Just call her “Beauty Clean.”
Nicole Doz-Pillarella, a 30-year-old Department of Sanitation supervisor from Staten Island, wiped the floor with the competition this past Sunday to claim the Mrs. New York International 2025 title.
“It felt like all of the hard work my husband and I put in was finally becoming a reality,” she told The Post. “I was so excited, but also so proud of myself.”
Doz-Pillarella has been competing in pageants for years. In 2018, she was crowned Miss Staten Island and went on to compete for Miss New York in the Miss America program. She didn’t advance, but the following year, she took home the title at another pageant, Miss Big Apple.
After marrying Michael Pillarella, a 31-year-old NYPD officer, in 2022, she started competing in the Mrs. International pageants, which showcase married women ages 21 to 56.
“You could be a mom, have foster babies, or no kids. It’s really very inclusive and their main motto is to make a difference,” said the Eltingville, SI native.
While her day job involves supervising waste collection and disposal, along with street cleaning, recycling and snow removal, Doz-Pillarella effortlessly pivots from garbage to glam.
“They’re both a part of me,” she said.
The pageant this past weekend in Princeton, NJ, featured interview, fitness wear and evening gown portions.
The five-foot-two, 125-pound powerhouse strutted her stuff in a purple sports bra and black workout pants for the fitness portion and donned a silver beaded evening gown for her formal look.
It was the culmination of a grueling training regimen that includes five days a week of intense workouts — running and weights — along with regular interview prep and walking practice.
In addition to taking home the big prize, she won the Photogenic Award and Overall Interview Award. For the latter, she gave no-nonsense answers to questions such as, “How do you handle it when someone insults you?”
She answered, “I’ve been told I’m a lot, but I embrace that. I know who I am, what I want and how to get it.”
Doz-Pillarella, who has worked for the Department of Sanitation for seven years, leans into her trash-and-tiaras contradictions. One social media, she uses the tagline “Creating a world that is clean, healthy and glamourous.”
“It’s an interesting story and makes me unique,” she said.
The department employs some 10,000 workers, but just 10% of supervisors are women. “Being in a male-dominated industry is hard,” Doz-Pillarella admitted.
Her husband is heavily involved in her training, walked her on stage in his NYPD uniform over the weekend and even crowned her when she won.
“[He] has been along for the ride this entire time,” said Doz-Pillarella, adding that he’s the ultimate “pageant husband.”
The couple, who live in Westerleigh, SI, “share the responsibility” when it comes to housework, but Doz-Pillarella noted, “I have one rule: I don’t take out the trash at home.”
Now, the two have their sights set on the Mrs. International Pageant finals in Kingsport, Tennessee, in July. There, Doz-Pillarella will compete against some 60 women from across the country and around the world.
After her big win on Sunday, she took a break from her grueling workout schedule and strict diet to enjoy a Domino’s Pizza — extra cheese — and breadsticks.
“It was the best way to celebrate,” said the workhorse. “But just for one night because we have to get right back into training.”