The road to the top is long and hard, but most would say it's worth the struggle. But, what happens when you achieve your goal and suddenly you see your dreams slip right out of your hands?
Pageants are full of drama - but for some the fairytale doesn't begin until the crown has been handed over. We all know the Vanessa Williams story and how she lost her title as Miss America 1983. Take a look at three beauty queens who sizzled on the runway, only to lose the crown they'd won and face scandal blasted across the media.
Rima Fakin won the Miss USA title on May 16, 2010, becoming the first Miss Michigan USA to win the national title since 1993. Fakih is widely believed to be the first Lebanese American, the first Arab American and the first Muslim to win the Miss USA title. (The first Michigan delegate to win the Miss USA title, Carole Gist, became the first African-American Miss USA in 1990.)
As holder of the Miss USA title, Fakih represented the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. She did not place as a semi-finalist and was the first Miss USA since 2002, to not place at the Miss Universe pageant.
The former beauty queen was arrested for drunk driving in Highland Park, Michigan, on December 3, 2011. She was convicted to 6 months of probation, $600 fine and 20 hours of community service on May 9, 2012.
After being crowned Miss USA 2006, Tara Conner's unbecoming behavior began to make headlines.
The media ran reports of Tara's underage drinking and drug abuse, as well as scandalous photos of the blonde beauty queen. Eight months into her yearlong reign, Tara tested positive for cocaine. Everyone expected her crown would be stripped away. However, Donald Thrump, co-owner of the Miss USA organization, offered her a second chance and Tara agreed to attend rehab.
Donald had personal reasons for his decision. His brother, Fred, was an alcoholic. "He had everything, but he got hooked on alcohol, and it killed him," Donald says. "I believe in second chances, and sometimes it works when you give somebody a second chance. She went from being a disaster to being a terrific Miss USA. But, much more importantly, she sets an example for so many other people that are going through the same thing."
In the A&E special Fame and Recovery, Tara reveals for the first time what led to her headline-making drug scandal. Now, Tara is three years sober, and she says it's a wonder she lived to share her story. "I don't know why I was spared," she says. Read Tara's Revelations , the truth about her drug addiction, alcoholism, rape at Oprah's site.
In 1973, Wallace made history as the first American to be crowned Miss World. But just 104 days later, pageant officials stunned the UK when they announced Wallace would be the first Miss World to have her title taken from her. During her time in the UK, the British tabloids were full of reports and photos describing Wallace's dates with a string of celebrities including Tom Jones, Northern Irish soccer star George Best, and American Indianapolis 500 and Formula One driver Peter Revson, with whom she was reportedly engaged to be married. According to People, this violated Wallace's Miss World contract, which prompted pageant authorities to take away her title on March 7, 1974. Contest officials announced Wallace "had failed to fulfill the basic requirements of the job."
Interestingly enough, First runner-up, Evangeline Pascual of the Philippines was not offered the title but only the winner's official duties. The second runner-up, Patricia Teresa Yuen Leung of Jamaica accepted the offer to complete the Miss World duties without being officially crowned as Miss World. Pageant officials would later say that a decision was made by the Miss World organization to not offer the title to any of the runners-up.
Only 15 days after Wallace was stripped of her crown, Revson was killed in a fiery crash while practicing for the South African Grand Prix. Less than three months later, Wallace was rushed to St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital apparently the victim of an overdose of the sleeping pill doriden, according the AP. Wallace told People two years later, "I was depressed and OD'd on a few too many sleeping pills. I never attempted suicide."
Playgirl Marjie Wallace Meets Playboy Michael Klein. People magazine, January 29, 1979, heralded Wallace's relationship with her new husband, son of the owner of the NFL's San Diego Chargers. The marriage yielded a son named Adam. In 1982, Wallace's marriage with Klein ended in divorce.
After the overdose, Wallace won TV acting roles on some of the top shows of the 1970s. Then — in 1981 — came what could have been a life-changing career break. Wallace was tapped to co-anchor a new 30-minute syndicated showbiz TV show based in Hollywood called Entertainment Tonight. Just months after ET's debut, producers decided to make a change, offering Wallace a reporter position on the program, which she declined.
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