As a former Minnesota Timberwolves dance team member and a graduate of University of St. Thomas, Plymouth-native Brittany Thelemann heard about the great experiences a close friend and her coach (Josan Hengen, who won in 1998) had in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. Now, she’s won her own crown.
What did you do to celebrate the November 28, 2010, win?
It was pretty late, so I went home and drove to my boyfriend’s and ordered two pizzas, and a whole thing of breadsticks. I probably had a Summit, because I hadn’t had a beer or pizza in months.
What’s your idea of a fun night out in Plymouth?
I love to go to the movies, so that’s really fun for me. I also have a thing for boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. And I don’t like buffalo sauce, which people always think is weird, but the Asian Zing is super-good.
For those who helped you get where you are, anyone you’d like to give a shout-out to in Plymouth?
Steele Fitness, even though they’re based in Wayzata. They help a lot of Plymouth families, and they’re so great. Also, I did all my sunless tanning with Palm Beach Tan. They’ve been great and really generous. And a big shout-out to New Reflections; they did my hair and makeup for the pageant. So yeah, lots of Plymouth love!
What do you hope to do as Miss Minnesota USA?
My biggest goal is to be a positive role model and to inspire confidence. If you’re loving life and you’re really positive and you’re just really comfortable with who you are, people are going to be attracted to that.
Name your top three beauty must-have’s.
On a daily basis I stick to lots of moisturizer, lip balm and quality mascara. Mascara is my absolute must-have and I love the orange bottle by CoverGirl [LashBlast].
What do you snack on during the day? Do you allow yourself indulgences?
I live on almonds as a mid-morning snack and then apples in the afternoon. I buy them in bulk at the store because I am pretty sure I eat at least an apple a day! My guiltiest pleasure are those new pretzel M&M’s. They melt in your mouth and they aren’t as fatty as the peanut ones so I often find myself saying, ‘Why not?’
Where is your ultimate vacation destination?
Right now I have no time for a vacation, but when I dream of getting away right now it is to New York City. I've never been and would love to see a show on Broadway.
Do you have any hidden talents?
This is hard. I suppose how great I interact with children and teens. In my part-time job with Radio Disney I entertain young children through tweens for hours at a time! At church I volunteer with high school students and I find both experiences very refreshing! I can identify with them because I can remember how it felt to be in their shoes.
What inspired you to go for the crown?
Well, I never competed in a real pageant before. I always watched the pageants on TV. And I had a coach, Josan Hengen who asked me, ‘You’ve never tried it before?’ And a good friend on the team Nicole Bonnewell said, ‘You’d be great!’ And I needed to get in shape, so that was a big motivator.
What did you do to celebrate the win?
It was pretty late so I went home and then drove to my boyfriend’s and ordered two pizzas and a whole thing of breadsticks. And I probably ordered a Summit because I hadn’t had a beer or pizza in months. And I’m a die-hard pizza fan- Canadian Bacon and pineapple.
What did your parents think when you decided to run for Miss Minnesota USA?
They didn’t like it at first and worried that it would interfere with my job. But now they can see that it was a really good thing and they’re happy.
What’s your job?
I sell software for Epicor. I sell business management software systems to large manufacturers and companies, mostly in Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware. So if I talk with a southern accent sometimes…
What’s his name?
His name is Preston. And I have a brother who’s 21, Dylan. But he goes to school out East, so I don’t get to see him much, except during the holidays and summer. But I can go see Preston anytime I want. We’re going to see the Justin Bieber movie next week.
When it’s time to relax, do you have any favorite places to hang out?
I’m a big Uptown girl. I love Barbette (with an awesome wine bar) right on the edge of Uptown.
They have really good French fries there right?
Yeah, really good French fries with homemade aioli- the Pomme frites. My boyfriend and I went there on our first date. [And things I do to relax…] Working out. No joke. I feel so much better at the end of the day if I’ve worked out. That’s where I’m going after this.
Any recommendations on where to sculpt a beauty queen figure?
I (before the Miss Minnesota pageant) worked out a lot at Steele Fitness, and they have locations in Wayzata, Edina and St. Paul and they also have a mobile location, so I worked with them a lot before the pageant. Mostly now I have to shape my body like a super model instead of a dancer. The Miss USA judges- they like the long, lean look and not overly muscular. So I’m working more on walking and really specific strength training. One of the sponsors of the pageant is Stand Out Productions and they’re based out of Virginia. And it’s former Miss USA 2005 Chelsea Cooley-Altman’s, who is probably one of my biggest inspirations. She’s so incredible.
Is she one of the owners?
Yes, she’s co-owner of Stand Out Production. And Dr. A.T. Dunn. He’s kind of a fitness health guy and he’s been helping me with eating and how to pick the right portions. I use this thing called the Perfect Plate. It sounds really silly but it’s like a lunch tray and you can fill it with whatever you want and it has to be your entrée, vegetable and starch and fruit. It has a lid that you have to fit on top. Yep, three meals and two snacks. I don’t feel like I’m starving myself, but it’s working and it helps you make smarter decisions. That way you’re always eating fruits and vegetables with every meal, so it really helped. I take it with me everywhere. I take it out to restaurants, to work and I kind of make a joke out of it, but it’s working. And it’s nice because then I can still have the things I really like; I just don’t eat as much of that. And then you realize that you’re full and you don’t need all that.
What do you like to do to exercise?
I walk for like, an hour, and that gives me a lot of time to read or think. It just re-centers you. I find that relaxing, just to have time to myself. I get my heart-rate way up and I keep my legs way out so they’re not so dancer-muscular [Thelemann was on the Minnesota Timberwolves Dance Team]. I liked Yoga and I did Pilates, but I feel like I kept thinking, ‘Am I doing this right? Am I feeling it where I’m supposed to be feeling?’ With walking, I don’t have to think about it, and then I can think about everything that I have to do or make decisions about things or read; so it allows me to be the ultimate multit-asker.
What’s your idea of a fun night out in Plymouth?
Well I love to go to the movies, so that’s always really fun for me. I also have a thing for boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. I haven’t been there for a long time, but they have great flavors. And I don’t like buffalo sauce, which people always think is weird, but the honey barbeque, or even the Asian Zing is super good. That’s kind of the side of Plymouth that my family lives on- by the movie theater and the Buffalo Wild Wings. Otherwise, I just like hanging out at my parents’ house because I live in St. Louis Park now. So I like to go home and hang out with them and my puppy and my 9-year-old brother and play Super Mario.
