CMT Week in LA---WOW!

During the week in Los Angeles, I met all 52 contestants. Imagine a huge group of beautiful girls concentrated in a small area. For some this would be a dream come true while others need a little time to let it sink in as a reality – that was me. At the time I did not realize that at the end of the week I would have many more friends than I thought possible. We shared memorable experiences, heartfelt conversations, and of course…TV secrets. I can hardly believe how much we were pampered and taken care of: make-up and hair perfected by professionals, a star entrance on Hollywood Boulevard, and so much security! I never thought I would be the “important person” with private security, men walking around in suits or bright yellow shirts with earpieces, occasionally talking into a little wire microphone.

The bulk of the trip was spent filming for the two hour contestant special to air on CMT leading up to the final pageant (Monday, January 29 in case you didn’t know :). It was an enlightening experience getting to work with a terrific production crew. I learned how much goes into a television production and how many people are actually involved. They divided the 52 of us into groups for easier filming. My group, the orange team, had a fabulous crew working with us. Our sound tech, Gabrielle, wired us with microphones every morning and we had so much fun with the concept of having an outside ear listening to our conversations. We would send him funny messages or talk to him when he was too far away to respond. Then there was our director, Molly. To give an idea of how well we worked together, SHE also teared-up a little during our final one-on-one interviews. She helped bring our group closer by fostering and encouraging group interaction while truly caring about us as real people. For example, it was Molly’s idea to have us talk about our platforms as a group (which no other group formally did). At first we thought to ourselves, “How staged is this – standing around in a semicircle?” But as we talked, it became one of the most genuine, personal, and emotional conversations we had; an amazing memory and experience. We earned and gave more respect and compassion to each other. I will leave the remainder of our interactions and events to the CMT Contestant special – even the identification of my group mates!

Besides the filming, we made an appearance at the Kodak Theater complex, the Chinese Theater, and had a great party at the Roosevelt hotel. The evening was complete with celebrity guests: Marilu Henner, Doris Roberts (from Everybody Loves Raymond), former Miss Americas, Johnny Grant (the unofficial mayor of Hollywood), and of course, Miss America herself, Jennifer Berry (who is just as sweet, humble, and unpretentious as she looks).

They gave us an incredible week in Los Angeles and I learned so much just by being in the midst of the most well-rounded women in America.