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Miss Continental
Formation	1980
Type	Drag beauty pageant
Headquarters	Baton Show Lounge
Location	Chicago, Illinois;
Key people	Jim Flint (founder and CEO)
Website	Official Facebook

Miss Continental is an annual drag queen pageantry system founded in 1980 by Jim Flint. The pageant itself takes place at the Baton Show Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, and is usually held over Labor Day weekends.^[1]

History

Jim Flint organized the first Miss Continental Pageant in 1980.^[2] He started the competition as an inclusive pageant for all female impersonators, including those who have taken hormones or had surgical enhancements.^[3]^[1]

The first competition had 14 contestants.^[4] Ten years later in 1990, there were 44 contestants and 25 preliminaries in the United States.^[4]

Competitions

Also known as the Continental Pageantry System, the pageant features different competitions.

Miss Continental Plus debuted in 1991, a pageant for competitors weighing 225 lb (102 kg) or more.
Miss Continental Elite was created in 2004 for entertainers who are over the age of 40.
Mr. Continental was formed in 2003 for male entertainers.^[1]^[5]
Mr. and Miss Continental Newcomer was added in 2023.^[6]

Formerly, both Miss Continental Plus and Miss Continental Elite had been held each year over the Easter weekend, in Chicago; now all are held during the Labor Day weekend.

Contestants show five looks and a talent.^[7] More than 40 preliminary competitions occur around the world, with finalists arriving in Chicago for the event.^[7]

Winners

Sources^[8]^[9]^[10]

Legend:
† indicates that the contestant is deceased.

Year	Miss Continental	Miss Continental Plus	Miss Continental Elite	Mister Continental	Miss Continental Newcomer	Mr. Continental Newcomer
1980	Chilli Pepper †
1981	Heather Fontaine
1982	Tiffany Arieagus
1983	Chena Black
1984	Cherine Alexander †
1985	Maya Douglas
1986	Tandi Andrews †
1987	Dana Douglas
1988	Kelly Lauren
1989	Lakesha Lucky
1990	Chanel Dupree
1991	Amber Richards †	Ginger Grant †
1992	Mimi Marks	Denise Russell
1993	Monica Munro	Lady Catiria †
1994	Cézanne	Erica Christian
1995	Lady Catiria †	Carmella Marcella Garcia †
1996	Paris Frantz	Victoria Le Paige
1997	Tasha Long	Dena Cass
1998	Michelle Dupree	Santana T. Summers †
1999	Tommie Ross	Terri Williams
2000	Danielle Hunter	Tumara Mahorning
2001	Candis Cayne	Angel Sheridan
2002	Yoshiko Oshiro	Chevelle Brooks
2003	Erika Norell	Victoria Parker		Carl Harris (Dethroned) Ray Matthews
2004	Erica Andrews †	Anjelica Sanchez	Nikki Adams	Antonio Edwards
2005	Domanique Shappelle	Amaya	Barbara Herr	Tony Desario
2006	Victoria Le Paige	Desiree DeMornay †	Maya Douglas	Simba Hall
2007	Necole Luv Dupree	Tajma Hall †	Danielle Hunter	Rasean Montrese
2008	Tulsi	Mercedes Tyler	Angel Sheridan	David "Freklz" Hunter
2009	Armani	Coco Van Cartier	Michelle Fighter	Christopher Iman
2010	Mokha Montrese	Roxxxy Andrews	Electra	Nick Gray
2011	Alexis Gabrielle Sherrington	Chelsea Pearl †	Daesha Richards	Phillip Alexander
2012	Sasha Colby	Tanisha Cassadine †	Dana Douglas	Angel Saez
2013	Naysha Lopez	Whitney Paige † Farra N. Hyte	Kourtney Paige Van Wales	Kalil Valentino
2014	Brooke Lynn Hytes	Tahjee Iman	Lady Charisse Estrada †	Joey Taylor
2015	Tiffany T. Hunter	Kofi	Chantal Reshae	Mykul J. Valentine
2016	Jazell Barbie Royale	Natasha Douglas	Teryl Lynn Foxx	Antwuan Steele
2017	Shantell D’Marco	Keke Velazquez-Lord	Fontasia L'Amour	Ramon Ventura
2018	Stasha Sanchez	Chy'enne Valentino	Lorna Vando Misty Knight (Honorary) †	Sir Valentino
2019	Vanessa Van Cartier^[11]	Darcel Stevens	A'zsia Dupree	Desi M. Andrews^[12]
2020	Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021		Britney Taylor	Yosmein C. Starr
2022	Juliana Rivera	Rachel Meredith	Layla LaRue	Travis Stancil
2023	Sunny Dee-Lite	Lindsay Paige	Taylor St. James	Syvon Sinatra
2024	Zhané Dawlingz	Alvion Arnell Davenport	Lee Ann Feathers / Honorary Fantasia Dior	Noel Anaya	Dominink^[13]	Dioscar Montesino^[13]
2025	Raquell Lord			Raul Griffith-Valentin

Popular media

The Queens, a documentary directed by Mark Saxenmeyer, premiered in 2020 and focused on the 2011 competition.^[14]^[15]^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Collo-Julin, Salem (2023-04-06). "Best internationally known drag pageant system based in Chicago". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ ^a ^b Ballew, Jonathan (2019-03-01). "Legendary Drag Club The Baton Opens In Uptown Friday After Decades In River North: 'It's A New Chapter'". Block Club Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ Swenson, JP; Mendoza, Marie (2023-03-30). "What's the history of drag performance in Chicago?". WBEZ Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ ^a ^b Knight Jr, Richard (1990-01-17). "GLAMAZONS". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ Noyce, Eleanor (2023-09-06). "Black trans woman Zhané Dawlingz Wiley crowned Miss Continental". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ "Continental Pageantry". www.thebatonshowlounge.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ ^a ^b Hunter, Ross (2023-04-12). "Drag queen to represent Scotland for first time at world's most prestigious pageant". The National. Archived from the original on 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ "Miss Continental – Our Community Roots". Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ "Every Miss Continental Pageant Winner Over the Years". www.out.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ "Every Miss Continental Pageant Winner Over the Years". Yahoo Life. 2023-09-08. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ Souza, Guilherme (2019-09-13). "Meet the queen who broke stereotypes and became the first European to win Miss Continental". GCN. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ "Bringing Home the Gold - OutSmart Magazine". www.outsmartmagazine.com. 2019-12-26. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ ^a ^b "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ "The Queens". The Reporters Inc. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
^ Corrall, Cody (2020-09-04). "The Queens takes you behind the scenes of a Chicago drag pageant". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-10-16.

Richard Knight Jr. (January 17, 1990). Glamazons: Here she comes, with a few hundred pounds of sequins and a massive will to win. Chicago Tribune
Barbara Brotman (August 2, 1992). Gender gap: Lines blur as drag contestants give it all they've got-and more. Chicago Tribune