PORTLAND, Maine — About an hour after the Miss Maine USA pageant concluded on Sunday, Jordon Hudson and Bill Belichick walked hand in hand out of the Holiday Inn by the Bay.
The 24-year-old Hudson, still wearing the sash representing her hometown of Hancock, silver platform heels, and purple sequined dress from the evening gown competition, waved to those watching the couple, while the 73-year-old Belichick, in a black suit and red tie, broke into a slight smile. Joined by a security guard, the two didn’t say much before hopping into a black Mercedes SUV that Belichick drove away.
The quick and unceremonious exit marked the end of a disappointing weekend for Hudson, who finished second runner-up. Hudson was first runner-up last year and returned with high hopes of earning the Maine crown.
She lost out to Bangor’s Shelby Howell, who will compete in the Miss USA pageant and reap other rewards that come with the state title. Anne Baldridge, last year’s winner, spoke Sunday about how her win “catapulted her career,” opening doors for modeling contracts as well as opportunities to work with brands and magazines.
That prize package seems right up Hudson’s alley, given her previously demonstrated interest in finding the spotlight. This past February, she made headlines at NFL Honors with her Lombardi Trophy-inspired outfit, and also appeared alongside Belichick and Ben Affleck in a Super Bowl ad for Dunkin‘.
Throughout the various portions of the competition — introductions, swimsuit, evening gown, and Q&A — Hudson never received the loudest cheers. Her support group was very small in comparison to the flocks of family and friends for the other 17 contestants, with only Belichick and her father, Heath Hudson, sitting front row.
Still, she drew plenty of interest.
Reporters and photographers from the New York Post, New York Times, People magazine, Washington Post, and more national outlets attended the two-day event. Paparazzi staked out the Holiday Inn’s otherwise unremarkable lobby. The pageant’s website also crashed Sunday morning and remained unavailable throughout the competition because of overwhelming traffic.
A spokeswoman for the Clemente Organization, which produces the Miss Maine USA and Miss Maine Teen USA pageants, said the media interest in this year’s competition was the same as in years past. That comment is certainly hard to believe.
The interest in Hudson and her relationship spiked following Belichick’s viral ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ interview two weeks ago. The eight-minute segment included Hudson interjecting from an off-set area to turn down a question about how the couple met, sparking discussion about her presence in Belichick’s life.
Belichick defended Hudson with a statement issued via his new employer, the University of North Carolina, saying she was merely keeping the conversation focused. According to Belichick, he and his publisher agreed that all promotional interviews would only cover the contents of his new book. (CBS denied any such agreement.)
Ex-ESPN writer Pablo Torre reported Friday that North Carolina has banned Hudson from the football team’s facilities, a report the school promptly denied, saying she is still “welcome” there.
Hudson, however, has remained uncharacteristically quiet since. Her last post on Instagram teases the aforementioned statement following the CBS interview. Hudson typically updated her profile multiple times per week — not only with photos of her and Belichick, but responses to negative comments about her or their relationship.
But Hudson has yet to publicly address the latest series of events, so it’s hard not to interpret her comments Sunday through the lens of what’s happened the past two weeks.
“I’m feeling an immense amount of pride right now,” Hudson said when emcee Sal Malafronte asked how she was doing this weekend, before briefly holding back tears. “I’m hoping that anybody who’s watching this finds the strength to push through whatever it is that they’re going through and embodies that hate never wins.”
After the competition concluded, only Howell and Seacoast’s Jazmine Werner, winner of the Miss Maine Teen USA pageant, spoke to the media. Other contestants could not answer questions, with some saying organizers told them any interviews would be considered a breach of contract.
During the brief availability with Howell and Werner, a Clemente spokeswoman shut down multiple questions, including one about Belichick’s attendance.
Hudson did receive the pageant’s “style award” — voted on by staff and given to “the girl who best expressed her individuality and personality through her wardrobe, hair, and makeup choices.” The pageant staff also votes on “Miss Photogenic,” while the contestants vote on “Miss Congeniality.”
The crystal trophy apparently didn’t mean much to Hudson, who never picked it up before leaving the ballroom. Maybe she’s learned from her boyfriend, who didn’t seem to enjoy the Lamar Hunt Trophy all that much, either.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.