Miss Rodeo America 2024

By Patrick Everson

When you get named Miss Rodeo America, there are myriad typical questions you have to answer, not the least of which is: How does it feel?

So as I do each year during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, I threw Emma Cameron – the newly minted Miss Rodeo America 2024 – a few curveballs.

On Sunday, the reigning Miss Rodeo New Mexico was elevated to Miss Rodeo America during the pageant’s finale at the South Point. On Wednesday night, she took a few minutes of her time to discuss the lighter side of the pageant.

For example, what’s been the funniest part of this past week with the other 30 contestants from across the nation?

“I’m the singer of the whole group. That has made me a lot of friends this year, and maybe some enemies,” Cameron said with a laugh, before explaining. “My singing … let’s just say I won’t be on American Idol anytime soon.”

But Cameron had another role this week that definitely went over well with her fellow rodeo queens.

“I’m also the snack-haver of the group. You can’t make enemies if you have snacks,” Cameron said.

Point well taken.

All the Miss Rodeo America contestants go through not only a long year to reach this point, but a stressful week of competition leading up to the announcement of the winner. It’s rare that they have a block of free time to really unwind, but with the one-day delay to the start of the 2023 Wrangler NFR, there was a window.

“We were wondering, ‘What is something really fun we can take all the girls to do?’” Cameron asked, before answering the question with a great Vegas solution. “So we went to the South Point and played Bingo. And Miss Rodeo Michigan won $350. She was the big winner.

“My Bingo playing is about as good as my singing!”

Bingo aside, Cameron was the really big winner, inheriting the crown from Miss Rodeo America 2023 Kennadee Riggs. Cameron edged Miss Rodeo Texas Brylee Johnson for the 2024 MRA title.

“I just kind of went numb,” Cameron said of her reaction after the announcement. “It just didn’t feel real. Three days later, it still doesn’t feel real.”