Beauty, brains and the bizarre

Miss California once licked a banana slug. Miss South Dakota skated through a blizzard in a swimsuit. And Miss Tennessee was offered 5,000 camels for her hand in marriage while traveling in Israel. If the judges at this year’s Miss USA pageant decide to pick winners based on weirdness, there will be some stiff competition:

Most unusual hobby

Tie: “Listening to the advice of elders” (Miss District of Columbia); “reading about the royal family of England, especially before 1950” (Miss Louisiana).

Most eclectic resume

Hula dancer, dog walker, knife saleswoman, kidney transplant counselor, Hooters radio ad star, inspiration for anti-pit bull legislation (Miss District of Columbia).

Most scholarly

Recipient of Mississippi Chiropractic Assn. Posture Scholarship (Miss Mississippi).

Best plant impersonator

Supplied the voice for a talking Christmas tree at a mall in Fargo (Miss North Dakota).

Best frozen-dessert culinary skills

Ice cream scooper (Miss Nebraska, Miss New Hampshire); ice cream saleswoman (Miss Florida); yogurt swirler (Miss Utah).

Most creative diet plan

Tie: Eating a grasshopper (Miss Texas); licking a banana slug (Miss California).

Most impressive product endorsement deal

Spokeswoman for Zurn Industries Plumbing Products (Miss West Virginia).

Most unusual aquatic experience

Tie: Swam with stingrays (Miss Iowa); swam with a manatee (Miss Alabama); snorkeled with sharks and stingrays (Miss Kentucky).

Most dignified fashion statement

Drove a snowmobile while wearing a suit filled with 300 raw eggs (Miss Maine).

Bravest and/or most insane act

Hand-feeding honey to a full-grown black bear (Miss Pennsylvania).

Most inspiring career goal

To become “a spokesperson and advocate for cross-generational awareness of holistic wellness with an emphasis on preventive medicine” (Miss District of Columbia).

Source: Miss USA contestant biographies