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| Vanessa williams miss america scandal |
9. Jenna Talackova: Poised, talented, winsome: Talackova had all the qualities you'd look for in a Miss Universe ... except for the fact that she was born a man. This Miss Canada was among the top Miss Universe hopefuls in 2012 until pageant organizers found out about her transgender status. Miss Universe rules required each contestant to be a natural-born female, but a grassroots petition signed by thousands of fans convinced the pageant to change the rules. Talackova even finished in the top 12 and won Miss Congeniality.
8. Laura Zuniga: She was on top of the world when she won Mexico's Nuestra Belleza pageant in September, 2008. By December, she was in a jail cell having been arrested for being with seven heavily-armed men accused of drug trafficking. Zuniga claimed she didn't realize her boyfriend was a member of Mexico's notorious Juarez Cartel, and that she was taken against her will. Ultimately, she was released because there was no evidence she'd actually committed a crime. She lost her crown, but gained the nickname Miss Narco.
7. Ashley Harder: The Marlton native won Miss New Jersey 2007 in her first-ever beauty pageant. She was all set to compete for Miss USA, had to drop out when she got pregnant.
6. Leona Gage: Lest you think sordid pageant scandals are a new phenomena, this 1957 Miss Maryland's reign as Miss USA lasted just one day. Gage was stripped of her crown after it was revealed she was 18, not 21 as she wrote on her pageant application. She also was a married mother of two. She was outed by her mother-in-law.
5. Oxana Fedorova: The one-time Russian cop won Miss Universe in 2002, but ultimately gave back the crown. She says she stepped down to pursue a law degree. Pageant organizers griped she didn't fulfill her Miss Universe duties.
4. Tara Conner and Katie Blair: Conner lost her 2006 Miss USA crown after rumors of her hard-partying ways came to light. One of Tara's BFFs was Blair, Miss Teen USA. Blair's underage drinking got her into hot water with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
3. Melissa King: Miss Delaware Teen USA may have starred in an amateur porn video. The 18-year-old King claimed she wasn't the one in the video, but she ended up giving back her crown anyway. She also admitted to underage alcohol possession.
2. Carrie Prejean: Just when did the Carrie Prejean train fly off the tracks? Was it when celeb blogger and Miss USA judge Paris Hilton blasted Prejean for her anti-gay-marriage views during the 2009 pageant? Maybe it was when the buzz of nude photos and a sex tape surfaced, or when she sued Miss USA, claiming among other things the pageant was rigged. One thing is not in dispute: the scandal cost Prejean her Miss California crown.
1. Vanessa Williams: While other pageants seem to thrive on scandal, Miss America usually is above it all. Enter Williams, who was the first African American to win Miss America in 1983. A year later, nude photos of Williams appeared in Penthouse. The beauty queen said she took the photos when she was a photographer's assistant in 1983, but that didn't satisfy the pageant or the press. Williams relinquished her title, but has been a successful singer and actress since.
