Shanna Moakler Returns to Miss USA

By Melissa Castellanos

Shanna Moakler just couldn't stay away from her pageant roots.

Moakler, Miss USA 1995, resigned as Miss USA Organization co-director in May after a scandal involving ex-Miss California Carrie Prejean spiraled out of control. Now, she's back on board.

She made the announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 10 on "The Wendy Williams Show".

A self-proclaimed believer in pageants, Moakler told Williams, "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for pageants. And the reason I got involved is because I wanted to give back to girls, and I really believe that girls that are involved in pageants are ambitious, driven women who are trying to set themselves apart from the pack."

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The tension began for Moakler when she had to face off with Prejean, who insisted she was wrongfully dethroned.

Moakler stood by the pageant's decision to strip Prejean of her Miss California title in the midst of speculation surrounding Prejean's missed public appearances, an alleged nude photo scandal and negative backlash she received due to her stance on gay marriage. (Prejean told Miss USA judge and openly gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton that marriage should be between a woman and a man.)

Moakler insisted it wasn't Prejean's opinion or the photos that ultimately made her resign from something she loved to do, but it was her deception and non-disclosure.

"Well the thing for me, like I said before, it was never about her opinion," Moakler said. "And this is something, I repeat, there has never been a beauty queen - and we have tons of religious conservative beauty queens around the country - there has never been a beauty queen that has been dethroned because of her religious views. But, there have been many that have had their crowns taken away for breaching their contract."

While Moakler is getting back on her feet, Prejean is struggling to stand - although she says that's not the case in her new book, "Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate and Political Attacks."

The fallen beauty queen is still entrenched in scandal.

Prejean also appeared on the TODAY show on Nov. 10, defending herself over an erotic video of her that surfaced online, in which she admits she appeared alone, but "wasn't having sex."

According to Prejean, she was 17 years old when she made the video for her boyfriend at the time," which she called "the biggest mistake in my life."

Ironically, the video surfaced while negotiations were under way with Miss California officials for a lawsuit Prejean filed in August, suing the pageant for religious descrimination. The paegant counter-sued, saying that she owed them $5,200 for her breast implants. After the tape was discovered, Prejean dropped the lawsuit and settled with pageant officials. According to NBC, she was paid $100,000 to help pay for legal expenses.

Moakler is an actress and model and the former wife of rocker Travis Barker, who posed nude for Playboy magazine - but not until six years after she was Miss USA. The December 2001 Playmate of the Month said in her Playboy bio that her turnoffs include, "People who lie, cheat and are dishonest."