Hooters pageant: They modeled red bikinis and more. How did Naples' Burchett do?

Charles Runnells, Naples Daily News
·2 min read
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They strutted and posed on the white Caesars Palace catwalk: First in sparkling cocktail dresses; then in iconic orange Hooters short-shorts and white T-shirts; and finally in skimpy, sizzling red bikinis.

Pageant co-host Hannah Williams described the women onstage as “50 beacons of beauty to wow the audience.” And judging from the cheers and clapping at the 26th-annual Miss Hooters International pageant, the women more than accomplished that goal.

Naples Hooters server/bartender Grace Burchett was one of those 50 Hooters employees competing onstage Thursday night in Las Vegas, and she admits she was a bit nervous at first.

A TV screen at the Naples Hooters shows Grace Burchett, 25, competing Aug. 3 in the Miss Hooters International Pageant. Burchett is a server and bartender at the restaurant.
A TV screen at the Naples Hooters shows Grace Burchett, 25, competing Aug. 3 in the Miss Hooters International Pageant. Burchett is a server and bartender at the restaurant.

“It was just overwhelming, but we were really well-prepared, because we had long, long rehearsal days,” she says. “We knew our routines. And after the opening number, a lot of my nerves went away and I was more excited than anything.”

The pageant was livestreamed at participating Hooters restaurants nationwide, including the one in Naples.

How Burchett did in Hooters pageant: 'Win or lose, we’re in Vegas'

Fort Myers resident Grace Burchett competed Aug. 3 in the Miss Hooters International Pageant in Las Vegas. Burchett, 25, is a server and bartender at the Naples Hooters.
Fort Myers resident Grace Burchett competed Aug. 3 in the Miss Hooters International Pageant in Las Vegas. Burchett, 25, is a server and bartender at the Naples Hooters.

In the end, Burchett didn’t make it into the Top 10 finalists in Thursday's pageant or win the Miss Hooters International crown. That honor ― along with the $30,000 grand prize ― went to Emily Johnson of Orange Park, a Jacksonville suburb.

Even so, Burchett says she had a blast during her eight-day stay in Vegas, which included photo shoots, pageant rehearsals and self-improvement workshops.

“Win or lose, we’re in Vegas,” says Burchett, 25, of Fort Myers. “It was my first pageant. It was a great experience. I met a ton of great girls.

“And the winner was one of the best people I’ve ever met. So I’m very, very happy with how everything turned out.”

Read more about Grace Burchett: Naples Hooters server heads to Las Vegas for Miss Hooters International pageant

Naples Hooters employee Grace Burchett competed in this year's Miss Hooters International pageant on Aug. 3.
Naples Hooters employee Grace Burchett competed in this year's Miss Hooters International pageant on Aug. 3.

Burchett had previously been featured as Miss March in the 2023 Hooters swimsuit calendar. But she’d never competed in a pageant until now.

She says she loved how she and everyone else looked onstage Thursday night.

“We had a great hair and makeup team,” she says. “Everybody who was helping put the whole production together was phenomenal.”

Other Hooters pageant winners

Naples Hooters employees watch Grace Burchett compete Aug. 3 on a restaurant TV in the livestreamed Miss Hooters International Pageant. Burchett, 25, is a server and bartender at the restaurant.
Naples Hooters employees watch Grace Burchett compete Aug. 3 on a restaurant TV in the livestreamed Miss Hooters International Pageant. Burchett, 25, is a server and bartender at the restaurant.

Most of the women competing Thursday work at Hooters in the United States ― and many were from Florida, the birthplace of the popular restaurant chain.

The event was hosted by two former pageant contestants: Sable Robbert (the 2016 Miss Hooters International winner) and Williams (first runner-up that year).

Other awards went to Cassidy Marginean from Dallas, Texas (Miss Photogenic); Roisin Leach of Liverpool, England (Miss Congeniality); and Lindsay Lynch of Merrillville, Indiana (Fan Favorite).

Learn more about the Miss Hooters International pageant at hooters.com/hooters-girls/pageant.

A TV screen at the Naples Hooters shows Grace Burchett (in orange) competing Aug. 3 in the Miss Hooters International Pageant. Burchett, 25, is a server and bartender at the restaurant.
A TV screen at the Naples Hooters shows Grace Burchett (in orange) competing Aug. 3 in the Miss Hooters International Pageant. Burchett, 25, is a server and bartender at the restaurant.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. For news tips or other entertainment-related matters, call him at 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hooters pageant winners: How did Naples' Grace Burchett do?