Grizzly crowned Miss Montana USA

The University of Montana has recently become home to several top beauty pageant contestants.

Stephanie Trudeau from St. Ignatius, a junior at UM majoring in human biology, was crowned the 2007 Miss Montana USA on Sept. 3 in Missoula. 

UM student Tori Wanty was named first runner-up and Miss Congeniality for the 2007 Miss USA Pageant.

“I am so happy. The girl that won is the biggest sweetheart ever and she has done (the pageant) for three years, so she deserves it,” Wanty said.

“I’m elated that Stephanie is my first title-holder. Her family is phenomenal and very supportive and I couldn’t have asked for a better title-holder,” first-year Miss Montana USA Pageant executive director Tonya King said.

Trudeau had competed in the Miss USA Pageant twice before earning the crown. She was named fourth runner-up in 2006 and second runner-up in 2005. Her dad encouraged Trudeau to run again this year, saying the competition wasn’t just about looks but also about leadership, and said he really thought she had a chance, Trudeau said.

“I’m not really a glamour girl, you know?” Trudeau said.

Before competing, Trudeau was asked to submit a one-page essay telling the judges about herself, on which the judges based most of their interview questions. During her interview, the judges asked Trudeau to tell them about her experience as a tae kwon do instructor and a singer for a bluegrass band. For her onstage question, Trudeau was asked what issue she would first address if elected mayor of Missoula, in which Trudeau answered teens and their awareness of drugs, she said.

As compensation for winning the event, Trudeau received an all–expenses paid trip to the 2007 Miss USA Pageant, at a location that has of yet not been announced.

Trudeau also won a sterling silver bracelet from Tiffany’s, an array of luggage, videos and pictures, a bathrobe, merchandise from Bath and Body Works and a trip to Los Angeles for her hair and makeup for the Miss USA 2007 Pageant. In addition, she won a shopping spree for a new wardrobe, a new evening gown to wear at the competition, as well as a trip to Universal Studios, King said.

The Miss Montana USA Pageant contestants are graded on three aspects: the swimsuit and evening gown competition, plus an interview with the judges, Trudeau said.

In addition to competing in the 2007 Miss USA Pageant, Trudeau also gets the opportunity to help out with Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Montana, as well as helping out with the Special Olympics here, Trudeau said. She also gets to travel and speak to Montana elementary schools and take part in both Missoula’s and Bozeman’s homecoming parades, she said.

When Trudeau realized she won, she felt as though “ it wasn’t real … I wanted to win but when I was up there and it was only two of us, I didn’t expect to win … they said, ‘Stephanie, you won, you need to walk,’” Trudeau said.

Trudeau has high hopes for the 2007 Miss USA Pageant. “I’m just going to go and give it my best shot and hope for the best,” she said. “When I was little I liked watching (Miss USA) on TV but I’m a little intimidated cause those girls are gorgeous and tall and I’m only 5-2, but it’s not just about looks, it’s about leadership too,” Trudeau said.

Because the Miss USA/Miss Universe organization is owned by Donald Trump and NBC, if Trudeau wins, she will be employed by Trump, live in the Trump Tower in New York, earn a year’s salary and have the opportunity to work with many New York charities and fundraisers, King said.

The Miss USA 2007 Pageant will be held sometime next spring, but the location won’t be disclosed until sometime in January, Trudeau said.

“The Miss Montana USA Pageant is not just about being in a beauty contest,” Trudeau said, “it’s about being confident in who you are and being comfortable in your own skin and wanting to be a good role model for others and representing the state.”