ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hooters today announced Florida-native Janet Layug as Miss Hooters International 2014. Layug was crowned during the 18th annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last week.
A 25-year-old native of Lakeland, Florida, Layug has worked with the Hooters brand for seven years, most recently at her hometown store, Hooters of North Lakeland, Florida. She graduated from Polk State College with associate of arts and associate of science degrees in nursing, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in nursing at the University of South Florida. Layug finished third runner up in the 2013 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant and is thrilled to be this year’s winner.
“After competing alongside so many beautiful, charismatic and talented women, earning the 2014 Miss Hooters International crown is an absolute honor,” said Layug. “It’s unreal. I feel like I’m in a dream right now and don’t want to wake up.”
As Miss Hooters International, Layug won $30,000 cash and will serve as a spokesperson for the iconic Hooters brand. In addition to being featured in Hooters Magazine and Hooters Calendar, she will also have the opportunity to host events, appear in national television commercials and support other Hooters marketing initiatives.
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.
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; Miss Photogenic Taylor Reyes, representing Hooters of Bakersfield, California; and Miss Hooters World Nikolett Szollath, from Hooters of Budapest, Hungary, representing Hooters 27 international markets.
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 reigning 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 contestants, make a request through the press contact page.