This pageant system not only is unfair but requires a lot of money to be spent. They advertise themselves as a stepping stone to the Miss American and Miss USA programs but with their glitzy hair and makeup do not match up to the standard in which they say they do as a prep system. They also reward those that have competed multiple times and for those that are in the "Tiny Miss loop" AKA are well acclimated with the director, parents, and sometimes even judges. They have parents of former winners judging kids they know and have a history of complaints filed from year to year on message boards; however, no formal report has ever been filed. If you do this pageant be prepared for a lack of professionalism, shockers in terms of results, conflicts of interest, and a feeling of discomfort if you are not a part of the Tiny Miss clan. Moms of contestants are allowed to host preliminary competitions under the national director, Gail Jones, and their children do her pageants. This should be red flag. That is like allowing a business partner's child to compete in the pageant. Be careful. We wasted a lot of money on this pageant scam.
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Had the same experience with the system and agree 100%. My daughter even won high titles with the system and we feel this way. Won once which was great, but never again.
The date that this was posted was just about the time outstanding teen was going
on. I just wonder if Tiny Miss girls placed higher then your daughter and that is why you are on here complaining. Let people make there own minds up about
Tiny Miss, it is a great pageant system and young ladies learn alot there and it helps build there seof esteem. If you have a problem with the system talk to the
director don't bad mouth it on these boards.
I agree with this mom. I feel that if your child is 5yrs and older their parents shouldn't be allowed to stand behind the judges and tell their child when to smile, turn and etc. It is unfair to the child that has practiced and is up on the stage acting on their own. I felt like my child was competeing again adults and children her own age. These pageants should be judged on the child and what they can do, not what the parents standing behind the judges can do.
I seen only one child (4-5) age catagory that did not mess up on her walk in the hobby wear, that was not coached by her mother, and she did not even place. The child that won, froze on stage while her mother was having a masive breakdown behind the judges because she was messing up so much, so what does that say for the scoring of this pageant!
As the original poster I have to say this. The post on this site was made far before the outstanding teen and preteen pageants but had to be approved which took a longer time, which is why the date is skewed slightly. In addition, I must add that my daughter does not participate in the Miss America Teen/Preteen system. Speculate all you want but I am just trying to warn other parents
My daughter just competed in her first Tiny Miss prelim and won the prelim as well as other side awards. We did not know any of the judges and drove over an hour to compete. You have to have personality as well as beauty to compete at this pageant and it is beyond fair.
My daughter competed in a prelimnary and did very well and she competed in a national and didn't do so well. However I was bothered by several aspects. Girls with titles who's mother or grandmother work for the system. Also, I had decided much earlier my daughter needed some coaching and I had no intention of participating in the national. We were cold called and told there were only two girls competing in my daughters age division, I figured she'd at least place in something and sent in the $400 the next day a week before the national. We get to the pageant and there are seven girls in her age division. It's too much to explain but I do not think I'll participate in this system again. It's too cliquey and little girls really walk away "losing" versus other systems whereas you do walk away with something. Overall I'm angry at myself for not researching this system ahead of time and for not going with my first hunch not to participate. To the system, it's a business and I guess they did what they had to do. I'll just take this as a $400 lesson learned.
This system is very cliquey and there are a lot of issues that many people affiliate with the system. My dd won a prelim and got completely screwed over at states. I would never suggest anyone to do this pageant.
This is a pageant. All pageants cost money. Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron was a Highpoint winner in this pageant. Go to the website for Tiny Miss Virginia 2005 and you will see that our current Miss America won Teen Miss Virginia and Highpoint Talent. So the pageant must be doing something right. As far as it being "cliquey", many of these girls and there families have known each other for years and to newcomers it may appear that way.
Miss America, Caressa Cameron did many different pageants as do many avid pageant contestants... Hopefully this post prevents someone from making the same mistake all of us have who are disgusted with the system
I don't have a problem with the pageants programs at all. You should really know what you are getting yourself into when you do things like that. I wouldn't recommend a pageant to anyone's child, unless that is what the child likes and enjoys. Yes they are alot of money but if you want to spend a ton of dollars on a program that is going to rate your child on it's beauty...ect, then rethink it. Pageants should ONLY be what the child wants and if you know there is a kink somewhere in the system then don't put your child in.
I totally agree with the fact that Tiny Miss has many issues. The pageant moms hosting pageants is totally true and I have witnessed a pageant mom in there circle of people getting her daughter in the national pageant for free. It is completely unfair and it is really not fair for the winner to get a stage full of toys, prizes and stuff and then many other girls getting nothing at all. If you can afford to spend that much money on the winners then you can get good participation awards. Besides they advertise that its about being natural and then of course the winner is all dolled up and with a dark or fancy dress. Whatever im done with the system and the money racket they are running on people.
Most pageants (with the exception of a rare few) are nothing more than a lucrative money racket. Plain and simple. Out of the three pageants that my daughter has been a part of, one of the key factors in deciding how well she did was on how much money they raised for the company holding/producing the talent event. People beware of this... Many responses have been, "but we're teaching your child self confidence and the skills to move to the next level" which is great, but nothing more than a sugar coating on a turd. All they are teaching these kids is that your success depends on the allmighty dollar and how much you can give us.
I totally disagree with the OP. We did state came in 1st ru, still went to natls and won the highest title offered and didnt know a soul! Actually this pageant is one of the least expensive systems that we have ever done. we do alot of national and state pageants. Was this your first and only pageant? best thing to do is get the video, they dont lie and might even show you what your child did wrong. Sounds completely like sour grapes to me! Michelle
I dont know if a lot has changed or not, but my daughter was recently in one of the pageants and I think the only reason it may seem "cliquey" is because the people have been doing this for longer than we have. That does not mean that they are wrong. They were actually cordial (some more than others). This was my daughters first pageant ever and she placed in overall and in another category and I didnt know not a single person there other than my husband. This was something that I saw on the internet and decided to do a month prior. It was a great experience and I would definitely do it again. I think that people dont realize is that the pageant is not all about the glitzy stuff. I think it was definitely based on personality, looking their age, and basically following the judging criteria that was provided to everyone.
I feel the exact same way as the original poster. I was very excited to do my first pageant with my daughter, as she is in the wee baby category. Before time to go on-stage a mother was going back and forth from a judge to the mother of another child that was competing in this age division giving her pointers on what they would be looking for. I have requested score sheets on my child to see how they determined the winner, and have still not received any response. My daughter had fun so that is what matters the most to me, but I feel like I was gyped on the fairness for the extreme cost.
I do not know if any of you have competed any many pageants before but everyone knows each system looks for something different. You must do your research on a system before you compete or you will not be prepared and therefore not do as well. Some systems allow hair extentions but not falls or wigglets. Some systems score on natural beauty representing 50% of the score and others it does not represent as much. Any system will look like there is a click because these people have worked hard to learn what the system is looking for. What better way to prepare new kids for these pageants then to have prelim directors who know what the system is looking for to prepare them to be competative and prepared. I think this is a great system and Gail Jones really cares about all these girls and does alot for them title or not. She is always free to talk with parents and free to give advise and her opinion to help. Great system to prepare the girls to become confident, well spoken, poised young ladies to be the best they can be.
My child has done Tiny Miss for a few years now and I agree that parents should not be directors! It opens too many cans of worms! The same children keep winning! But my child wants the title so badly! Grrrrr
My daughter has done Tiny Miss pageants and she loves to compete there. I do believe Gail has gone down on her prizes. My daughter is at the age where would love to get more prizes than those big tall trophy's which most of us don't have the room in our car to take home. Also don't agree with having to pay to receive our scores...We have done other national pageants and received them at the end of the pageant where we went to a room, or some pageants don't give out scores. If you can't give them out at the end of the pageant, don't feel we should be charged.. Already pay for the pageant, $25 for admission, pay for the party...(never heard of guest paying for a party)! If you prorate the prize money, prorate the entry fee. Gail we will probably come again, not sure. but wish you would take into condsideration some of my comments...these are not complains, just my opinion. Would love to hear other comments about some of the things I am hoping Gail will look into.