Rima Fakih and Carrie Prejean were both involved in scandals relating to the Miss USA pageants. However, their scandals, while similar, are not the same. Both scandals involve Miss USA photos that surfaced after the pageant ended.

First, it must be said that Carrie Prejean was not crowned Miss USA, but was Miss California. Rima Fakih, Miss Michigan, was crowned Miss USA on May 16, 2010.

Carrie Prejean’s scandalous photos showed Carrie with her shirt wide open and her breasts partially exposed. Photos of Carrie before the Miss USA pageant that surfaced showed her completely topless.

Rima Fakih’s photos showed her dancing in front of a stripper pole, with only her legs showing. She was obviously wearing a bra because she used it to hold bills in another photo. Miss USA Rima Fakih had her clothes on, Carrie Prejean did not.

The idea of Miss USA Rima Fakih participating in a stripper contest, may be the underlying cause of the scandal, rather than the photos themselves.

Why would Miss USA even participate in a stripper contest? There is no doubt Rima Fakih will be asked this and more questions as she prepares for her media blitz Miss USA tour, which kicks off tomorrow on the Live with Regis and Kelly show. As for the photos, if that’s the worst they’ve got in Rima, we’re sure Donald Trump won’t have any complaints.