Excellent sleuthing (though the subject matter is disgusting - and I feel for Ms. Mead).

As for Rachel, the term "plastic fantastic" comes to mind.

Who cares?

Congrats to Nichole Mead. Miss Oregon 2012.

Perhaps Pastor Mel should have preached a little more on the Ninth Commandment "Thou shall not bear false witness".

And maybe it's just me, but if Ms. Berry were from any other state, I wouldn't care. But California? "How Dare You!"

Maybe her talent was teleportation.

That's about the only way her story works.

Unfortunately, I just googled "Nichole Mead".

Keep the crown, Ms. Berry. Keep the crown.

Who cares?

Great question, and I think I have the answer. Generally, beauty pageants are at the bottom of my interest list. However, I do have a great amount of state pride. Oregon has a certain wholesome beauty that is difficult to describe. It can best be represented by a woman who is more or less home grown, and can best reflect those innate NW qualities. If a poser comes into the state and steals what it is ours (no matter the low significance) I get my hackles up a bit. Trying to cover up things only further dimishes what Oregon should be all about. So, while really unimportant in the large scheme of things, I guess I care.

First of all, are the pics and post correct, yes, but your whole theory is wrong. Rachel hasn't responded to you, because she was told not too, not because she has anything to hide. I'm really close to her and I can tell you, the whole Cheesecake thing was actually my idea. There is only one Cheesecake in the Portland area, and they only hire 10 people at a time. Rachel had no waitressing experience, so her getting a job their, was slim to none. I told her, since she was coming home for the holidays, to apply at all of the Cheesecakes in so.cal, since there are a few of them, see if she can get on at one of them, and then transfer to Portland, because then they'd have to accept her. When she got hired, she found out that she'd have to somehow stay on for 3 months before she was eligible to transfer, so that's when the back and forth actually started. As far as the DMV thing, it was me again, I urged her not to switch her plates and stuff over to Oregon back in sept or october because of how tuff California is on an out of towner and taking your car and impounding it for a month and making you pay all kind of crazy fees (1500 minimum) just to get it back. The reason I know, is because it happened to me. I feel really bad about all of this, I had no idea, it would come down to all of this. I'm not really ready to give up my identity yet, but hey, you're the smart guy, so you figure it out.

“Who cares?”
Well, I do. As a lifelong resident of Oregon, I get a little bothered by someone claiming to live here and then pass themselves off as representing all of us. I don’t like a Californian, like Miss Berry, selected as Miss Oregon nor a New Yorker, like Ron Wyden, elected as an Oregon Senator.

In a society awash with inflated resumes, imaginary degrees, situational ethics and a view of truth that is summed up as "whatever works" I guess it is not surprising that someone fudged on the facts when they entered a contest. The Great American Hot Air Industry perpetuates the myth that the truth is whatever is shouted out the loudest and the longest. Just do not look behind the curtain.

"Who cares?"

I care about the matter of a $10,000 scholarship.

I'm curious how many man hours have been spent on this non issue?

It appears to be an unnatural obsession with pageant phoniness.

NOT a shock to most of us!

And not an expense to any of us.

Rules don't matter anymore if you have the connections.
It's everywhere.

NOT a shock to most of us! And not an expense to any of us.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

So we are supposed to believe that Rachel COMMUTED to a job in LA from Aloha Oregon for 3 months? I didn't know the Cheesecake Factory was the only restaurant or place to work in the state. Really, this is lame. Rachel lied and Connie (I assume she must be "feel sorry for Rachel) helped her do it. Shame on both of them.

The cover up stinks. She lied and cheated and literally stole the money and the title.
Go back to Hawthorne and work on those head shots for Disney. Maybe you can get a gig as Snow White, on the day shift, in August.

She also commuted to Hawthorne to shoot and edit video the Sunday before Thanksgiving?

To my knowledge, the only Cheesecake Factory in Oregon is in Tigard.

"Feel sorry for Rachel" is posting from an IP address that is located in the New York City area.

An anonymous caller tells us that Berry worked at the Glendale Cheesecake Factory.

http://locations.thecheesecakefactory.com/ca/glendale-141.html

I like how you write on behalf of the true Oregonians...Jack, that doesn't include you. You transplanted here from the east coast. Although that was eons ago because you're probably 2x the age of this young girl you're bullying, you're not a real Oregonian, either. I'm sure this girl has a more promising future than aspiring to sit around making up theories to post on a blog as a way of trying to be a "credible" media source. What a joke.

A few letters to the editor in the Seaside Signal would probably start smoking out the decision-makers among their friends and neighbors.

Somebody phone Pastor Mel. A member of his flock has strayed from the path of righteousness. Situational ethics, indeed.

I've read "feel bad for rachel"'s post about the Cheesecake Factory/residency excuse about 10 times, and I find myself understanding it less and less with each successive read.

This young woman age 23, is NOT a girl.
She was apparently also not a legal resident of the state of Oregon for the 6 months prior to the competition as required by the rules of the organization that sponsors this pageant.
The 1st prize of $10,000 scholarship money is a significant sum to most people and by "winning" under false pretenses Rachael Berry has deprived someone else of that money.
She has now apparently tried to cover up the fact that she was not a resident of the state.
Lying, cheating and stealing...pure and simple.
Pointing this out is not bullying.

I take no pleasure in this.

Berry has resigned now. She should have taken my advice and done it on Tuesday.

BTW, this story would have gone nowhere if Anna Canzano at KATU hadn't run with it. She should get the credit, although I'll accept the hateful comments. God forbid anybody in Portland ever speak up about anything.

Miss Berry resigns due to her deceitful actions leading to her election. She has greater cojones than our mayor.

I'm assuming this blog owner, who is clearly obsessed with Rachel losing her crown, is somehow related or best friends with the first RUNNER UP -who wasn't the TRUE winner of Miss Oregon and who won't have a snowballs chance in hell to win Miss America, because she's a malicious person on the inside. Go ahead and do your best at Miss America, runner up. You weren't chosen as the winner of Miss Oregon because they felt you weren't the one for the job. I don't see how you could be proud of that.

I do not know Ms. Mead or anyone related to her. I only know about her what I can read on the internet.

It is people like you, who encourage young people like Rachel Berry to win at all costs, who are responsible for this mess.

It's also a little funny that you're posting from L.A.

And this matters why, jack Bog? Its a Pageant not the race for President of the United States. Move along folks nothing to see here.

Is it funny Jack? You're posting from Oregon. I find that funny. Go to hell.

Wow. Calling Pastor Mel!

Bravo Jack. Glad someone spoke up and persisted. Obviously those who are ticked off at you are from the Berry camp who thinks its acceptable to disregard rules. Sincere thank you for standing up an injustice to the other 1st runner up who looks like she worked hard for the title over the years.

And is actually from here.

Nothing more hypocritical than a bible-thumping cheater. Good riddance.

Hell of a good job Jack! We true Oregonians support you and your efforts.

My comments to 2 people:

Rain Check: I understand that your friends/family/whatever with Ms. Berry... so you REALLY want her to do well. I get that. But put emotion aside for a moment and explain to me why it's okay that she cheated to win? I can't imagine you can justify that. Maybe your answer would be that that's the way the pagaent world operates. Everybody does it. I dunno, so enlighten me, please. Also, why the slams on the First Runner Up? So not necessary.

Ms. Berry: As we've seen COUNTLESS times over the past 10 years, it's the cover-up and half-ass apologies that bury people. If you really want to do the right thing - admit you cheated, apologize FOR THAT, and move on in life. You'll be fine. In fact, you'd change from being a shitty role model to being a responsible role model. That's a cool opportunity. If you asked Pastor Mel, I bet he'd agree with me. Own it, and move on.

Good work, Jack.

All is not lost. Ms. Berry can look forward to a long, successful career on public access cable television. Look what it did for Jim Spagg.

The pageant world is a nasty little place.

RainCheck - Obviously this situation is a terrible one for many reasons. I know BOTH girls personally and look at this situation from all sides. Rachel is a wonderful woman, and unfortunately the bottom line is that what happened was wrong. Proving your residency is just not that challenging of a task, and a drivers license is most certainly not the only way to do it. A cable bill, utility bill, rental contract etc.

But as for you attacking Ms. Mead's character? What exactly do you truly know about her? How much time have you spent getting to know her, one on one. It's not her fault that these things have come to light, nor that they happened in the first place. She is in fact a wonderful person with a HUGE heart.

Let us refer to an old saying, "If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all."

I am proud to be a born and raised Oregonian with quite a bit of state pride, and I for one would be delighted to see Ms. Mead receive something that all those who know her, know how incredibly hard and passionately she has worked for. A true representative of our state.

So please keep your nasty comments to yourself. You're not being kind, or representing Rachel very well.

To all the people saying Rachel is not an Oregonian.. We have had plenty of women win the title of Miss Oregon who are not "true" Oregonians.. Last years Miss Oregon was not from Oregon. Secondly, she won the crown, obviously the judges thought she was best one for the job.. or else they wouldn't have picked her, Oregonian or Not they felt she would do the best job. and Lastly, I have met Rachel and she is the sweetest girl ever.. it is not her fault that her county directors let her compete back in April, if her residency was an issue it should have brought up in April, not after she won the crown, Her local directors and the Miss Oregon directors are the ones to blame for this, they should have checked before hand.

I agree that the pageant directors in Oregon did not do their jobs here, at all. It would be interesting to know why.

All Rachel had to do was move here by October 20. But she didn't.

I have little to no opinion on the subject matter. I did, however, want to point out that Rachel is not from California as several posters have assumed due to her previous residence there. Several have subsequently unjustly categorized her as "plastic fantastic" and the like. She is from Indiana and attended high school with me. She was a few years behind me and I did not know her personally, and thus cannot say anything about her character or what she have or may not have done in this situation. I can however attest to the fact that she looks nearly unchanged today from 10 years ago and that people should not be stereotyped based on presumed facts. There are plenty of pageant winners who are not native to the states for which they compete. It seems cruel and un-Oregonian to lambast her for competing for miss Oregon simply because she is not a native. That being said, if she did indeed attempt to falsify the length of her residency, then it seems appropriate that she resign, which she did. Now let it go an move on.

Sorry, Kellie - Rachel lied on KATU television.
We are also aware that she's from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and is apparently a serial pageant entrant. And if she looks "nearly unchanged" from ten years ago, then perhaps the term, "plastic fantastic" isn't so far off the mark.

Let's put this into perspective:

1) Rachel misrepresented her eligibility in terms of residency requirement.

2) She's a carpetbagger.

3) She lied in a television interview without batting an eye.

4) When first Jack and then KATU began digging around, she and her family desperately attempted to eradicate all traces of their online activities, which clearly indicated misrepresentation/fraud.

5) She and the folks in Seaside have signed nondisclosure agreements, which means that the coverup is ongoing.

Bottom line, Kellie: Rachel is an attention-hungry, manipulative cheat, a liar, a fraud. She doesn't have any business purporting to represent our state; it was all about attention and financial gain for her.

Now let that sink in. There is a difference between right and wrong.

Really Jack? Rachel was approved every step of the way by the pageant officials. You know they had a responsibility to everyone, including Rachel, to not allow her to compete at the local competition let alone the state competition. Why is it that the 24 year girl is the only one taking the hit for this and is now being silenced by a nondisclosure agreement? Gee seems like you would mount a greater assault on them then you did on Miss Berry and make sure they feel the pain as well...

As I said in the last paragraph of this post, I agree with you that the pageant organizers should be questioned. Maybe next week when Anna Canzano is on duty at KATU, she'll get back to them. You can bet they would never talk to me.

It might also be interesting to talk to the five judges in this year's state pageant to see what they knew or didn't know:

Jai C. Harrelson, who has judged more than 100 pageant competitions, 25 of them Miss America state pageants; Leigh Gettman-Allen, who has served on the judge’s panel for hundreds of Miss America preliminaries and four Miss America state pageants; Don Accuardi, who is actively involved in the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors – he and his wife were chaperones for Miss Oregon judges for four years; Carol Henry, a graduate and employee of Robert Spence Modeling Academy who has volunteered for the Miss America pageant system for more than 26 years, beginning as the wardrobe chairman for a local pageant; and Craig Campbell, president and legal counsel for the family lobbying firm.

Campbell and Accuardi are local; the other three are regular judges on the national pageant circuit.

There's a bit of an odor here, and it isn't just about the eligibility question.

Usually I wouldn't chime in on things like this, but I just can't stand here and watch you all speak so horribly about someone you don't even know.

First of all, who here has even competed, helped, and/or contributed to the Miss America Organization? We all seem to have something to say here because we want an Oregonian to have this title, but how do we have something to say if you have never been a part of this organization? My involvement with this organization gives me some perspective in what is going on here.

Second, this organization has a strict set of rules, and in order for Berry to qualify for the local pageant, she obviously had been approved prior. The fact that she had paperwork and qualifications to become her local title is enough evidence to continue to Miss America. She is a bright and intelligent girl and would not go into the contract blindly. The fact that she changed her registration officially proves she is becoming more a part of the state.

Third, if any of you have a problem with the monetary value, I would say look at the women who are participating in these pageants. When it comes to talent costumes, evening gowns, make up, and all the pageant essentials, the scholarship money they receive is balancing out if not adding just a bit more to their true scholarship funds. The money should not even be brought into question. The runners up, including Nichole Mead, had a decent wardrobe. If it wasn't her, I'm sure it was a pageant girl that served as the anonymous tipper. If they are so bold to do so, they should say it was them. Actions speak louder than words, right? In the end, they probably wanted the crown so badly that they had to find behind a news organization in order to get what they want. An Oregonian decided it was their opportunity to hurt someone else in order to get what they want.

Lsstly, this comment is meant for Jack. While it is obvious Berry spent some time in California instead of Oregon, that does not make the fact she began living in Oregon invalid. Look at the dates; most of her sister's tweets and mentions are near holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you really think Berry, a new Oregon resident, is going to spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on holidays, alone as opposed to with her family in California? It seems like she was honoring her commitments to work and family and closing things out and coming home. If anyone had the opportunity to see their family when transitioning to a new job and town, I'm sure they would take it too.

It's really sad that you would take your time to look at personal profiles in order to make a case, if there is any.

Cut the girl a break.

If ever Miss Berry is allowed to talk, then she will be able to tell her story. I'm sorry for whoever started this little trail ... It has grown into a mountain. If she did indeed try to establish residency early and ha a difficult time finding work, but followed advice given to her, she deserves the benefit of the doubt. Mistakes are made everyday; when she can, she will let everyone know about it. I am from a Portland born and raised mother - she would be embarrassed by the small town minds here. Calling names doesn't clear up any of your accusations or the situation. The pageant has helped many girls mature and grow and become incredible and beautiful poised contributing citizens when the winner has worked the job, as it IS a job. There are "pageant patties" who think beauty and talent are all - but it is the women who have substance that become role models. California grooms their girls to work and perform at a higher level. Miss Berry could only have helped your pageant and perhaps that is what the pageant officials were hoping. I must admit, since Miss Berry won't be going to Miss America, I won't either.

I think this was in Seaside less than a month ago:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4147077996505&set=a.3622425760527.164686.1270462742&type=3&theater

Connie left Oregon early to go back to her Cali business, but Rachel made sure she was there in spirit:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4168891781836&set=a.3622425760527.164686.1270462742&type=3&theater

Connie will also reportedly be in town to be inducted into the Seaside High Hall of Fame this summer.

You guys' inability to get your stories straight is why Rachel will soon be back signing autographs on tabs at Cheesecake Factory in Glendale.

Remind me to never enter into a business contract with these supporters.
Need never know the problems missed.

Maybe next week when Anna Canzano is on duty at KATU, she'll get back to them.

Are we sure she's in town? Her husband is in London covering the Olympics for The O. I wouldn't be surprised if she were there too.

She isn't even from Cali! She's orignially from Illinois. She should have stayed there.

She's from Indiana* My mistake.

You better watch your back, Jack: Hell hath no fury like a Beauty Queen dethroned.

If the sock puppet circle jerk is any indication, this won't go away anytime soon

In response to Tara S:
1. I've been involved in the MAO for 30 years.
2. That she was approved is the fault of the local director, and the state director not requiring PROOF of residency, which is a separate issue. It does not negate the fact that the girl lied. You said she was smart and knew the contract, as she's been competing for years, so she KNEW she was lying when she signed. 'Trying' to establish residency is NOT establishing residency. You said it yourself-- there are strict rules, and this is NOT a gray area.
3. You are using the fact that girls put a lot of money into competing to justify her STEALING $10,000! I'm wondering if she could be prosecuted for fraud?
And then BLAMING the runners-up as vindictive, 'do anything to win' girls and accusing them of tipping off and hiding behind the media!! You say the tipster should have made themselves known--there was an injustice to them that this girl ever competed in the state, and I believe that if someone wouldn't have contacted the media, they would just lie their way out of it (which they tried) and people like you would attack them, BLAME THEM and try to black ball them from the program. You've proven my point exactly!
Accusing the runners up as 'wanting to hurt (her) to get what they want!!' RACHEL BERRY IS THE 'WIN AT ANY COST' PLASTIC FANTASTIC!!! SHE HURT THESE GIRLS IN NOT ONLY STEALING THEIR SCHOLARSHIPS, BUT ROBBING ANOTHER GIRL OF HER CROWNING MOMENT.
Put the blame WHERE IT LIES (double entendre meant).
-Rachel Berry for lying about her residency.
-The local and state directors for their incompetence.
On a side note: her 'personal' profile is NOT personal when she publishes it to the internet herself for literally the WHOLE WORLD TO SEE! You can't have it both ways: look at me, look at me, look at me. Oh you have proof of me lying from my twitter account?? Oh, that's private. Pleeeeeeeeease!
Cut this girl a break?? Why? Cause she talks about reading the bible and her love of Jesus?? What a horrible role model of a Christian, and I'm not even religious. People like her are the reason.
Thank God for the internet trail or this girl would have kept on lying, like she did to the TV station!! Jack Bog was right all along. Rachel Berry was the lier. You need to reexamine your ethics, especially if you claim to be a Christian as well.

*ps. You're the exact kind of person that needs to go within the MAO! Your 'logic' is completely out of whack with reality.

While it is obvious Berry spent some time in California instead of Oregon, that does not make the fact she began living in Oregon invalid. Look at the dates; most of her sister's tweets and mentions are near holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you really think Berry, a new Oregon resident, is going to spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on holidays, alone as opposed to with her family in California? It seems like she was honoring her commitments to work and family and closing things out and coming home. If anyone had the opportunity to see their family when transitioning to a new job and town, I'm sure they would take it too.

You are so delusional, Tara. Get help. She was busted, and she admitted it. Now you need to get over it.

Tara - even if it was a pageant girl who sent in the tip, Rachel was the one who lied. Who is more desperate for the crown, the person who lied in signing a legal contract then lied on the news, or the person who pointed out that lie?