A deep dive Kate put together last minute about the controversy surrounding the Miss USA pageant late last week when contestants claimed the pageant was "rigged" and/or a product of overt favoritism toward Miss Texas. Insisting she was mostly disinterested, Kate dipped her toe in, then managed to spend the whole weekend researching history, and lore, thinking about her own memories watching, all while developing an incredibly lukewarm take on a topic she knows very little about and isn't totally sure if she should support.Kate recalls covering the following:A breakdown of the Miss USA dramaAn appropriate reading from pop culture scripture: Chapter: Miss SC, Verse 2007Kate asks questions about the ethics of favoritism, while clearly implying favoritism almost the entire episodeTugboat eats a cup of Ranch by accidentResearch about the historical context of women’s exploitation for sport that she kind of hates but would’ve wholeheartedly done for validationAn overview of the history of pageants in the U.S. and all the many ways we never stood a chanceGreg interrupts for more IVF shots, Kate gets in bad moodThen maybe blames Molly McIntyre’s performance in the only pageant that matters (Miss Victory) for the downfall of womenSomehow Pretty Pretty Princess gets dragged into itThere’s still some leftover anger toward children doing a little too much food prep under age 3 on TiktokVarious catchphrases for influencer pipelines that are the hottest launchpads to stardomKate imagines (hallucinates?) a Jovani insurrection if the Miss USA vote was stolenAnd so much more!Fortunately, a much more informative second episode featuring an interview with an incredible BTI5 listener/former pageant participant/former employee (Cori Wallace) in the corporate pageant system will be released in the coming days, likely early released on Patreon, this was a last-minute topic choice so thanks for your patience as we align it with the broadcast calendar! patreon.com/bethereinfiveSUPPORT OUR SPONSORSHelix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners! Go to HelixSleep.com/bethereinfive. With Helix, better sleep starts nowIf you want to elevate your look with style that doesn’t break the bank, then-join the MVMT and get 15% off today — with FREE SHIPPING and FREE RETURNS — by going to MVMT.COM/BETHEREINFIVEBuild your fall wardrobe from the ground up. Visit marcfisherfootwear.com and use code BETHEREINFIVE to receive 20% off your entire purchase, valid until 12/31/22Right now Ritual is offering my listeners 10% off your first three months. Visit ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE and turn healthy habits into a Ritual