What a treat this week to talk about something other than politics. Missouri City can proudly boast of two television events that brought their city into the limelight last week.

First, the newly crowned Miss USA captured the coveted title and hails from MC. Then, a Missouri City couple, who won the competition in Here Come the Newlyweds reality show’s title last year finally got their check last week during the filmed finale of the ABC show. And, it wasn’t a token payment either!

Crystle Stewart, 26, of Missouri City, who reportedly runs a party-planning and motivational speaking company, took the USA crown in Las Vegas last Friday night.

Not only that, but as the winner of the Miss USA competition, Stewart will compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam in July. Contestants were scored in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. Some folks think this is stereotyping women in the beauty contestant mode, which is not favored by everyone, but there is no doubt the popular event garners a huge television audience and certainly provides opportunities for the contestants and most of all the winner.

If you want to know more about Crystle, you can go to the Internet now. Heck, she is even listed in Wikipedia, the free Internet encyclopedia, and while it lists her hometown as Houston—she is actually from Missouri City.

By the way, the former Miss Fort Bend County is not what some would consider the stereotyped beauty queen. Stewart holds a degree in consumer science and merchandising from the University of Houston, so there!

A Houston Chronicle radio and TV review featured the winners of the Newlywed competition—Johnnie and Crystal Moutra—this weekend. The Missouri City couple were revealed Sunday as the winners of the $465,000 first prize in ABC’s Here Come the Newlyweds reality show. And, that ain’t hay.

The show was actually filmed last year, but waited until after the final episode aired to cut the check for the winners. It was well worth the wait.

The notable thing about this fortunate couple is the way they reportedly won the competition. In fact, it was notable enough for the Chronicle writer to make mention of the fact that in the final episode of the nationally televised reality show, the Moutras won the right to eliminate the votes of three of the former contestants. They elected not to do so. Good for them. Who says good guys finish last—not this time.

It was reported that the couple will use a portion of their winnings to a headstone for the grave site of their son, Lance O’Neal Moutra, who was stillborn Jan. 4, 2007. On a happier note, they told reporters they would use some of the funds to set aside a college fund for their baby (a boy) who is due this month. Now, we have had unconfirmed reports that the baby actually arrived this past weekend. Haven’t been able to confirm that tidbit by press time, but there is no doubt all this excitement may have sent the happy couple to the hospital two weeks before the date the doctors gave them. If so, more congratulations.

For now, they said there are no plans to move out of the Missouri City home they share with a half-dozen family members—after all, that’s a lot of built-in baby sitters!