6 Beauty Queen Scandals That Prove Pageant Life Is Seriously Twisted
These queens chose controversy over the crown. 👑
1. Marcia Gay Reynolds: Miss Jamaica World
Marcia Gay Reynolds was previously known as Miss Jamaica World's 2007 runner-up, but now you'll remember her for an entirely different reason. The 32-year-old beauty queen was living in Queens and working as a JetBlue Airlines flight attendant when her career took a turn for the criminal.
Reynold's was subjected to a random TSA screening at LAX while carrying almost 70 pounds of cocaine in her bags. She dropped her bags, ditched her shoes and ran for it, somehow catching a flight to LaGuardia airport. She turned herself in the next day.
2. Kristielee Caride: Miss Puerto Rico Universe
Kristielee Caride is the first beauty queen to ever get stripped of her crown before the Miss Universe pageant. Despite only having won Miss Puerto Rico Universe four months prior, pageant directors found she was ditching commitments and behaving rudely. Officials also believe she had a controversial interview with a Venezuelan entertainment reporter.
"I saw the damage that she was doing and the damage that she was doing to the organization," said Desiree Lowry, the director of Miss Universe Puerto Rico.
3. Meghan Alt: Miss Orange County
Meghan Alt won Miss Orange County in 2014, but is now in all orange, behind bars. The Irvine, California native was accused of creating and distributing child pornography. She was charged with three felony counts of a lewd act on a child.
4. Tara Conner: Miss USA
Former Miss USA Tara Conner's 2006 controversy is probably one of the most popular in recent history. Many gossip rags claimed Conner had a drug and alcohol problem, which she denied until months later. She was only allowed to keep her crown because she went to rehab.
5. Katherine Nicole Rees: Miss Nevada
Katie Rees was crowned Miss Nevada 2007, but was dethroned after competing in Miss USA that same year. Initially in hot water after inappropriate photos surfaced online, she was later arrested in 2008 for assaulting a police officer and possessing cocaine.
In 2014, she was arrested again for trafficking a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and yet again in 2015, after she and her boyfriend were pulled over on a traffic stop with felony possession of the same substance.
6. Carrie Prejean: Miss California
Miss USA 2009 runner up Carrie Prejean first generated controversy during the pageant while sharing her thoughts on same-sex marriage. Partially nude photos of Prejean were released soon after the pageant, but she lost her crown due to "breach of contract."