Complaint Review: East Coast Starz/Stargazer - Nationwide

OMG, I am so glad someone finally spoke up about these beauty queen wanted-to-be but never had a shot even when they weren’t frumpy middle age never were’s.  I read the Ripoff Report all the time and I keep seeing all the reports on other pageants and was waiting for someone to finally speak up.  I do not usually do things like this and particularly since I took my daughter out of this freak show in 2012.  I had enough of the cheating, lies, fabrications, score rigging, etc. I just couldn't see spending very hard earned money on two cheaters whom cheat in and at every angle of their operation.  

 In all the time we participated, I did not meet even a single modeling agency representative much less booking agent, nor did I meet even one mom out of hundreds (and many I am still friendly with and email/facebook with often) that said they ever even met even one single person that could help their daughter much less actually get one single modeling job even if it was for free. The only help any of us ever got was the East Coast Starz diet; how to make your wallet lose weight in 30 seconds flat............   None of us ever even had the opportunity to take our child to a “go see”.  At least on a “go see”, we would know that we were seeing real and bona fide people for an actual job and had even a remote chance even though there would probably be 200 other kids there.  From my friends that have kids that do actually get called to go line up at the go-see’s, they all feel the same way.  Their kid may not get picked, but it is not due to a fake scoring system where the judges probably don’t even mark the score cards, they just sit there and pretend it seems.  Most of my friends are the ones that are smart enough to realize that there is nothing fair about this pageant and some are just delusional but still my friends.  A few of them drink the pageant Kool Aid and believe the hype and argue with those of us that really know and have/had accepted the blatant and flagrant ongoing fraud but ultimately, it is only about what “Miss-Handler” (I just LOVE this, whomever wrote this should win the journalism price for exposing scammers) wants people to know and believe.  I would say these women should win a crown, but these losers don’t give crowns to winners, they give them to their friends kids, most of whom will never win anything in a real pageant on their own.  What is worse than anything is, as mothers, women should stick together, and these emotionless losers should know how fragile females can be, and how their obvious ignorance of what is so apparent to others as to whom should be in the top 5 or so when they instead just put in their picks.  How they can knowingly hurt so many of these children is just disgusting.  Losing fairly, what can one say about that.  When a boy scout loses to Hercules, it is pretty clear from the start whom is likely to win.  But when Miss-Piggy puts her own going nowhere in modeling daughter in and she "wins", it is just sickening.  The kid should simply not be there.  Every legit game of chance or drawing from big companies states "not available to employees, family members, relatives, etc of anyone associated with XYZ Corporation.  What is going to happen to these two kids when they look in the mirror at 16 and realize they actually do look like their mother, and are only going to win at Bingo and pie eating.  

 Although it took quite a quite a while before it all became clear to me about what a sham this cash cow of theirs really is, in the end I got tired of being ripped off everywhere I turned. When I was being super sneaky to pay some of these ridiculous costs in ways my husband wouldn't know about, I finally realized that I was like a crack addict and had to quit cold turkey.   I think these two self important slovenly couldn’t get picked up naked on a ship full of drunk sailors house frau’s took their lessons from Disney.  Force merchandise on you anywhere you look. Don't turn a corner without seeing more crap to buy.   Offer “upgrade” or “package” or “VIP experience” everywhere and make sure the kids can see it so they of course go to mom and dad and you can’t say no.  They know that peer pressure works, and they crush us parents financially for no purpose other than cash in their pockets.  Personally, I have no issue with people making money, the more the better.  It is the American way and hooray for anyone that is successful.  This said, there is success based upon doing things legitimately and above board and fairly which is the American dream or, there is East Coast Pageants way; con, cheat, lie, embellish, obfuscate, entice, fabricate, and almost pathologically lie at every juncture. Even worse, these two actually believe their own hype that they are in the big time of pageants.  If it wasn't so sad what they do, it would almost be funny.   

This dynamic dummy duo lies to you about the great opportunities for your child. The big career that can be had, the spotlight, the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd (the only roar is when you get your credit card bill, and the only smell is the festering crap they spew like a broken sewer main).  They lie to you about the connections they have.  I think I made more connections plugging in my iPhone than these morons will ever have.  Whom would ever take Laverne and Shirley seriously anyway?   They lie to you about what it really cost.  They lie to the makeup artists and say “if you work for me for free, you will get all the extra work from the moms, and you can charge way more than normal as they have no option.  They extort crappy clothing from stores saying “give us free clothes, we will send you back professional photos you can use to promote them”.  Then they charge way more than it is supposed to cost, and you could go to the store and probably just buy for 1/3 the price.  Then they do your hair with a stylist they make the same offer to as the make up artists.  These female con-men are totally well versed and squeezing every penny out of everyone and into their pockets, they have every angle covered. Going to this pageant is like giving cash to the 3 card Monty player in Times Square.  Just go buy a box of Godiva instead and suck it all down, at least you will feel better. 

 When it comes to the actual heart of the pageant, after they get done putting your wallet through the wringer outside and squeezing it empty, now let’s talk about the other scamming that goes on;  the judging.  They may as well have Helen Keller and Stevie Wonder as the judges.  At least they could hear what goes on and offer judging on that part.  They surely can’t help with anything to do with other talent, and surely not based upon looks or posture or poise or style or anything that counts.  Look at “Miss-Handler”s own kids.  They have the same fat face she does and although I am mad at myself for saying this, these two innocent children whom have no idea they got hit more than once with the ugly stick, and are winning at things they shouldn’t even be in much less place in, unless last.  It is not fair to them to prop them up now, only to find that as they grow (and certainly won’t get any better looking) that there are zero opportunities to model for them unless a wide angle photo at a football game or someone looking for average or below average looking kids for a group photo to average out with the real models.  Children should not be set up for disappointment on such a grand scale, and that is exactly what is happening. Disappointment is not a bad thing when appropriate.  So sad that their mother is pimping them out now as she is knowing full well that even though her daughter might get a few kids jobs now, at least enough to pay for a day of college, she has less chance of making it as a model than I do as a hostess at Red Lobster.  In this case, the disappointment is like a kid watching a truck roll over the model you spent a month building and telling you the glue melted in the heat. 

So the pageant runs, and the judges, whom are never around to talk to afterwards, and with no information as to who they are or what their credentials are, sit and “judge”.  Someone’s uncle, “Miss-Jugs-Handler” (hope you all like my upgrade to the prior brilliant title by NomoreBS in their posting) next door neighbor or friend who knows less about pageant judging than I do about making dinner, they sit there, pretend to judge, and even if they do, the other posting is 10000% correct, the two connivers take the information, refuse to show it to anyone (if they had a real scoring system like on Dancing with the Stars where the judges hold up the scores or other shows like this where there is an electronic score system) because then they couldn’t pick their winners of choice.  I would love to be able to know in advance what room these two will sit in and figure out their winners agenda in and leave my phone in there with me on another one so I could hear them plotting and scheming and bust their sorry fat butts on this for all to hear.  But since I am no longer attending and nobody knows where they will hatch their scheme, they can’t be busted.  Maybe someone should guy them and clip little microphones to them and then put on the sound system so all here the plot being hatched.  Then when the damage is done, and their choices are announced (not winners, choices) a few legitimately may win, and then there are all the others. 

This whole thing makes me sick.  If anyone reading this one can, go read about all the other pageants out there on Ripoff Report.  There must be some club all these people belong to, and learn from each other at Scam U(niversity).  It is really disgusting and many of my friends that still do this scam-a-thon are going to drop out and stick with other pageants which may not be perfect, but at least they are not blatant crooks.  If there really is Karma, these two are in for a very rude awakening at some point.  Sadly, they are ruining their children but at least they will have scammed everyone for enough money to pay for therapy that the kids will need for the rest of their lives.  I hope I am around to hear about when the hammer drops on these two, it will surely get ugly!!!!!

 Every iota of the above it is true.  I was there from very early on, to two years ago.  I have watched all of this with my own two eyes, and my bank account.  There is no rebuttal that they can post that if you print it, it is nothing more than toilet paper with ink on it. 

Glad2Bgone

Rivervale, New Jersey