Columbia Hooters Girl Crowned Miss Hooters International 2009
Raechel Holtgrave will represent Hooters for 1 year after taking home the crown and $50,000 grand prize

(June 22, 2009) Atlanta, GA – Raechel Holtgrave, a Hooters Girl in Columbia, MO, will return to her hometown $50,000 richer after being crowned Miss Hooters International 2009 at the 13th Annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant and will represent the 450 Hooters restaurants around the world for a year.

From evening gowns to swimsuits, 133 contestants from around the world were judged by a distinguished celebrity panel including NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin; Heisman Trophy winner and 1996 NFL Rookie of the Year, Eddie George; former NSYNC star and Dancing with the Stars contestant, Joey Fatone; Four time all pro linebacker, Lance Briggs; TMZ’s producer Max Hodges; Deal or No Deal case model, Patricia Kara; 2005 Playboy Playmate Tiffany Fallon; career yardage leader for the Miami Dolphins, Mark Duper; Atlanta Hawks talent coordinator, Donni Frazier and Top Fuel Dragster, Brandon Bernstein. For the third year in a row Sports Announcer and host of Fox Sports Net Best Damn Sports Show Period, Chris Rose, hosted the pageant.

Along with the cash and crown Raechel also brings home the responsibility to represent the Hooters concept as the quintessential Hooters Girl – the cheerleader, girl next door. “Raechel is well deserving of the title for reasons beyond her beauty,” stated Beth Taylor, Pageant Director for Hooters. “She is also intelligent, always has a smile on her face and is everything we look for in a Hooters Girl,” Taylor continued.

In addition to the winner, there were 4 top finalists all of whom received cash prizes. LeAngela Davis, representing Columbus, OH was first runner up and received $15,000 and was also recognized as Miss Congeniality; Vanessa Ferbeyre who Miss Miami took home $10,000 was second runner up and in third place was Shannon Buckel, representing Schaumburg, IL winning $8,000. Becki Haines representing Hermitage, TN was the 4th place runner up and received $7,000. Finishing out the top 10 finalists in no particular order are Haley Voss from Jacksonville, FL; Natasha Horton, representing Cumberland Blvd in Atlanta, GA; Nicole Ciglar from Clearwater, FL; Rachel Mortenson from Chandler, AZ and Lauren Kosier representing Grapevine, TX all received $2,000 each.

Ms. Photogenic was awarded to Brittany Tyler from Fort Worth, TX who received a professional photo shoot valued at $5,000. In recognition Hooters international expansion, the Miss Hooters World award was given to Emma Cutts representing Nottingham, England.

The pageant was held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, FL and was broadcast live to every Hooters restaurant across the country. During the show Hooters Girl, Victoria Brown was awarded the Viewer’s Choice Award by receiving the majority of over 130,000 text votes that were cast during the contest.

Hooters of America, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of over 450 Hooters restaurants in 43 states and 26 foreign countries. The first Hooters opened in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. Hooters is well-known for its brand of food and fun, featuring a casual beach-theme atmosphere, a menu that features seafood, sandwiches and Hooters nearly world famous chicken wings, and service provided by the All-American cheerleaders, the Hooters Girls. For more information about Hooters visit www.hooters.com.