Hooters of America, LLC, today announced Kentucky-native Marissa Raisor as Miss Hooters International 2013. Raisor was crowned during the 30th Anniversary Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The full pageant with behind the scenes bonus footage and exclusive contestant interviews will air on Monday, July 29 at 10 p.m. ET on
Hooters girl said she is ready to sit back and watch the production. Bricault said the 30th anniversary pageant stepped away from tradition, with added choreography and teamwork
A 20-year-old Shelbyville, Ky., native and Northern Kentucky University marketing major, Raisor has worked at the Hooters of Newport, Ky., for two years. This is her second time participating in the Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant, but she is no stranger to this type of competition. Raisor placed first runner up in the Miss Kentucky USA® Pageant earlier this year.
Becoming Miss Hooters International is so surreal. It was such a tough competition with beautiful, intelligent and charismatic girls from around the world, I never expected this to happen but it’s starting to sink in,” said Raisor. “I loved being behind the scenes as a contestant to see everything come together for the pageant. As a marketing major, I’m especially looking forward to representing Hooters for the next year and serving as a brand ambassador.
The pageant contestants were selected from more than 18,000 Hooters Girls who presently work in one of the more than 400 Hooters locations worldwide. They each competed in local and regional swimsuit contests along “The Road to Vegas” for one of the 60 coveted spots in the 30th Anniversary Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant.
The top five Hooters Girl winners are first runner up Francesca Ruffino, Hooters of Cape Coral, Fla.; second runner up Lydia Hipkiss, Hooters of Nottingham, England; third runner up Janet Layug, Hooters of North Lakeland near Orlando, Fla.; fourth runner up, Ashley Pike, Hooters of Hiram, Ga.
Rounding out the top 10 in alphabetical order is Christina Coleman, Hooters of Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tenn.; Lucy Cronkite, Hooters Casino and Hotel, Las Vegas; Kathy Diehl, Hooters of Newport, Ky.; Rachel Fashing, Hooters of East Madison, Wis.; and Casey Luckey, Hooters of South Lakeland near Orlando, Fla. This year the contestant with the most social media activity leading up to the pageant was automatically entered into the finals alongside the top 10 winners. Hooters fans selected Amanda Bautista, Hooters of San Bruno in San Francisco, Calif., as Miss Hooters Social 2013.
Kirsten Martins from Hooters on the Rocks in Umhlanga, South Africa, was selected as Miss Hooters World, representing Hooters 27 international markets.
Chael Sonnen and Kenny Florian, Ultimate Fighting Championship® icons and co-hosts of FUEL TV’s UFC TONIGHT, co-hosted the Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant in Las Vegas with a celebrity panel of judges, including actress, model and television star, Audrina Patridge; mixed martial artist and UFC® Hall of Fame inductee, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell; supermodel and star of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Cynthia Bailey; nationally renowned ESPN broadcast analyst and former NBA player, Jay Williams; co-host of the nationally syndicated morning news show, “The Daily Buzz,” Lance Smith; actress, television host, author and Miss USA 2003, Susie Castillo; and former NFL wide receiver, Terrell Owens. The judging panel also included a special military hero, Lt. Col. Jason Amerine.
Hooters Girl Sam Arena was selected as this year’s backstage correspondent; she has been a Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant contestant in years past and was named second runner up in 2011 and Miss Photogenic at the 2010 competition. Hooters Girl Victoria Brown earned the onsite behind the scenes pageant correspondent role. Brown has been featured as a Hooters Magazine cover girl and placed as a top 10 finalist and a top five finalist in the 2011 and 2012 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageants, respectively.
To watch the full 30th Anniversary Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant, tune in to FOX-Speed TV on July 17, or catch an encore presentation on July 21, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. For behind-the-scenes pageant photos and contestant information, visit http://pageant.hooters.com. To find a Hooters location or more information about the latest deals and promotions, visit www.hooters.com.