Hooters Swimsuit Competition

About Hooters Swimsuit Competition

For the last twelve years, the Hooters swimsuit competition has been steadily growing from a small local Florida pageant to a world-wide event. The contest is held every July to crown the next Miss Hooters International, a young woman who embodies the spirit of Hooters and who will go on to represent the chain at various events in the coming year.

The Participants

The competition is for Hooters' wait staff, otherwise known as Hooter girls, a group of women renowned for their charms. These young women come to represent over 400 Hooters locations across the globe; from countries as varied as England and Venezuela.

The Swimsuits

The Hooters swimsuit pageant is all about the bikinis, and they are spectacular. Tops are typically strings and triangles, while bottoms tend to favor the low-rise tanga.

Backstage interviews with contestants reveal secrets of the trade. Most of the competitors choose their swimsuit by color first, and then look for suits that have interesting embellishments or "bling" that will further make them stand out from the pack.

Next, a type of "bikini glue" is used on each contestant's behind to adhere the back of the swimsuit to her skin so it doesn't ride up or tuck in as she walks away from the judges.

Finally, the girls perform various last minute exercises to coax just a little more definition from their already toned physiques before they go out on the stage. You never know which fine detail will help the winner edge out the competition.

The Competition

The Hooters pageant is a far simpler affair than your average Miss America or Miss USA pageant. At those events, the swimsuit competition is just one aspect of the entire program. Here, it is the program.

The televised contest opens with the contestants garbed in full-length evening gowns announcing themselves and where they're from. The next segment features each beauty in her chosen bikini, and the parade is repeated.

From this point, the panel of celebrity judges narrows the field to ten semifinalists. Viewers are then treated to a brief video background on each woman to learn a little more about her. Interestingly, the majority of these competitors are pursuing higher education, working on degrees in nursing, dentistry, accounting and more. Many are working at Hooters to help pay for college.

Finally, the last votes are cast, and four runners up and the new Miss Hooters International are chosen from the group of finalists.

Prizes

The Hooters competition offers some serious prizes. The breakdown goes something like this:

• Winner: $50,000.00
• First runner up: $15,000.00
• Second runner up: $10,000.00
• Third runner up: $8,000.00
• Fourth runner up: $7,000.00

Additional prizes are awarded for:

• Miss Hooters World: This title is awarded to a contestant from outside of the USA in recognition of Hooters expansion over seas.

• Miss Congeniality: The winner of this award is chosen by the contestants themselves.

• Miss Photogenic: The prize for this award includes a professional photo shoot.

• Viewers Choice Award: This award is determined by text votes turned in during the contest as it is broadcast live to all of the Hooters hotels.

Winners are also offered the opportunity to appear in the Hooters swimsuit calendar.

The Winners

Visit the Hooters swimsuit winners gallery to view the winners from competitions past and learn a little more about them. As you scroll through the years from 1997 forward, you can see how much the competition has grown. The first contest drew just 39 contestants, but that number is well over 100 today. Past winners include:

• Paula Cobb, 1997
• Haven Gaston, 1998
• Nicole Scena, 1999
• Gemma Sutton, 2000
• Ashley Smith, 2001
• Erica Burgess, 2002
• Tina Gabaldon, 2003
• Martina Andrews, 2004
• Anna Burns, 2005
• Michelle Nunes, 2006
• Breanne Ashley, 2007
• Sara Hoots, 2008

Why Women Participate

Although many people enjoy watching the Hooters swimsuit competition each year, others wonder why women of the modern age would want to participate in a competition based solely on looks. The answer is simple. The competition is an opportunity to be seen at an international level. For many of these beautiful young ladies, the contest is just a stepping stone they hope will lead to a career in modeling, acting, broadcasting and more. Combine that with the possibility of winning a large cash prize, and the entire operation is very tempting.

More than that, these women don't seem to let the contest define who they are. They're confident about their bodies and their intelligence, and they're not afraid to make the most of both to attain their goals.