After each contestant performed, danced, modeled and answered questions in front of a panel of six judges on Saturday, Feb. 6, one woman was chosen as Miss Auburn-Opelika Area — Jean Elizabeth Miles.
Miles, senior in industrial design, said it felt "unbelievable" to be crowned.
"I was so surprised and shocked when I heard my name called," Miles said.
Miles was one of 12 women from Auburn University, UAB and area high schools competing for the crown.
They competed in several categories throughout the evening. After an opening dance number, each contestant answered a question about politics or current national or international events on stage. The questions were selected by the contestant, who picked one randomly from a bowl.
Next up, each contestant strutted the stage in multicolored swimsuits. Most wore bikinis, and Elizabeth Thompson won the swimsuit competition.
The theme of "Timeless" was woven the night as '80s music played between phases of competition.
After the swimsuit portion, each contestant showcased a talent. Six contestants danced, one performed a tumbling routine, one sang, two played piano and two sang and played piano. Miles and Shelby Andrews both won the talent portion, sharing the $150 prize for their piano solos.
"Any time I have an opportunity to play in front of people, it is an incredible and amazing experience," Miles said.
Miles said the talent portion is "by far" her favorite part of the competition. She played "Sabre Dance" by Aram Khachaturian, which she learned when she was a junior in high school.
"I've performed it at several different venues throughout the state and just have fallen in love with it while playing it," Miles said.
The last part of the event was the evening gown competition. Each contestant slowly circled the stage, wearing a long formal dress, many of them studded with sparkles.
After the last contestant left the stage, the 2015 Miss Auburn-Opelika Area, Caroline Elliott, bid the crowd farewell before the contestants returned to the stage, still wearing their gowns.
Medals were awarded to Mikaylah Dugans, Ansley Emfinger, Shelby Andrews and Charlton Locke for fourth runner-up, third runner-up, second runner-up and runner-up, respectively, before Miles was crowned the winner.
Miles will go on to compete for Miss Alabama later this year.
"I know some of the girls that are already there competing, and I just cannot wait to spend a week with them in Birmingham just hanging out and [sharing] this experience with them," Miles said.
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