Annette and Alana eliminated from 'Crowned' reality pageant show

Annette and Alana had no previous beauty pageant experience -- and it showed -- as the mother/daughter from Hayworth, CA became the second duo eliminated from Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants during last night's broadcast of The CW reality series.


"I'm not going to be crowned, but I feel like I'm walking away with so much more," commented Alana following the elimination. 

Crowned's second episode broadcast began with the 10 remaining teams returning to the mansion following the previous de-sashing ceremony, which saw Andrea and her daughter Amanda get the boot.  Several of the teams -- including Annette and Alana -- tried to come-up with new nicknames after their original nicknames were thoroughly bashed by the judges.

"I don't want to be known as something silly," opined Annette about her team's previous nickname, "Silent but Deadly."  She and Alana eventually decided on "The Realists."

Crowned pageant director Linnea Maloney then informed the 10 teams to meet her onstage wearing a bathing suit and high heels.  Once there, they were introduced to Miss Teen USA 1995 Keylee Sanders, who commented on all the mother/daughter bathing suit combinations and pointed out some imperfections with each.


Keylee then explained the rules for Crowned's first reward challenge.  Each team would have 30 minutes to pick-out new swimsuits, with the daughters being in complete control and making all the decision for their mom's.  Swimsuits were available on a first come, first serve basis.  Linnea said the winning mother/daughter duo would receive a "very special reward."

The challenge commenced and the daughters ran frantically around as their mom's watched from the sidelines, some of them having a hard time trusting their daughters.  Tonawanda, NY mother Pamela said she was "nervous and scared" as she watched her daughter Felicia struggle to pick-out a bathing suit.

Time expired, and Keylee gave positive comments to every single one of the teams, adding they all did "very well."  She awarded Jill, who is from Wilmington, DE, and her daughter Nicole, who resides in Newark, DE, as the challenge's winner. 

They were presented with a platter of wrapped gift boxes, and Linnea told them to choose wisely since some of the boxes had nothing while others contained "jewels."  Both Jill and Nicole picked a box that contained a corsage.  They were still happy to have won the challenge.

That night the claws started to come out and cliques started to form.  Orange Park, FL mom Angela bashed Nicole and Jill for the bump on their noses, apparently having a hard time finding any other flaws with the team that looks like siblings.  Angela's daughter Tenia, who resides in New York, NY, pleaded with her mom to stop.


"I walked into the kitchen and I think my mom and I were being talked about," correctly stated Nicole.  "Things -- like the meanest things -- you could ever think.  I got really upset, so I walked away... I just think that overall they're really disrespectful people."

Two sides in the house quickly formed: those who seemed to have "positive" attitudes and everyone else.

According to Annette, the "positive" side included: Alana; Gina, who is from Ft. Worth, TX, and her daughter Hollis, who resides in New York, NY; Melinda and her daughter Rachelle, who are both from Chandler, AZ; Jill and Nicole; and Moya and her daughter Jenileigh, who are both from Duarte, CA.

According to Tenia, the other side consisted of: Angela; Brenda and her daughter Heather, who are both from Parkersburg, WV; Ada and her daughter Christian, who are both from Dallas, TX; and Patty, who is from Orlando, FL, and her daughter Laura, who resides in Nashville, TN.

"People are like magnets when it comes to personality," explained Angela, and the lines were drawn.


The next morning, the 10 teams met Linnea in the gym, and she explained many modern beauty pageants have a fitness competition instead of a swimsuit competition.

For their next de-sashing challenge, each daughter was given complete creative control to concoct a one-minute fitness routine and were required to incorporate at least three exercises from a list of 12.  The duos would be judged on originality, physical fitness, and the daughter's ability to showcase their moms.

All the teams got to work, and Annette immediately struggled with the jump rope portion of the routine Alana had planned.

"Clearly you don't want to do the jump rope at all," said Alana.

"It's your thing... It's your thing," answered Annette.


"The main pressure for me in our team," explained Annette, "is me relinquishing my control.  Alana's my only child, and this is very difficult for me."

The next day, the 10 teams arrived for Crowned's second de-sashing ceremony, where they would be judged by former Miss USA, Dancing with the Stars third-season celebrity participant and Meet the Barkers co-star Shanna Moakler; former Queer Eye fashion expert Carson Kressley; and television personality Cynthia Garrett.

Patty and Laura went first, and Laura explained the routine she planned for her duo as "vigorous."  Shanna thought it was a "great routine" that was "executed magnificently."  Ada and Christian went next, and Shanna thought their routine had too much exercise and lacked "flavor."  Cynthia had a hard time understanding why they chose not to change their original nickname from "Hot & Not" since she thought it was degrading to Ada.

Pamela struggled with the jump-rope portion of the routine Felicia had planned, and also had problems with some of the other choreographed moves.  Shanna thought it was "cute and fun" but was quick to add their were "lots of mistakes."  Cynthia knew their nickname was the "Tomboy Queens," but she thought it was too much tomboy and not enough queen.

Moya and Jenileigh both performed splits in their routine and had several acrobatic moves, which impressed the judges.  Shanna said she was "completely blown away." 


Carson thought there was "way too much boxing in" Annette and Alana's routine and likened it to a Rocky marathon.  Cynthia questioned the team's "originality" and asked in Annette had a "hard time" letting Alana be in control.

"I did.  She selected jump rope?" openly questioned Annette, not a good move in front of the judges.  Alana explained she wanted to "challenge" her mom.

"I think you guys have a lot of work ahead of you," said Shanna.

Angela and Tenia's routine was described as a "little sloppy" by Carson, and Shanna agreed. Melinda and Rachelle went next, and Melinda commented that Rachelle took into consideration mom's recent kidney transplant.  Shanna commented the two looked "absolutely beautiful."

Shanna thought Gina and Hollis' routine was a "little all over the place" and added it "wasn't pageantry" and was "more theatrical."  While Jill and Nicole thoroughly impressed the judges with their athleticism, Shanna and Cynthia both thought the routine lacked teamwork.  Carson added it "didn't look like a workout."  Brenda and Heather were the last team to go, and Shanna said she could tell Brenda was nervous.

"You let me down," said Heather to her mom.


The judges then deliberated before revealing Pamela and Felicia; Angela and Tenia; and Annette and Alana were the three teams who received the lowest score.

Overall, Carson thought Pamela and Felicia were "not up to par" throughout the challenge.  Shanna added she loves their tomboy persona but wants to see more glamour, and Cynthia agreed.  Carson commented how Angela and Tenia had good "presence," but it wasn't "packaged" correctly and he was "under whelmed."  Cynthia thought it could have been more original.

Cynthia thought Annette and Alana's routine "wasn't as original as it could be."  She also suggested they needed more rehearsal.

"This competition is all about being a mother/daughter competition," said Carson.  "I'm still not getting the sense you guys are working as a team."

"I know being a mother, it's sometimes really hard letting your daughter kind of take the lead," said Shanna.  "But that's what this challenge was about."

Annette and Alana were then eliminated from the competition.


"This is just the beginning, and she's going to go onto bigger and greater things," said Annette about Alana following the ouster.  "That's why I can be so optimistic right now."

Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants' next episode will air Wednesday, December 26 at 8PM ET/PT on The CW.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio