LORELAI: Ah, this is why the Miss Congeniality act when Rory wanted to beg out of dinner.
The “Miss Congeniality” award is one given at many beauty pageants, including Miss Universe and Miss World, given to the contestant judged to be the friendliest and most welcoming.
Lorelai might have thought of this because of the 2000 action comedy movie Miss Congeniality, directed by Donald Petrie and starring Sandra Bullock in the title role. The film had come out the previous December, suggesting that Lorelai and Rory might have seen it during the winter.