“First Runner-Up to Miss America. Words that will never seem real,” Louisiana’s Shelby Bordelon said via Facebook on Monday.
On Sunday night, the 24-year-old Sunshine, La., native stood onstage in West Palm Beach, Florida, along with 51 other contestants, all hoping to bring home that coveted crown and title.
After reaching the final five, Bordelon, the current Miss Louisiana, came up just shy of the win, but grateful for the experience nonetheless.
“I have dreamed about the Miss America stage for as long as I can remember. Nothing I ever imagined could have prepared me for what it actually felt like to stand there tonight among some of the most extraordinary women I have ever known,” she posted on social media. “And how blessed am I that the woman standing beside me in those final moments was @reganhuntsell. There could not be a more deserving, beautiful representative to wear that crown.”…