ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hooters has named Missouri-native Rachel Mundwiller first runner up in the 18th annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant, held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in July. Mundwiller, 26, was selected from 100 Hooters Girl contestants by a panel of celebrity judges and a series of interview questions to recognize volunteerism within the community, personality and overall commitment to the Hooters brand.
Working at the Hooters of Springfield, Missouri, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Missouri State University student has been featured in the Hooters Calendar and Hooters Magazine numerous times. She loves to sing, rock climb and, when time permits, volunteer with the Missouri Street Team and the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield. Growing up in the small town of Hermann, Missouri, Mundwiller always dreamed of traveling the world, and as member of the Hooters International Training Team for the past five years, she has accomplished that goal.
The pageant contestants were selected from more than 18,000 Hooters Girls who presently work in one of the more than 400 Hooters locations worldwide. They each competed in local and regional swimsuit contests for one of the 100 coveted spots in the 18th annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant.
Janet Layug from the Hooters of North Lakeland, Florida, took home the crown as Miss Hooters International 2014. The rest of the top five Hooters Girl contestants include first runner up Rachel Mundwiller, Hooters of Springfield, Missouri; second runner up Meagan Pastorchik, Hooters of North Charleston, South Carolina; third runner up Ashley Dill, Hooters of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and fourth runner up, Sable Robbert, Hooters of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Rounding out the top 10 in alphabetical order is Brianna Ramos, Hooters of North Arlington, Texas; Jasmin Pena, Hooters of Richmond, Virginia; Nikolett Szollath, Hooters of Budapest, Hungary; Pamela Jean Noble, Hooters of Ontario, California; and Tyler Suess, Hooters of Rockford, Illinois.
In addition to the Miss Hooters International spot, several Hooters Girls went home with a new 2014 title, including Miss Congeniality Brittany Harris, representing Hooters of Pasadena, Texas; and Miss Photogenic Taylor Reyes, representing Hooters of Bakersfield, California.
The Miss Hooters Social award, along with a $2,000 cash prize and spot to compete with the top 10 Hooters Girl finalists, went to Aneta Kowal, representing Hooters of Troy, Michigan. For the second year, Hooters incorporated a “Miss Hooters Social” contest into the pageant - a digital race to see which contestant could generate the most social media activity leading up to the event. Votes were cast via Facebook, Twitter and the new Hooters HootClub mobile app.
A panel of celebrity judges attended the 2014 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant and included retired American Light Heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) fighter and UFC Hall of Famer, Stephan Bonnar; “Deadliest Catch” documentary series star, Captain Sig Hansen; former Hooters Dream Girl and supermodel, Rachel Mortenson; Original Hooters Girl, Playboy model and actress, Lynne Austin; number one ranked professional Major League Eater and three-time Hooters World Wing Eating Champion Joey Chestnut; Hooters HootClub sweepstakes winner, Cedric Walker; former U.S. Marine and President of Patriot One, Mike Dodd; and Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Dakota Meyer.
For behind-the-scenes pageant photos and contestant information, visit http://pageant.hooters.com. For members of the media interested in photos of the Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant, visit the multimedia download section of the Hooters newsroom, or to schedule an interview with any contestant, make a request through the press contact page.