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Nevada finally got a pageant winner; here are 10 who failed but gained notoriety anyway

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 | 2 a.m.

No contestant from Nevada has ever won a Miss America or Miss USA pageant — until this week when Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez won the Miss USA Pageant. But several Miss Nevadas and Miss Nevada USAs have captured America’s attention. Some for better, some for worse.

Representatives from the Silver State have gone on to become famous television stars and influential politicians. A few also have found themselves in compromising situations or spent the night in jail.

Here’s a look back at some of the state’s most notable pageant contestants. This story was initially published on the Sun's website last summer:

AP Photo/The Reno Gazette-Journal, John Schreiber

2009 Miss Nevada Christina Keegan

The former Miss Northern Counties took a brave approach to the competition, choosing rape as her platform issue. When she was 19, Keegan was drugged and sexually assaulted in Spain. The experience could have broken her; instead, it empowered her.

"Nobody likes to talk about sex and violence," Keegan said. "It's kept at arm's length as being dirty, but I decided to embrace the subject. Sexual assault is not a pretty issue, but it needs to be addressed. I think it's important to say I'm a survivor, and I'm not ashamed."

Keegan didn't place in the Miss America pageant, but she was named second runner-up for the quality of life awards, which honor contestants for their charity and public-service platforms. Read more about the 2009 Miss America pageant here.
AP Photo/David Adame

2004 Miss Nevada Elizabeth Muto

The former Miss Las Vegas had a rough start in life. She was abandoned as an infant at the Reno airport but was rescued by two pilots who found her in a baby seat on a counter. She was taken into foster care and adopted.

In the Miss America pageant, Muto won a nonfinalist interview award and was second runner-up for the quality of life award. She later earned the title Miss Black USA.

A longtime child advocate, Muto was honored with a volunteer service award issued by President George W. Bush and featured on "Good Morning America," "Dr. Phil" and "Inside Edition." She continues to work for children's rights in the Las Vegas area. Read more about Elizabeth Muto here. A story from the Nevada Appeal is here.
2002 Miss Nevada Teresa Benitez

Now Teresa Benitez-Thompson, the former Miss Silver State served as a Democratic state assemblywoman, representing Reno. She is the first former Miss Nevada to serve in the Legislature (although former state Sen. Sue Lowden is a Miss New Jersey titleholder).

Benitez-Thompson earned third runner-up at Miss America, one of the best showings for a Nevada contestant. She also won the preliminary interview award, preliminary onstage interview award and quality of life award. Her platform was women's empowerment with a focus on getting young women off welfare and out of poverty. She works as a hospice social worker.
1995 Miss Nevada Jennifer Joseph

The former Miss Elko County won the talent award at her Miss America pageant and has performed on the Strip for more than a decade. She has appeared in numerous shows, including "Folies Bergère," "Legends in Concert" and "Fantasy."

In 2005, Joseph became one of three finalists on the E! reality television show "The Entertainer: Starring Wayne Newton." She won a job as a one of Newton's backup singers. Read more about Jennifer Joseph on her website.
Associated Press file

1959 Miss Nevada Dawn Wells

This Reno native is most famous for her portrayal of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," a role she secured four years after winning the Miss Nevada crown. Following "Gilligan's Island," Wells embarked on a successful theater career, appearing in almost 100 stage productions, including a one-woman show she performed at the MGM Grand.

Wells later ran a clothing business and nonprofit group from her home in Idaho and has worked as a spokeswoman for Idaho potatoes. In 2008, she was arrested after being caught with marijuana in her vehicle while driving home after a surprise birthday party. She pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
AP Photo/Laura Rauch

2008 Miss Nevada USA Veronica Grabowski

Grabowski, of Henderson, didn't advance to the finals of the Miss USA pageant but earned plenty of headlines nonetheless. Her boyfriend at the time, magician Criss Angel, star of "Mindfreak," gained national attention after melting down over the fact that Grabowski didn't fare better in the competition. Angel flipped off NBC cameras during the pageant telecast, then threatened Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke with violence during an F-bomb-laced tirade.

Angel was apparently angry about a column Clarke wrote in which he reported that Angel asked a preliminary pageant judge to give Grabowski high marks. The couple has since split. Read about the 2008 pageant here. Watch a YouTube video here.
2007 Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees

Rees was dethroned as Miss Nevada USA after inappropriate photos of her surfaced three months before she was to compete in the Miss USA pageant. The pictures, taken three years before at a Florida nightclub, showed her half-dressed, kissing another woman and in other compromising poses. Rees was replaced by Helen Salas, who went on to earn the fourth runner-up spot at Miss USA.

In 2008, Rees was arrested after being pulled over for speeding. Police said she was driving with a suspended license and expired tags and accused her of becoming physically aggressive with an officer. Read more about Katie Rees and her ouster here. Watch a YouTube video here.
AP Photo, CBS, Monty Brinton

1989 Miss Nevada USA Janu Tornell

The Las Vegas native and former Tropicana "Folies" showgirl appeared on "Survivor: Palau" in 2005. Tornell quit the game in its 10th week, making her the second first-time "Survivor" castaway to willingly leave the competition.

Tornell later taught in UNLV's foreign language department. She is fluent in Spanish, Italian, French and English. Click here for a Sun archive story about Tornell. Watch a YouTube video here.
1985 Miss Nevada USA Alicia Berger

Berger, now Alicia Jacobs, took an unusual path to being crowned Miss Nevada USA. She won as a first-time contestant but didn't have the same luck in the Miss USA contest. The almost-lifelong Las Vegan (she was born in Idaho in a home for unwed mothers, then adopted and brought to Las Vegas when she was 6 days old) parlayed her pageant experience into a career as a broadcast reporter. She has worked for several networks and nationally syndicated celebrity shows.

She made headlines after her ex-boyfriend, rocker Vince Neil, allegedly poked her in the shoulder during a confrontation, earning him a charge of battery domestic violence. Read more about Alicia Jacobs here, or watch a YouTube video here.
1977 Miss Nevada USA Mary O'Neal Contino

An actress, Contino (who now goes by the first name Merri) was the most successful Nevadan in history to compete in the Miss USA pageant until this year. She was named first runner-up.

In 1999, Contino began appearing in the Australian television series "Chuck Finn," a children's comedy-adventure that follows a group of kids who try to resurrect a derelict paddle steamer and get it back onto a river. Watch YouTube footage of her by clicking here.