Hunt for Miss Cougar America gets declawed in Seattle

What if they threw a ‘cougar’ contest and no one came? That’s exactly what happened last weekend, when the organizers of Miss Cougar America 2013 came to Seattle in search of the hottest older, single woman and had to cancel it because of a lack of entrants.

It sounded like a rollicking good time. Organizers of the Fifth Annual American Cougar Convention touted the contest as the crowning end to an event that showcases “non-traditional romantic relationships.”

Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur was supposed to cover the event, figuring it would make for good copy.

“I went thinking this is like the Hindenberg and I need to witness it,” she tells KIRO Radio’s John Curley.

But alas, there wasn’t much to witness. Brodeur says organizers sent her an e-mail announcing the cancellation of the contest.

“Supposedly males are only attracted to nubile 20 year olds found in the centerfolds of men’s magazines. The truth is that there are millions of men who find older women attractive, and we will prove it at tonight’s convention!” organizer Rich Gosse with the Society of Single Professionals had touted before the event.

In order to be crowned Miss Cougar America, the contestant had to be legally single, at least 35-years-old and attracted to younger men.

Brodeur says Gosse blamed the media for not giving the event more attention. Of course he could have actually done some advertising, Brodeur suggests.

So what went wrong? “Maybe Seattle isn’t the kind of place for Miss Cougar,” Brodeur says.

How could women resist? The winner would have gone on a Cougar cruise to the Bahamas.

It turns out Curley has done a little cougar cruising of his own. It was back in 1982 when he was 23, living in New York City. After a New Year’s Eve of drinking with a buddy, it was time to pay the bill. But someone had picked up the tab for him.

“I’ve enjoyed looking at you all evening, I think you are quite attractive and if you’d like here’s my address,” said a note on the bottom of the bill.

Across the room was the quintessential cougar: She was 20 years older with “short hair, beautiful eyes, big lips, well kept and beautifully dressed,” Curley recounts.

Suffice it to say the Cougar landed her prey.

“I ended up living with her for two years. It was the most bizarre relationship I’ve ever been in.”

Curley says the wealthy woman took good care of him. And it turns out she was part of a clique of rich, older women who all had their own ‘cubs.’

But alas, Spring-Fall relationships aren’t meant to last. The cougar eventually grew tired of her boy toy and kicked him out.

“She asked me to go home with someone and I said no,” he laughs.

It’s probably a good thing for everyone involved. A study several years ago found women who marry men seven to nine years their junior have a 20 percent higher mortality risk than women who marry men their own age.