The Annual Miss America Pageant - General Discussion

[Primetimer]

The ninety-five-year-old beauty pageant is clawing its way out of a decades-long slump of irrelevance...and it's kind of working.

Read the story

[IndianPaintbrush]

The apology to Vanessa Williams was long overdue, and I give the pageant execs props for apologizing to her face on live television.  She is a class act.

 

I'm curious what people think of Miss Colorado's monologue during the talent portion.  It was a welcome departure from the singing and dancing, but is it really a "talent?"  Her presentation was mediocre, and any woman in the competition probably could have told a similar story.

 

There were some really good answers during the question and answer portion.  Miss Georgia probably answered the Tom Brady question as best as she could, but it was a weird question to begin with.

[topanga]

In the '70s and '80s the Miss America pageant was must-see TV. I remember the night Vanessa Williams won. My family was so happy and exacted--they  reacted the way people did when Obama was first elected.

[teddysmom]

sorry it's going to take more than Vanessa Williams and an Arrested Development reference to make this crap fest relevant again.

[pagooey]

When they cut to Vanessa Williams's mama, I teared up. The apology was long overdue, yes, and much classier than I'd expected...and Ms. Williams is freaking REGAL. Good for her, and for them.

Meanwhile, as for goony "talents"--Tara, I so hope you saw 2011, Miss Arkansas: TWO ventriloquist puppets, PLUS YODELING, in a sequinned jumpsuit. A friend of mine used to host an annual viewing party, where we'd sit around wearing tiaras from the Halloween store and drinking copious amounts of wine. Assorted husbands and boyfriends would go down to the basement and Xbox, or something. But when THIS happened, we all screamed so loudly that the menfolk came racing upstairs to see if we were being murdered.

This remains one of the greatest things I've ever seen on television. This gal was ROBBED, I tell you:

[vmcd88]

I remember watching with my mom the night Vanessa Williams won.  As an AA girl it was a big deal that the first black woman won the crown.  We couldnt believe she'd actually won.  Through the years I have enjoyed her music and acting.  I love watching especially the talent competition.  It's awesomely bad.  That lady in the pant/jumpsuit was absolutely bad.  Miss South Carolina (who sang that Fantasia "I Believe" song) was equally as bad.  This show is everything I've come to expect from it.  To the poster who posted Miss Arkansas "I wanna be a cowboy sweetheart"  yep that woman was robbed.  

[iMonrey]

Best part of the show was every time they cut to a shot of the judges, they all had such stink faces! Every last one of them looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Especially during the swimsuit competition. It was hysterical.

I honestly don't know how Miss Georgia won. She tripped, twice, during the evening gown portion and stumbled badly in her interview question. Not that the rest of them were all that poised in answering their questions, but hers kind of bordered on the infamous, viral video of Miss North Carolina in the Teen Miss USA pageant rambling incoherently. If this competition is anywhere near legit all I can guess is that her preliminary scores plus talent was enough to put her on top.

I really liked Miss Oklahoma, until she sang. Oy. I think a lot of times when the contestants have no discernible talent they turn to singing, hire a vocal coach, and learn just one song they can pass off somewhat reasonably. But then they get to the finals and choke with nerves.

And yeah, I didn't think Miss Colorado's "original monologue" should have qualified for a talent. Presumably, they all can tell a story.

Haven't watched this show in years but there was literally nothing else on.

[IndianPaintbrush]

I heard somewhere that Miss Georgia's preliminary score was so high that she had all but won the crown before the show even started.  And even though I hate opera, she did have a good voice.

 

Funny how almost every single evening gown had the same mermaid cut.  

[shoregirl]

I went to the preliminary night she won talent. (It's not necessarily something I would want to go to but my friend had free tickets and I've lived in the area most my life and never went to one) She definitely was the best of the group. One girl did a science experiment, one girl sang Don't Rain on my Parade (poorly), a girl played the drums. The most bizarre were the girl who sang Blank Space as it were a torch song and Miss Rhode Island who did a dramatic interpretation of Poor Unfortunate Souls from the Little Mermaid.

[Angela Hamilton]

@shoregirl -- how was the science experiment? I've been so curious ever since I read the words "Dramatic Science Experiment."

[shoregirl]

I thought it was pretty neat. Even if mainly because it's not a typical pageant talent. I liked it better than Miss Colorado's nurse monologue from last night. Here's is a article with the performance.

http://nj1015.com/watch-miss-vermont-make-a-giant-foamy-mess-for-science/

[anniebird]

My favorite moment of the night was when Brooke Burns told us that Barbra Streisand wrote Happy Days Are Here Again.

[reggiejax]

I'm curious what people think of Miss Colorado's monologue during the talent portion. It was a welcome departure from the singing and dancing, but is it really a "talent?" Her presentation was mediocre, and any woman in the competition probably could have told a similar story.

People pay good money to see monologists and spoken word performances, just ask either Spaulding Gray or Henry Rollins (whom I have personally seen as many times doing spoken word as I have seen him perform with the Rollins Band).

Obviously telling a story is something we can all do, but it isn't something we tend to do on stage in front of audiences, where we will not be allowed any mistakes, such as starting over again or correcting parts of the story. And you definitely don't want to stumble with a lot of "er"s and "uh"s (unless you are a Kennedy). I wouldn't put Miss Colorado on tour with her storytelling, but she performed admirably and she was definitely a refreshing break from all the dance routines and showtunes. I know Miss America is trying to become relevant again, but contestants singing songs like "Happy Days are Here Again" (performed by one of last nights contestants) are not a step in the right direction. Besides, last years winner did that stupid cup routine, so I don't see what is so wrong with a monologue.

[BW Manilowe]

My favorite moment of the night was when Brooke Burns told us that Barbra Streisand wrote Happy Days Are Here Again.

It was Brooke Burke-Charvet (who used to Co-Host Dancing with the Stars); Brooke Burns is a different actress/model.

[anniebird]

I knew I should Google it before I posted!

[Angela Hamilton]

@reggiejax ... Ugh, seriously, with that awful cup routine. A true low point, and I say that as someone who has sat through some seriously questionable baton twirling and ventriloquism.<br /><br />My favorite "weird" talent of all time is Debbye Turner, 1990, who played the marimba. YouTube it; it's worth your two minutes. Her ability to flirt with a camera while playing a marimba is actually kind of awe-inspiring.

[micaela]

My friend's daughter was one of the Miss America contestants, so I got to hear some of what goes on behind the scenes. For one thing, it's not a level playing field. The contestants rely on the state pageant organizations for help with funding, getting sponsors for clothes, etc., and those organizations really vary in their level of expertise and resources. I can't tell you what state my friend's daughter represented, because there might be repercussions. Her state director was not helpful at all, but luckily other people came through.

[mansonlamps]

Well that goes a long way in explaining why all but two of the original set of finalists were from the south, most from the "deep south."  They tend to take pageants much more seriously if TV and movies are to be believed.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I'm curious what people think of Miss Colorado's monologue during the talent portion.  It was a welcome departure from the singing and dancing, but is it really a "talent?"  Her presentation was mediocre, and any woman in the competition probably could have told a similar story.

I'm fairly certain I saw that story in an old Reader's Digest.

 

I hate it when someone who can't sing thinks they can hide that by doing opera.

[BW Manilowe]

I'm fairly certain I saw that story in an old Reader's Digest.

I hate it when someone who can't sing thinks they can hide that by doing opera.

Referring to the bolded. If you mean Miss Georgia/the new Miss America, she was on Live! With Kelly and Michael today. She said she began singing when she was 3 & started "classical training" at 14. Of course being trained doesn't necessarily mean you can do it well.

But A) All opera sounds the same to me, & it's not the kind of thing I appreciate so I can't really tell the great from the bad (but if someone is said to be great at it in the media, I usually assume it's accurate) & B) I think I actually missed her performance--I kept dozing on & off during the pageant (I've been ill for awhile & tend to sleep a lot/at odd times now)--so I can't really give a valid comment/critique on her performance/ability.

But even a bad opera singer is a better talent choice than playing the cup stacking game with Red Solo Cups to Pharell Williams' song Happy, though that *did* work for Kira Kazantsev last year (& I actually liked her, pretty much, otherwise).

[iMonrey]

 

 

My favorite moment of the night was when Brooke Burke told us that Barbra Streisand wrote Happy Days Are Here Again.

 

Bwah! Yeah, I was like "Wait . . . what????"

 

 

The contestants rely on the state pageant organizations for help with funding, getting sponsors for clothes, etc., and those organizations really vary in their level of expertise and resources.

 

The states that bring to most sponsorship money to the national pageant are the ones that tend to get their contestants into the top ten. States like California, Texas, New York and Florida, for example, have very big pageant systems, and girls have to compete locally, winning Miss Orange County or Miss San Diego, etc., before competing for the state title. Then there are smaller states like Rhode Island and Vermont where they have to actively recruit girls to compete. Each girl has to bring X amount in sponsorship money so the more girls who compete, the more money the state pageant makes, and in turn brings to the national pageant.

 

 

Well that goes a long way in explaining why all but two of the original set of finalists were from the south, most from the "deep south."  They tend to take pageants much more seriously if TV and movies are to be believed.

 

It's also a ratings thing. The show was dropped by the major broadcast networks for several years because of declining ratings. They revamped the pageant and one of the changes seems to have been a mandate to overload the top fifteen with girls from the south because those are the states where the show is most watched on TV, and they figured out everyone in those states would turn off the TV as soon as the top fifteen were announced if none of the girls from their states were in contention.

[DollEyes]

I loved the pageant's long-overdue apology to Vanessa Williams and her mama. At the risk of aging myself, I too remember how happy I was when Ms. Williams was crowned. As a Black woman myself, I agree that her victory made her a role model for young girls of color in general and Black girls in particular. When Ms. Williams was forced to return her crown because of those photos, I not only felt bad for her and her family, I thought that the photographer was blackmailing her and she refused to pay up because she naively thought that the pageant would protect her, but they dumped her instead, which was shitty, to say the least. 

 

  Now, according to TMZ, a former Miss New York from the 1970s wants an apology from the organization because she thinks that she got similar treatment when she was forced to return her crown because she did a topless scene in a low-budget movie, which IMO is not the same.  She wasn't slut-shamed and publicly humiliated, like Ms. Williams was, neither she nor her family were victimized by racism nor got death threats, like Ms. Williams and her family had nor did she bust her ass for 30 years to make a comeback, like Ms. Williams has. Ms. Williams has not only earned that apology, she deserves it, as far as I'm concerned. 

Edited September 19, 2015 by DollEyes

[BW Manilowe]

The 15 Semifinalists for Miss America 2018 (Pageant Held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 10th, 2017)

Miss Tennessee

Miss Virginia

Miss Pennsylvania 

Miss Louisiana

Miss District of Columbia

Miss Texas

Miss New Mexico

Miss Alabama

Miss Missouri

Miss Alaska

Miss Georgia

Miss South Carolina

Miss New Jersey

Miss North Dakota

(Above are the Top 14 [of 15] as chosen by the Judge's Panel)

Miss Illinois

(America's Choice as Voted on the Miss America Website)

Edited to Add: Could the Mods please change the thread title to "The Annual Miss America Pageant"?

Edited September 11, 2017 by BW Manilowe
To ask a Mod for a thread title change.

[BW Manilowe]

The Top 12 for Miss America 2018 (Pageant Held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 10th, 2017)

Miss Alabama

Miss District of Columbia

Miss Georgia

Miss Louisiana

Miss Missouri

Miss New Jersey

Miss North Dakota 

Miss Pennsylvania

Miss South Carolina

Miss Tennessee

Miss Texas

Miss Virginia

(ELIMINATED: Miss Alaska, Miss Illinois and Miss New Mexico)

Edited September 11, 2017 by BW Manilowe
To fix wording and the year, and to add which contestants were eliminated in this round of the competition.

[BW Manilowe]

Top 10 for Miss America 2018 (Pageant Held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 10th, 2017)

Miss Tennessee

Miss Texas

Miss Virginia

Miss North Dakota

Miss Alabama

Miss New Jersey

Miss District of Columbia

Miss Louisiana

Miss South Carolina

Miss Virginia

(ELIMINATED: Miss Georgia and Miss Tennessee)

Edited September 11, 2017 by BW Manilowe
To fix the year, and to add which contestants were eliminated in this round of the competition.

[BW Manilowe]

Top 7 for Miss America 2018 (Pageant Held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 10th, 2017)

Miss North Dakota

Miss New Jersey

Miss Missouri 

Miss Louisiana

Miss District of Columbia

Miss Alabama

Miss Texas

(ELIMINATED: Miss Pennsylvania, Miss South Carolina and Miss Virginia)

The Top 7 was determined by a new, "fun" round of questions in which 3 of the Top 10 were also eliminated; I think they said on the Pageant it was worth 5% of the contestant's score

Edited September 11, 2017 by BW Manilowe
To fix wording and a date, and to add which contestants were eliminated in this round of the competition.

[BW Manilowe]

Final 5 for Miss America 2018 (Held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 10th, 2017)

Miss Texas

Miss North Dakota

Miss New Jersey

Miss Missouri 

Miss District of Columbia

(ELIMINATED: Miss Alabama and Miss Louisiana)

Edited September 11, 2017 by BW Manilowe
To fix a tag and wording, and to add which contestants were eliminated in this round of the competition.

[BW Manilowe]

The 4 Runners-Up & Miss America 2018 (Pageant Held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 10th, 2017)

4th Runner-Up Miss Texas

3rd Runner-Up Miss District of Columbia

2nd Runner-Up Miss New Jersey

1st Runner-Up Miss Missouri

Miss America 2018 Miss North Dakota

[BW Manilowe]

Tonight’s the night! Who do you think will succeed Miss America 2018, Cara Mund, the first winner from North Dakota? Will she be from your home state?

How do you think the changes to the competition (the swimsuit & evening gown competitions have both apparently been eliminated) will affect it?

How will the other controversies surrounding the competition (the sexist & demeaning phone calls about past & some then-present contestants, followed by the resignations of those in charge of the organization, who were implicated in the phone calls, & the board members at the time; & the subsequent reorganization of the competition by former Miss America—1989, I think—& former Faux News Channel anchor, new MAO CEO Gretchen Carlson, along with a  new Board of Directors), as well as very recent charges by tonight’s outgoing Miss America & a number of her MAO “sisters” (past winners) that, among other things, they have been bullied by Gretchen Carlson & forced to spout “talking points” that focus on Carlson in interviews, including her connection to the “Me Too” movement (when she was at Faux News Channel, having nothing to do with her having been Miss America), making her “the face” of the competition, as opposed to the current titleholder & her platform.

Edited September 10, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To fix spacing.

[BW Manilowe]

Miss America 2019 Top 15:

Florida

Minnesota

District of Columbia 

Colorado 

Idaho

Wisconsin (woo-hoo!—1 bff’s home state)

Louisiana

Indiana (woo-hoo!—my home state)

Massachusetts

Washington

Nebraska

New York

Connecticut

Oklahoma

Alabama (double woo-hoo!—state of my birth)

Edited September 10, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To add a colon.

[BW Manilowe]

Miss America 2019 Top 10:

Florida

Minnesota

District of Columbia

Colorado

Idaho

Wisconsin

Louisiana

Indiana

Massachusetts 

Washington

Nebraska

New York

Connecticut

Oklahoma

Alabama

Edited September 10, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To redo the list.

[BW Manilowe]

Miss America 2019 Top 5:

Florida

District of Columbia

Colorado

Idaho

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Nebraska

New York

Connecticut

************ 

Miss America 2019 Winner & Runners-Up:

Massachusetts—4th Runner Up

Florida—3rd  Runner Up

Louisiana—2nd Runner Up

Connecticut—1st Runner Up

New York—Miss America 2019 

Edited September 10, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To fix the list.

[Jaded]

I actually didn't miss the swimsuit part at all. I usually would turn the channel during that segment in the past since I felt secondhand embarrassment for the women competing having to strut around like that to compete for a scholarship. 

[shoregirl]

I didn't miss it either. I predicted top 2 after talent. 

This is New York fourth win in the last I think six pageants.

 

Side note doesn't really matter and would only be noticed by people who are familar with the area but when they were going out to commercials and show the women around different parts of Atlantic City with "Greetings from Atlantic City" the Elephant is not in Atlantic City but Margate which is two towns over.

http://www.lucytheelephant.org

[Zanzibar]

New York's fourth win in seven pageants.  2013-2015 were New York (Mallory Hagan, Nina Davuluri and Kira Kazantsev), followed by Georgia (Betty Cantrell, Miss America 2016), Arkansas (Savvy Shields, Miss America 2017), and North Dakota (Cara Mund, Miss America 2018), and now Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019 from New York.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I actually didn't miss the swimsuit part at all. I usually would turn the channel during that segment in the past since I felt secondhand embarrassment for the women competing having to strut around like that to compete for a scholarship. 

It's not much different than the evening gown competition though. In both they're being judged on poise and looks, not talent or ability. Being able to pick out a good evening gown is something a stylist can do for them. 

Miss America has a real problem. If it truly wants to be a scholarship competition it needs to drop all of the beauty pageant trappings. The gowns, the crowns, the sash, the parades, the spectacle - all of it. But I don't imagine a lot of people would be interested in watching 50 women being quizzed about academic subjects and being tested and rated in their fields of studies. 

[Was-MArsenault]

Here is a very notable performance from 1988:

[BW Manilowe]

On 10/9/2018 at 6:40 PM, MikaelaArsenault said:

Here is a very notable performance from 1988:

Good grief at the costume—but it was funny how she almost lost the bow, flower, or whatever it was in her hair. And how long do you think it’s been since she actually played the violin, assuming 1 of her kids isn’t learning it & she might help them with a playing technique?

[Was-MArsenault]

34 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Good grief at the costume—but it was funny how she almost lost the bow, flower, or whatever it was in her hair. And how long do you think it’s been since she actually played the violin, assuming 1 of her kids isn’t learning it & she might help them with a playing technique?

It’s probably been a long time for her, but I do agree with you about the costume though.

[qtpye]

On 9/12/2018 at 1:36 PM, iMonrey said:

It's not much different than the evening gown competition though. In both they're being judged on poise and looks, not talent or ability. Being able to pick out a good evening gown is something a stylist can do for them. 

Miss America has a real problem. If it truly wants to be a scholarship competition it needs to drop all of the beauty pageant trappings. The gowns, the crowns, the sash, the parades, the spectacle - all of it. But I don't imagine a lot of people would be interested in watching 50 women being quizzed about academic subjects and being tested and rated in their fields of studies. 

This statement has shown that Amercian Women have gotten past the "beauty pageant" mentality that really was originally awarding the woman who most met the traditional applications of feminine beauty and achievement. I have nothing against feminine beauty but am happy that many women are getting out of this mindset. I used to read this article from a journalist who would do wild and crazy things and then write about them (like joining a competitive eating contest). One time she decided on a fluke that she would enter the Mrs. DC contest (Omarosa was a title holder) even though she really was not "pageant" material. On the day of the contest, she shows up in her swimsuit and was shocked to find that she was the only contestant and therefore wins by default!  This particular pageant stream fed into a national Mrs. America pageant and this meant that she would be representing DC on the national stage. The pageant coordinators were panicking and replaced the lady with someone else (the lady was relieved because she was only doing this for her article and had no interest in competing on the national stage). After reading that article I realized that beauty pageants were dying and truthfully, it might not be a bad thing.

[BW Manilowe]

The competition to determine who’s Miss America 2020 is on NBC as I write this. It’s airing live from Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut &, yes, it snuck up on us this year.

The Top 15 is...

Texas, New York, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Colorado, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, Alabama, Virginia, California, Kansas

I’m a little surprised Miss Texas was chosen; she has a Michael Strahan-like gap between her front teeth.

They just chose the Top 15 & are going straight to the Top 7 (who go through a “job interview/question” competition)! Those are:

Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Virginia, Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia

The Top 5 (performing in the Talent Competition) is...

Missouri, Connecticut, Georgia, Oklahoma, Virginia

The 4th Runner-up is... Connecticut 

The 3rd Runner-up is... Oklahoma

The Top 3 (participating in the Social Impact [platform-related] competition) is...

Missouri, Georgia, Virginia

The 2nd Runner-up is... Missouri

The 1st Runner-up is... Georgia

Miss America is... Virginia

Edited December 20, 2019 by BW Manilowe
To add info.

[Ohwell]

48 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

I’m a little surprised Miss Texas was chosen; she has a Michael Strahan-like gap between her front teeth.

Yeah, I think there's less emphasis on "beauty" because it's all about the "brains" and getting the scholarships.   Some of them have so much makeup spackled on, they're downright scary-looking. 😵

I used to look forward to watching Miss America years ago, but now it's just kind of.....sad to watch.

If I had to choose though, I'd pick the one with the short hair (I forget where she's from).  I do like her personality and she seems the most natural-looking.

[BW Manilowe]

42 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Yeah, I think there's less emphasis on "beauty" because it's all about the "brains" and getting the scholarships.   Some of them have so much makeup spackled on, they're downright scary-looking. 😵

I used to look forward to watching Miss America years ago, but now it's just kind of.....sad to watch.

If I had to choose though, I'd pick the one with the short hair (I forget where she's from).  I do like her personality and she seems the most natural-looking.

I’m surprised they picked a Top 15 & didn’t even let 8 of them (including Miss Texas) compete. They went straight to the Top 7 as soon as the Top 15 were picked.

I like the 1 with the short hair too—would love to have her hairstyle. She’s Miss Georgia. As soon as I saw her, I thought she’d win. Nothing has changed my mind; I hope I’m right.

Dang... What happened? I’d swear Georgia had it in the bag from the start.

Edited December 20, 2019 by BW Manilowe
To add a comment.

[Ohwell]

Unfortunately, Miss Georgia didn't win.  Dang it.

I guess this has just turned into a scholarship pageant but it's dull and lifeless, with no singers or any other entertainment. 

I never thought of this before, but I also wonder what the "scholarship" money is for since the women already have undergraduate and graduate degrees.  I guess it goes toward paying off the student loans?

39 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

I’m surprised they picked a Top 15 & didn’t even let 8 of them (including Miss Texas) compete. They went straight to the Top 7 as soon as the Top 15 were picked.

Yeah, that didn't make any sense at all.  We only saw those 8 for a hot minute.

Edited December 20, 2019 by Ohwell

[BW Manilowe]

This is like the year they picked the Miss New York (Kira Kazantsev, the first of, like, 3 Miss New Yorks in a row) whose “talent” was stacking red Solo cups to the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams (to be fair, I think she could also sing; she just chose not to as her talent presentation). Instead of Miss Georgia, who had a “legitimate” talent in opera singing, they picked a Miss America who’s going to go around the country giving chemistry demonstrations when she needs a talent presentation. Yeah, it was kinda fun to watch in the competition (I keep having to stop myself from calling it a “pageant” now), but I hope she can actually do something a little more “normal”, like singing or dancing, if called upon to perform a talent during an appearance.

I think the Judges really missed the boat on the winner this year & they should go back to the original 7-Judge Finals format. I’m really disappointed with the winner this year & the only candidate I had any connection to was Miss Alabama, as that was the state of my birth, & I don’t think she even made the Top 5.

And, again, what’s the point of picking a Top 15 if 8 are going to be eliminated immediately after, without even participating in some type of competition before the final judges? If you wanna start with a Top 7, then do that & don’t string along 8 girls who are really there as fillers so you start the competition with an “expected” number of semi-finalists. I really hope they just go straight to the Top 7 next year if the format doesn’t get tweaked again before the next competition.

[alexa]

I agree with much of what has been said.  I didn't understand the 15 to 7 thing...I mean why waste time introducing the extra women?  Weird.  

As for the winner, I liked Ms. Georgia until her PR part of the thing where she had to push her charity.  She started to come off a bit over the top for me there.  She lost some of her down to earth character.  So I liked Virginia more in that role.  Otherwise I liked Georgia. but was fine with Virginia winning.  

I didn't really like this pageant, as I wished it had a little of the fun beauty things mixed in.  I got tired of hearing about their agendas as the night went on.

[PradaKitty]

I thought this show stunk.  The three panelists made it look like an American Idol/ America’s Got Talent/The Voice mix. 
I would have enjoyed more of the talent portion (people still twirl batons?) and less of the “job interview” crap. 

Also, I would like them to reinstate the outgoing Miss America’s farewell walk. 

I did think the winner’s “talent” was inspired, though. Much better than non singers trying to sing and non dancers bouncing about the stage. 

[alexa]

4 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

I thought this show stunk.  The three panelists made it look like an American Idol/ America’s Got Talent/The Voice mix. 
I would have enjoyed more of the talent portion (people still twirl batons?) and less of the “job interview” crap. 

Also, I would like them to reinstate the outgoing Miss America’s farewell walk. 

I did think the winner’s “talent” was inspired, though. Much better than non singers trying to sing and non dancers bouncing about the stage. 

I finally saw the talent part, and I loved the science talent.  Yes, so refreshing compared to the singing and dancing. 

[Ladyrain]

I can't believe how much I disliked the show this year.   So much talking!!!!   I actually fell asleep; had to rewind to watch the whole thing.  It felt like I was watching a corporate board meeting or an hours long HR interview session.    No glamor.  No fun.  Lousy format.  Too few talent contestants.   No evening gown competition.   Only three judges, who commented in real time like it was The Voice or something.  ---   There was nothing at all to make this show watchable, at least for me.   I hope they do some serious tweaking next year.

[alexa]

4 hours ago, Ladyrain said:

I can't believe how much I disliked the show this year.   So much talking!!!!   I actually fell asleep; had to rewind to watch the whole thing.  It felt like I was watching a corporate board meeting or an hours long HR interview session.    No glamor.  No fun.  Lousy format.  Too few talent contestants.   No evening gown competition.   Only three judges, who commented in real time like it was The Voice or something.  ---   There was nothing at all to make this show watchable, at least for me.   I hope they do some serious tweaking next year.

That sums it up well!  It really was a lot of talking.