Shawnae Jebbia won the Miss USA crown, but first runner-up Shauna Gambill still has a legion of fans. Since the pageant, we at PNB have received considerable correspondence insisting that Ms. Gambill should have won the title on the basis of her interview skills. Her answers were so impressive, her admirers say, that they should outweigh Ms. Jebbia's higher scores in the swimsuit category.
We at PNB have no interest in promoting a rivalry between the two beauties (we are certain there is none). But we did publish photos of both women, allowing readers to compare them visually, and in that spirit we have decided to reproduce their answers to interview questions. The pageant is over, but the debate goes on, and it is better to quote accurately than to "shoot from the hip" based on hazy recollections.
Here are a few PNB points to consider. First, only in one case did the two women get to answer the same question. Some questions are trickier than others, and some are simply harder to answer directly in an interesting way. Second, a person's "sharpness" can vary from day to day, just as athletes can have streaks and slumps. Third, the selection was made by a team of judges, and judges' criteria are ultimately arbitrary.
Here's what they had to say:
Top 10 Press Conference - SHAWNAE JEBBIA
Q: What historical figure do you most identify with?
A: The Garden of Eden. It's very exotic, and I have some exotic qualities.
Q: You're such a fitness buff. What burns more calories, an hour on the treadmill or worrying that you're not going to get an hour on the treadmill?
A: Oh, an hour on the treadmill. Sweat, sweat, sweat. No question.
Q: Recently, a female basketball player with a broken foot was given a free shot to break her school's scoring record. Do you think that was fair?
A: Well, everybody breaks, you know, their limbs every now and again. No, I don't think that's really fair. Whoever's on the court gets to play.
Q: If you had to give a class on makeup, what would be the number one lesson?
A: Less is more. Definitely show yourself.
Q: What would you do if your boyfriend gave you a virtual pet for Valentine's Day?
A: A virtual pet? Give it back and say you play with it.
Top 10 Press Conference - SHAUNA GAMBILL
Q: If you were to give a sales pitch about yourself, what would be the biggest selling point for you?
A: My biggest selling point would be my integrity. I believe that I am a woman of character, and I am the same person you see behind the scenes as
you see in front of you.
Q: You just won a role on "Chicago Hope" [a TV drama set in a hospital]. What's your disease?
A: My disease? Hypochondria.
Q: An alien lands in your front yard and has no emotions whatsoever. How do you describe love to it?
A: Love. I would say that love is unconditional. That it's when you can count on somebody, and love is when you know that you've held the hand of
someone you've cared about and it's made you smile.
Q: You write poetry. Describe your pageant experience in a two-line verse.
A: Roses are red, but I'm not blue.
Top 5 Interview - SHAUNA GAMBILL
Q: I've learned that you've given your houseplants names and that you actually sing to them. Give me a name and give me a song.
A: OK, well, I don't actually sing the words. I hum classical music to them, and my favorite is Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi, and I sing it to Eor, and
that is my big palm tree, and I always sing "The Four Seasons," so . . .
Q: And he swings to the breeze.
A: He does. He's like . . . dah dun da da da . . . [shaking her head]. He likes that.
Q: Your favorite book is "Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives" [A self-help best seller by Dr. Laura Schlessinger]. Have you done any one of them?
A: You know what I think, as a teenager I did all 10, and that's why I like that book the most, because it really taught me how to identify and deny
abusive relationships and become a stronger woman.
Q: And you haven't done any of those things since your teenage years?
A: You know what, slowly but surely I am accomplishing the positive of each one so that I don't repeat my mistakes.
Top 5 Interview - SHAWNAE JEBBIA
Q: You say you like to express yourself through health and beauty. Tell us why you think you should be Miss USA without using any words.
A: [Silently demonstrates two squats, two bicep curls, three shoulder presses and three chest presses.]
Q: When you are much older, probably running like a marathon when you're 80, what will you tell your grandchildren was the highlight of your experience here?
A: The entire experience. Waking up every morning wondering what your schedule is going to be like. Getting ready for a television production. Meeting 51, 50 incredible girls from all over the United States and having the time of my life here. That's what I would share with them.
Top 3 Question - SHAUNA GAMBILL
Q: The millennium is coming. A time capsule is being prepared, not to be opened for a thousand years. What three things would you put into that capsule to best remind people of this generation and why?
A: I would first put in a laptop computer because I think it's important. We've really made strides in our technology, and our computer really
exemplifies that. I would also put in literature about women and the accomplishments we've made and so we can check to see how we've progressed.
And then also one of my personal favorites, I'd put some of my favorite music in there so that our children can compare our decade to the new
millennium.
Top 3 Question - Shawnae Jebbia
Q: The millennium is coming. A time capsule is being prepared, not to be opened for a thousand years. What three things would you put into the capsule to best remind people of this generation and why?
A: Of this generation. A laptop computer, my flannel sheets, and probably some clothing article of the 90s, feminine.
