Now There’s a Real Beauty of a Question

Hey, beauty pageant contestants. We know you can walk the walk, but can you talk the talk? If your biggest flaw is an inability to answer those heady questions about world peace and public health, you may want to consult with Justin Rudd--a pageant enthusiast who steadfastly prepares hundreds of contestants, coaches and judges for the grueling interview phase, which can sometimes count for 50% of an overall score.

Each week, Rudd e-mails them five questions that are similar to those sprung on contestants. Topics range from politics (“What bothers you most about what is happening in your country today?”) to vanity (“If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which would you chose and why?”).

“Answering these questions reveals a lot about a person’s values and ideas,” says Rudd, who comes up with the little thought-provokers or culls them from pageants he’s involved with on local, regional and national levels. “There isn’t one correct answer to any of these questions. If the contestant can support it, it’s right. I don’t give answers but guidelines on how to prepare a response that’s well thought out and effective.”

Rudd provides his service free to all who e-mail their name, city and age to fiveaweek@aol.com. His club has attracted a few aspiring male contestants and one missionary in Jordan who uses the questions as icebreakers at gatherings. Subscribers who need more than five questions a week can buy Rudd’s 20-page book, “1,001 Pageant Questions” ($20), through his Web site at https://www.snow hill.com/business/rudd/justin.