Hannah Ann Sluss' Pageant Career Had Its Ups and Downs

(Image credit: John Fleenor)

published 8 January 2020

Potential Bachelor spoilers ahead. Model Hannah Ann Sluss, who nabbed the first impression rose from Bachelor Peter Weber and stands to do well this season, is one of several pageant girls from the slate of contestants vying for Weber's heart. Considering that she's absolutely one to watch—and, intriguingly, since she herself doesn't address her pageant work very much—let's do a deep dive into what we know about Sluss's former life as a pageant star.

Sluss competed in pageants, but didn't win a major title.

According to Us Weekly, Sluss is a former Miss North Knoxville and came in fourth in the competition for Miss Tennessee USA in 2017.

According to this pageant results website, she was also first runner-up in 2018, second runner-up in 2014, and first runner-up in 2015, as well. So she competed in a bunch, and did well—but never nabbed the top spot.

She doesn't talk a lot about her pageant days.

Sluss posts more frequently about her modeling career on Instagram, but she does occasionally allude to her pageant work—like in this post, which references a Miss USA competition:

A post shared by Hannah Ann Sluss (@hannahann)
A photo posted by on

And in this Instagram video from one of the competitions:

A post shared by Hannah Ann Sluss (@hannahann)
A photo posted by on

And judging by her comments, she definitely has local fans who know her from this work.

She almost went viral in a bad way.

Listen, pageants sound really hard and I have absolutely no judgment for anyone who decides to compete. Reality Steve unearthed a video in which Sluss had a tough time with a question relating to punishment of fraternity brothers who cause the death of their pledges (again, I would not know where to even begin answering that one). Sluss clearly freezes, asks for the question to be repeated, then sort of goes off track about hazing and violence on college campuses in general.

I’m very well aware that pageant competitions can be nerve wracking and anyone can freeze up when asked a question. Well one of Peters women, Hannah Sluss, almost had her own “Such as South Africa, and the Iraq, everywhere, like, such as...” moment a few years ago... pic.twitter.com/7NQ5BIpQ72September 19, 2019

It's kind of a bummer that we can't dig up more of the stuff that wasn't a mistake, although there is this Facebook video in which Sluss intros herself with a pretty heavy Southern accent that she appears to have lost since then:

Reality Steve has said that the pageant girls (and the ensuing drama) is gonna get crazy this season, so Sluss is absolutely one to watch.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

SUBSCRIBE HERE

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.