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Sunday night, Rachel Wyatt was standing on the stage at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, hoping to hear her name called.
Miss South Carolina clasped hands with Miss New York and Miss Texas as they and four other contestants waited to learn which of them would become the next Miss America. Wyatt was called second-to-last; she had been named the first runner-up to the new Miss America, Savvy Shields, who competed as Miss Arkansas.
While she didn't end up with the national crown, the 21-year-old Clemson University student won a $25,000 scholarship for her top placement and an additional scholarship for being one of the top three contestants in fundraising for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
For Wyatt, finishing in the top five and still getting to come home to the Upstate "may be the best prize."
Wyatt won Miss America's Outstanding Teen in 2012, essentially serving as a teenage Miss America for a year. Traveling the country on weekends while finishing high school during the week made her feel like she was one of the contestants who was most prepared to take on the job of Miss America, which includes traveling 20,000 miles a month and visiting a new city every 18 to 36 hours.
"I had to keep reminding myself, ‘Okay, Rachel, you understand this job. You’re the most prepared, literally the most qualified individual going into this pageant.’ simply because of this amazing experience and opportunity I had as Miss America’s Outstanding Teen," Wyatt said. "I got to have a glimpse of what it was really like as Miss America. It’s not always glamorous. They are sometimes exhausted. It’s not always pretty. You’re going all the time. You don't get to see your family, and you’re living out of a hotel room. Seeing that, going in, it made me a little more prepared -- well, a lot more prepared -- and I was able to have a good idea of what to expect if I had won."
That experience was something Wyatt said she used in her interview with the judges, emphasizing that she knew what the job took. But that past success also came with intense pressure. Wyatt won Miss South Carolina on her first try, becoming only the third woman to do so in the past 15 years. She was only the second former Miss America's Outstanding Teen to reach the Miss America stage; the first, Caitlin Brunell, competed in 2014 as Miss Alabama and reached the top 10. Wyatt's notoriety among pageant fans and contestants brought extra scrutiny and extra cheerleaders.
"There was a ton of pressure going into it. I won’t lie to you. I won’t sugar-coat it," Wyatt said. "People talk, and there are those haters and there are those people who want to see you fail, but there are also so many people who pour out love and support. I felt like I had support from all over, not just South Carolina but from all different states, people were reaching out and saying ‘We’re rooting for you, Rachel. We want to see you do your best.’"
Since the curtains have dropped on the big show in Atlantic City, Wyatt will spend her year as Miss South Carolina traveling the state, advocating for adults with disabilities and partnering with Autism Speaks. She started working with special needs adults in high school, when she helped teach a dance class aimed at that population. While at Clemson, she's been a buddy in the Clemson LIFE program, which helps students with intellectual disabilities earn a college degree.
But now, a few days after getting home from the pageant and dealing with a cold, Miss South Carolina wants a barbecue plate from the Smokin' Pig.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2016/09/16/miss-sc-returns-home-upstate-after-placing-first-runner-up-miss-america/90497318/