Shared Husam AbedakerAt Home With The Misses By CORINNE RAME
It's the stuff sitcoms are made of: Three beauty queens living in an apartment in the big city.
Only for Dayana Mendoza, Crystle Stewart and Stevi Perry - better known as Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA - it's reality.
Since being crowned, the trio has shared a three-bedroom apartment in a full-service luxury midtown high-rise - a perk at least as nice as a tiara.
They say they've bonded like long-lost sisters, but while there haven't been any big catfights, they do bicker from time to time.
One morning, Miss USA rolled her eyes at Miss Teen USA as she used a napkin as a plate for her breakfast scone so she wouldn't have to wash a dish.
Piqued by the scorn from her fellow pageant winner, Perry responded with a little gossip about Stewart.
"Did you know that she almost caught the house on fire?" she says, referring to an incident involving a chicken pot pie and the microwave.
The bachelorette pad reflects the two worlds its temporary tenants occupy - half teddy bear, half evening gown.
In Mendoza's room - the pink one - a collection of stuffed animals is on display, and Emilio, her teddy bear, has a place of honor on her bed. The 22-year-old Venezuelan uses a MacBook Pro for Skype "dates" with her boyfriend.
Texas-born Stewart - the oldest of the bunch at 27, dubbed "mom" by Perry - has the blue bedroom with an impeccably organized closet filled with evening gowns.
The green room belongs to Perry, 18, and she's decorated it with a collage from her boyfriend and an "I love my Miss Teen USA" note from her mom in Arkansas.
The fridge is stuffed with food from Fresh Direct: Eggos, bags of salad, yogurt and ice cream.
The women say they're learning how to cook - Perry supposedly makes a mean potato soup - but they're also known to toss a frozen pizza in the oven.
Mendoza said that when Perry moved into the apartment, she gave the teenager the lay of the land.
"I told her, 'This is the apartment, this is Fresh Direct, this is how we eat, this is how you take the trash out,'" she said.
"We're all sisters here in the house," Perry said. "We all have the same job. We have this bond that we share and we always will." New York Daily News, NY, 19.10.08
Mendoza curls up with her teddy bear. The 22-year-old Venezuelan uses a MacBook Pro for Skype "dates" with her boyfriend.
Stewart, 27, from Texas, is working on a book. Dubbed "mom" by Perry, Stewart has the blue bedroom with an impeccably organized closet filled with evening gowns.
Breakfast time at the Misses'. Since being crowned, the trio has shared a three-bedroom apartment in a full-service luxury midtown high-rise - a perk at least as nice as a tiara.