The University doesn’t just have sports stars anymore — it has reality television stars as well.
Jeanne Marie Maraist and Megan Dupré appeared on TLC’s new reality show “Top Yam: The Louisiana Yambilee Queen Pageant.”
Dupré, kinesiology junior, was one of three girls competing for the crown in the 64th annual Yambilee Pageant in Opelousas. Maraist, communication studies junior, is featured as Dupré’s best friend.
“When you’re on TV, you analyze everything about your experience,” Dupré said. “It was better than I had expected it to be. I was portrayed accurately.”
Maraist and Dupré held a viewing party for family and friends at Dupré’s residence Friday.  
“I didn’t know what they were going to use and how they were going to portray us,” Maraist said. “We were worried they were going to make us look bad. We wanted to make sure we could clear up anything.”
This is Dupré’s second time to appear on a reality show. She appeared in 2008 as a contestant on the CW’s “Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious,” where she competed for a spot in a new all-girl singing and dancing group.
Dupré said filming with TLC was more personal than “Girlicious” production because she had her own camera crew, and the atmosphere was more relaxed.
She said TLC approached the pageant directors about filming the Louisiana Yambilee Queen Pageant because it is one of the oldest and most prestigious pageants in the state, held since 1946.
“Top Yam” followed the pageant process of Dupré and two other girls, Imani Guillory and Alyssa Glover, who were both first-timers in the pageant circle. Dupré said she participated and won titles in the Yambilee festival when she was younger.
Maraist said the show portrayed Dupré as an overly confident pageant veteran, Guillory as a diva and Glover as a Cinderella story.
The show highlighted Dupré’s lack of interest, Guillory’s $18,000 budget and Glover’s makeshift pageant techniques.
Guillory took the crown in the end and became the first black queen of the Yambilee Festival. Dupré finished as the first runner-up.
Dupré said the show’s main plot revolved around their rivalry because she and Guillory went to high school together and weren’t good friends. On the show, Dupré called Guillory’s winning the Yambilee crown “sketchy” while Guillory said Dupré was “not a racious loser.”
Maraist said the pageant was rigged because Guillory’s father, Democratic Sen. Elbert Guillory, is a prominent figure in Louisiana and was recognized as the pageant’s grand marshal.
Dupré said she plans to win next year’s Yambilee Pageant and have Guillory crown her.
“I’m a competitor — I always have been,” she said. “If I do it next year, she will crown me.”
Clare Svendson, business management junior, said seeing her friends on TV was surreal.
Maraist and Dupré were satisfied with the show’s final cut, but some of their friends disagree.
“It was blown out of proportion,” said Jacob Simmons, general studies senior. “[Dupré] is not like that. They took it over the top, but that’s just TV.”
Jacob Watkins, business graduate student, said the show made the pageant look more exciting than it actually was.
“It was boring, and the show made it more interesting,” Watkins said. “Knowing Megan, she was portrayed differently, but that twist is expected.”
Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]