A return to Palm Springs stokes pageant excitement, as a first-ever victory for Montana proves to be a fairy-tale ending. By Fred Abel

As our jet made its approach to the Palm Springs International Airport runway, the ring of majestic mountains, hundreds of square miles of desert sand, and pockets of palm-planted splendor comprised a mesmerizing beauty in the Coachella Valley. But that ethereal exterior covers a fiery climate, with weather patterns that conspire to create summertime average temperatures of 108 degrees in this Southern California oasis, where by high noon in the middle of August one imagines that even the buzzards seek relief in the comfort of a shady perch by a mountain spring.

We quickly came to realize the balmy Palm Springs climate, with an average of 350 days of sunshine each year, only served as a warmup for a far more welcome force of nature, the result of 51 of the country’s leading teens hitting the stage for the high-energy, fast-paced, star-studded Miss Teen USA Pageant.

The perfect conditions for this star-studded show grew out of a highly combustible mixture: the thousand-watt smiles and high-energy competition routines of the contestants onstage, the high-intensity stage lights required for a live national network TV broadcast, a lineup of some of today’s hottest teen pop-music stars, as well as the raucous emotions of a capacity audience made up of state pageant entourages, contestants’ families and friends, and pageant enthusiasts of all ages from across the United States.

TURNING UP THE HEAT: The opening production number at Teen USA set the tone for the rest of the high-energy finals. Outgoing Miss Teen USA Allie LaForce discusses her plans with cohosts Shaun Robinson and Damien Fahey.

Celebration Ready

We had arrived in Palm Springs in time to attend the Miss Universe Organization’s State Director’s Dinner, a thermometer-busting celebration of enthusiastic state pageant organizers, as well as the final dress rehearsals for the 24th annual Miss Teen USA Pageant. The party afforded us an opportunity to witness the director for Montana, Carol Hirata, and her husband, George, celebrate what was to be their final chance to realize a winning moment before Carol’s retirement from the MUO system. We also had ringside seats to watch the amazing Miss Universe Organization production team — headed by MUO President Paula Shugart and Executive Producer Phil Gurin — who, over the years, have distinguished themselves with their excellence in casting, programming, staging, directing, pacing, and organizing MUO and NBC’s three live annual TV pageant specials.

This year was no exception. The Miss Teen USA stage was a dramatic combination of black sparkle-light background, curved walls bathed in lavender, black-and-pink bleachers, and curved metallic grids interspersed with large video screens displaying close-ups of iconic beauty images: a female blue eye, a high heel, a brooch, and red lipstick-covered lips. In this hip setting, the opening number let the contestants’ sizzle, as they danced in outfits combining white pleated skirts and cropped tops that showed off their fitness to its fullest.

Entertainment value was also in abundance this year, with Lucas Grabeel, of the hit TV series High School Musical, singing “We’re All in This Together” during the introductions, and live performances from pop performers Ashley Parker Angel and JoJo spicing up the pageant’s major competition segments.

After videotaped samplings of the 51 contestants appearing at the many golf courses, shopping districts, resorts, desert spas, and museums of Palm Springs, cohosts Damien Fahey, host of MTV’s Total Request Live, and Access Hollywood weekend co-anchor and correspondent Shaun Robinson introduced outgoing Miss Teen USA Allie LaForce, who announced plans to return home to finish her senior year of high school.

Slick Slideshow

The Top 15 were about to be revealed, but for one final display of breathtaking beauty, the audience was treated to back-to-back still images of all 51 contestants, sophisticatedly photographed by fashion photographer Fadil Berisha.

With all the candidates back on stage, these were the Top 15 called forward: Morgan Woolard (OK), Raquel McClendon (MI), Brittany Sharp (GA), Danielle Zuroski (NE), Melissa Lingafelt (NC), Brittany Smith (SC), Katie Blair (MT), Katie Cooper (ND), Gentry Miller (KS), Emerald Zellers (AZ), Jennifer Wooten (FL), Jamie O’Brien (MD), Julianna White (NJ), Samantha Casey (VA), and Shaelyn McNally (RI). Cries of happiness rang out directly in front and behind us as Montana and Virginia supporters greeted their candidate’s early success.

After one more travelogue of Palm Springs and Ashley Parker Angel’s performance of the song “Gotta Let You Go,” it was back to a pageant favorite with the Swimsuit competition set to the High School Musical tune “Bop to the Top.” The Top 15 young ladies modeled bikinis made of bright pink or green fabric, with color-and-white contrasting band accents along waist, a contrasting-color wrap, and neutral-tone platform shoes completing the look. All 15 contenders concluded this event by performing a dance routine.

THEN THERE WERE 10: Ready for their final push for a title are the contestants from (L-R) Georgia, Rhode Island, Montana, Virginia, New Jersey, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Arizona.

The soulful performance by JoJo that followed simmered down the precedings just enough to allow a graceful transition into the Evening Gown event — also featuring the Top 15 semifinalists — after which the judges’ panel scoring led to the naming of the Top 10 by Damien Fahey and Shaun Robinson. The 10 who moved on: Brittany Sharp of Georgia, Shaelyn McNally of Rhode Island, Katie Blair of Montana, Samantha Casey of Virginia, Julianna White of New Jersey, Gentry Miller of Kansas, Jamie O’Brien of Maryland, Melissa Lingafelt of North Carolina, Katie Cooper of North Dakota, and Emerald Zellers of Arizona.

STILL HANGING ON: As time winds down, the Top 5 teens remaining poised for the next step forward are (L-R) Katie Cooper (ND), Brittany Sharp (GA), Melissa Lingafelt (NC), Katie Blair (MT), and Samantha Casey (VA).

The Last Word

Pretaped video close-ups of each of the Top 10 were presented next, as the climax naming the Top 5 and the presure-packed Final Question loomed directly ahead. But before those decisions came, the two top special awards were presented to NC’s Melissa Lingafelt as Miss Photogenic and CO’s Blair Griffith as Miss Congeniality.

As it turned out, Miss Lingafelt remained in contention with a Top 5 spot, joined by ND’s Miss Cooper, GA’s Miss Sharp, MT’s Miss Blair, and VA’s Miss Casey. The cohosts turned down the burners once more with informal conversations with the finalists, who fielded questions such as, “What has been your most memorable experience in Palm Springs?” and “What are the three most essential things to bring to a pageant?”

Tougher yet would be the round of Final Questions, in which each of the Top 5 picked a judge’s name from a bowl and fielded their question. All the Top 5 handled their question with aplomb, and then it came down to how those judges would ultimately rank them.

MOMENT OF TRUTH: The news of victory brings a look of shock to Katie Blair (R), who receives her crown from Allie LaForce, steps in front of Damien Fahey, and takes her first walk as titleholder.

By now, the Montana and Virginia entourages surrounding us in the audience were calling out to one another in friendly rivalry, knowing full well that, once the countdown was over, only one of the two teams would reach the ultimate destination. The decisions came quickly: First to step aside was Brittany Sharp of GA as 4th Runner-up; called next was Samantha Casey of VA as 3rd Runner-up; and then ND’s Katie Cooper was named 2nd Runner-up.

After only another brief pause from the cohosts that probably seemed like forever to the final pair, Melissa Lingafelt of NC was named 1st Runner-up. Cries of joy rang out from the front of the auditorium as Montana’s retiring pageant director, Carol Hirata, and supporters jumped up and down with excitement after hearing the announcement that their teen, Katie Blair, was going to be spending her next year in her New York City Trump Towers apartment as Miss Teen USA 2006. Miss Teen USA 2005 Allie LaForce pinned the Mikimoto crown on Katie’s head, and she stepped out across the stage to a heartfelt standing ovation. At least for Katie and her supporters, the heat was off. They had reached the mountain top.