Seattle, WA -- This Saturday (Nov. 8) the oyster equivalent of the Miss America pageant will take place in Seattle where one lucky shellfish farmer will take home 500 clams.

It's called the Beautiful Oyster contest and marks the return of the Pacific oyster season.

At the pageant, farmers hand-walk their oysters in, and display them atop glass pedestals draped with black velvet. Judges then rank the oyster on categories like: "love at first sight;" shell shape, size and color; size of oyster meat; and color of meat and frill.

Tensions can run high at the competition, because the farmers don't know beforehand if their oyster is juicy or if it's a dried up piece of meat until it's opened on the spot.

The farmer with the winning oyster takes home $500.

Sadly though, little fanfare is made for the winning oyster once the contest is over. One insider says because the oyster has been manhandled by so many different people, nobody wants it and the mollusk usually gets tossed in the garbage.

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