On April 6, all 50 Miss USA contestants and the District of Columbia came to Ocean City to film introductions for the pageant as well as to shoot different landmarks highlighting Ocean City. The ladies were divided into three groups, two of which filmed their introductions on the Boardwalk while the other toured the resort.
“Everything went wonderfully,” said Ocean City Public Relations Director Donna Abbott. “The weather was on the cool side, but it was still a nice day. I think the end result will be great exposure for Ocean City on national television.”
The spots will run during the April 21 competition, which will be broadcasted live on NBC from the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore. It is Baltimore’s largest indoor sports and entertainment facility. This is the second year the pageant has been held in Maryland. Last year’s pageant was at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore and was seen in more than 100 countries.
Funded through a $25,000 state grant, Ocean City was not only able to bring the contestants to the resort, but also gain worldwide exposure.
“The girls were thrilled to be here. Many of them had never been here before,” Abbott said. “They were excited to see the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. I think the girls left wishing they had more time here.”
In addition to all the activities, the contestants attended a meet-and-greet party at the Carousel Resort Hotel.
The Miss USA hopefuls have been traveling all over the state, making public appearances to promote the event. Their hectic schedule doesn’t leave for much down time.
“It was a fun event for them,” Abbott said. “The two weeks prior to the broadcast, the girls are on a very tight schedule, racing to different appearances. I think the luau was a good chance for them to relax and enjoy themselves.”
About half of the contestants, including the 2005 winner Miss North Carolina, Chelsea Cooley, filmed in Ocean City before last year’s pageant.
Cooley will crown her successor at the conclusion of the two-hour telecast, before as estimated worldwide viewing audience of 250 million. Each contestant will be judged in swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories.
Last year Ocean City was featured with several other Maryland landmarks in a nine-minute segment during the pageant.
“It was all positive publicity air time on a national broadcast,” Abbott said. “It was a nice size audience that saw and heard about Ocean City.”
She thinks Ocean City will certainly get its minutes of fame this year.
“We are all excited to see how it will turn out,” Abbott said. “We were thrilled and excited to see how well the broadcast looked last year and we can’t wait to see the end results this year. I think we will be pleased. It was well worth the effort.”
The Miss Universe Organization, producers of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants, is a Donald J. Trump and NBC Universal partnership.
Source: http://www.oceancity.md/octoday/headline.cfm?PubID=3427
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