Miss Maine USA Pageant Contestant Makes Telling Comment
North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson are in the center of a media firestorm, but Hudson is still continuing her pageant career amid the controversy.
The 24-year-old former cheerleader finished third in the Miss Maine USA pageant, with Mara Carpenter coming in as the runner-up to Shelby Howell.
Carpenter made a comment on social media that seemed to indicate her feelings towards Hudson and the press after the pageant.
"I appreciate all of the media reaching out and congratulating me on my placement...But at the same time fails to even mention my placement in any article, and still continues to ask for my input on the other ladies," Carpenter said.
"I loved all of the contestants, and I'm the mystery person that your fail to mention inbetween [sic] winner and 2nd. We ALL worked incredibly hard."
The media was present to see Hudson and the 73-year-old Belichick as the pageant took place in a Holiday Inn in the town of Portland. Another contestant, Isabelle St. Cyr, made history for the state as the first transgender contestant in the pageant's history.
St. Cyr told People that she bonded with Hudson over the scrutiny they've each faced in the media.
"We had a conversation backstage and we were like, 'You know, the media hasn't necessarily been kind to us.' We just kind of talked about how we've dealt with it, how to move forward, how to remain positive and when to comment and not to comment," St. Cyr said.
"I really appreciate her willingness to talk to me about the media coverage."
She also mentioned that their conversation helped clear the air between them, as some headlines pitted them as enemies heading into last weekend's event.
"I think we both wanted to make it clear that we had nothing to do with it and that we were just happy to be competing," St. Cyr added.
On Tuesday, Belichick continued to distance his personal life from his career, telling the media that Hudson "doesn't have anything to do with football."
As the former Patriots coach prepares to begin his college coaching tenure, we'll see if the interest in his relationship with Hudson persists into the season.