace to the world of beauty pageants and left Carrie with no crown in her name!
