2012 Orange Queen Stephanie Becnel

“I was not expecting to be crowned in my living room in my running shorts,” said Stephanie Becnel, the 2012 Orange Queen. At the Queen’s Selection Saturday night, Becnel was named 2nd Runner Up and Eden Bubrig was announced as the queen. A routine review of the judge’s score sheets following the event revealed that Becnel had actually won. The Orange Festival Association and the Bubrigs went to Becnel’s home to tell her the news and
Eden placed the crown on Stephanie.

“It’s bittersweet. My heart goes out to Eden. It was amazing of her to be there,” said Becnel.

Stephanie Becnel, a 22-year-old nursing student at Delgado, is a native of Plaquemines Parish and is the daughter of Catherine Becnel and Mr. and Mrs. Steve Becnel of Belle Chasse.

“Regretfully, tabulation of the score sheets at the event was incomplete and the finalists were presented in the incorrect order,” said Kim Turlich-Vaughan, Orange Festival President. “The final tabulation in scores shows our winner and the 2012 Orange Queen is Stephanie Becnel, 1st Runner-up is Eden Bubrig and 2nd Runner-up is Devin Kaliszeski. On behalf of the Festival Organization, I want to congratulate our new Queen and apologize to her for being deprived of the experience of being crowned Orange Queen on selection night. We also want to offer our deepest regrets and apologies to Eden Bubrig, her parents Bill and Gena Bubrig and the entire Bubrig family for the unfortunate error, as well as Devin and the Kaliszeski family.”

“I didn’t get that moment, but I’ll get all the moments after that,” said Becnel of the Selection’s crowning moment. But she looks forward to her reign as Orange Queen, no matter how it started: “It’s going to be an experience and that’s why I ran— to have an experience.”