It all started with a clumsy answer at the 2007 Miss Teen USA Pageant

Miss South Carolina, Caitlin Upton of Lexington S.C did a kind of clumsy answer to a question given to her about why many Americans fail to locate the USA on a world map. This was on an answer at the 2007 Miss Teen USA Pageant.

The whole thing became a instant hit on YouTube.

“I think it’s awesome: 20 million people know who I am,” Upton said. That’s not to say she liked being the butt of jokes, however.

“When people say negative things, it makes me want to prove I can be better. I think I’ll always have the last laugh.”

The link to it on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

Impression on Mr Donald Trump

As a result of this she got a lot of offers.

Among the few offers she did take seriously was an invitation four days after the pageant to meet with Donald Trump, who co-owns the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. Upton said it was a coincidence that she was in New York, interviewing for a job at Ford Models.

“When I walked into his office, he said: ‘You are more gorgeous than I expected. You are going to model for my agency, and I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer,’ ” Upton recalls.

She signed with the Trump agency a few weeks later and intends to spend part of 2008 modeling in Spain, Italy and Australia. “It might not be great money, but the pictures will be great, and I can build my portfolio,” Upton said.