Isabelle St. Cyr; Kevin Mazur/Getty The 2025 Miss Maine USA pageant stirred up massive amounts of media attention because of two noteworthy contestants: Jordon Hudson and Isabelle St. Cyr Hudson, 24, came into the spotlight with her public relationship with Bill Belichick, 73. St. Cyr, 24, made headlines as the first trans woman to compete in Miss Maine USA One day after the pageant, St. Cyr spoke to PEOPLE about how she and Hudson bonded over the fact that they were the center of scrutiny and gave each other the confidence to both make it into the top 10 semi-finalists This weekend, some of the country's largest media outlets flocked to a Holiday Inn in Portland, Maine to see an unusually high-profile state-wide pageant. This year'sMiss Maine USAstage featured two particularly notable competitors:Bill Belichick's girlfriend,Jordon Hudson, and the first-ever transgender Miss Maine contestant, Isabelle St. Cyr. Even before the pageant took place. The two women, both 24, found themselves at the center of a media frenzy that ranged in tone. Hudson and St. Cyr took the brunt of backlash and criticism from the moments they individually announced their participation until the second they stepped out in front of the pageant audience. They took the stage with style, strutting in swimwear and evening gowns for a room full of pageant-goers, reporters and their own supporters, like Belichick, 73, who watched his girlfriend from a front-row seat. Hudson and St. Cyr proved they had enough confidence to mute the noise, and on Sunday, May 11 — day two of the weekend-long event — both women were selected as semi-finalists in the top 10 contestants. Hudsonnabbed third place, behind runner-up Mara Carpenter and crowned Miss Maine USA winner Shelby Howell. Isabelle St. Cyr Related:Bill Belichick's Girlfriend Jordon Hudson Comes in Third Place at Miss Maine USA Pageant But according to St. Cyr, some of the most meaningful and memorable moments happened behind the scenes, when the two talks-of-the-town had some talks of their own. Speaking to PEOPLE one day after the pageant, the history-making contestant says she and Hudson bonded over their place at the center of media scrutiny and exchanged advice for how to best handle the spotlight, even when it casts a darker shadow. "We had a conversation backstage and we were like, 'You know, the media hasn't necessarily been kind to us.' We just kind of talked about how we've dealt with it, how to move forward, how to remain positive and when to comment and not to comment," St. Cyr tells PEOPLE. "I really appreciate her willingness to talk to me about the media coverage." St. Cyr — who represented the town of Monson — notes that they hadn't actually interacted before the pageant, but she says there was an "unspoken" question of how she and Hudson were going address the headlines. And some of the harsher angles pitted the women against each other: "First trans woman versus Jordon Hudson, all those articles," St. Cyr recalls. Kevin Mazur/Getty Related:Jordon Hudson and Bill Belichick Leave Miss Maine USA Holding Hands After Pageant Upset Having a conversation about it before the pageant began cleared the air, she adds, ensuring that "there was no bad blood" before the preliminary competition. "It definitely made us both a lot more comfortable going into the pageant that night," says St. Cyr. "I think we both wanted to make it clear that we had nothing to do with it and that we were just happy to be competing. So I was very thankful for that." Hudson's media attention has surged recently as her relationship with the UNC football coach has become increasingly public. Last month, the couple caught some criticism aftertheir awkward CBS News appearance. St. Cyr admits she doesn't have much press experience either, but hateful comments are unfortunately nothing new to her. "It's stuff I've heard my entire transition," she tells PEOPLE. "I know the type of people that say those things, so I don't really take it to heart." "I just remained positive no matter what anyone was saying about it, I continued to know that I wanted to represent my platform and this is unfortunately nothing new to me ... I don't really take it to heart. Isabelle St. Cyr Related:Inside Jordon Hudson's Miss Maine USA Pageant Weekend with Boyfriend Bill Belichick (Exclusive) She and Hudson agreed that negative media attention is to be expected — "That's how people get clicks," St. Cyr says, remembering some wisdom Hudson shared — but they were determined to keep their heads high. Hudson also advised that her competitor should do proper research before speaking with the press and make sure she knows enough about "who's doing these articles and when you should be commenting," St. Cyr says. "I think overall she just helped me to know that I wasn't the only one that was dealing with it, obviously," she continues of Hudson. "And she admits that a lot of backlash still showed up to the pageant that night to compete, and I as well, with a lot of backlash and a lot of people saying that I shouldn't be there." Ultimately, both St. Cyr and Hudson were proud to rise above it all. "We showed up and competed and we both made it to the second day," says St. Cyr. "So I think that that shows a lot of what you can do when you don't let negativity step in front of you and your dream." Read the original article onPeople
