The cable network that brought you Jon & Kate Plus 8 is launching a new reality show focusing on “the unseen world" of beauty pageants.
Cy Frakes, who has been coaching aspiring beauty queens for over 20 years will be the focus of the show, and the TLC network has ordered 12 episodes. The show will premiere, Sept 30.
The premiere episode features the now infamous Caitlin Upton, the former Miss Teen USA from South Carolina who could not give a coherent answer during the question portion of the competition.
She became a YouTube sensation, generating over 35 million views. In the premiere, Cy takes on the challenge of preparing the most parodied teen queen for a comeback to the pageant stage.
"The series definitely captures the essence of who I am and what I do," said Frakes in a statement.
"We deal with broken heels, broken nails and, of course, broken hearts. We prepare girls beyond a superficial level; we prepare them to overcome any challenge in life," he added.
| A Question Better Left Unanswered |
Beauty pageants are estimated to be a billion-dollar-a year business, according to TLC, and contestants as young as six-years old compete in junior pageants.
Jon Benet Ramsey, the pre-teen Colorado girl mysteriously murdered in her home in 1996 in an abortive kidnapping attempt, was active in beauty pageants.
The business, however, has lost some of its luster over the years, starting with the rise of women’s liberation in the 1970s. The Miss America pageant, once a major television event, is now relegated to cable.
Donald Trump owns and runs the Miss Universe pageant and it still commands a large audience, but it has also struggled with television ratings at least in the United States. Trump now personally picks contestants.
Frakes runs a pageant training business called Gowns and Crowns, and the show will follow him as he helps clients perfect everything from their walk, to their talk, to their hair, down to the dress.
He wants to not only redeem Caitlin's image, but also prove his business can deliver pageant-perfect women. He's a modern day Henry Higgins, if you will.
Among the shows other participants are: Amanda Helen Pennekamp, a pageant competitor who helps train the aspiring title holders to perfect everything from their walk to their self confidence; Kyle Taylor works as the booking agent scheduling appointments and wants to follow in Cy's footsteps and Shane Mason an interview coach.
The series is produced for TLC by FiveFive Productions and Discovery Studios. Executive Producers are Amber Mazzola and Rachel Tung.
For More on pageant scandals, check out these:
- Donald Trump to Decide Fate of Miss California
- Pageant Paid for Miss California Carrie Prejean’s Breast Implants
- 'Skinny' Contestant Upends Miss Universe Contest
- Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto's Under Fire for Racy Photos
- Miss Alaska Contestant Sarah Palin in Swimsuit Competition
Comments
The pageants seem fixed--I would be interested in knowing if contestants are hand picked from the beginning and if so ---That is not right!!! These girls put a lot into it, not to mention the money and the sponsors!!
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