Miss America doesn't want to be labeled as a pageant anymore. Here's why
Miss America
will be crowned Thursday night for the first time at a Connecticut
casino, marking the latest change to the nearly century-old contest that
has recently undergone new leadership and a new direction.
The competition, now dubbed “Miss America 2.0”
and no longer referred to by organizers as a “pageant,” had announced
plans this summer to leave Atlantic City, New Jersey – for the second
time in its history – and hold the multi-day event at the Mohegan Sun in
Uncasville. Miss America also switched from ABC back to NBC to
broadcast the glitzy finale to an estimated 4.5 million viewers. And for
the first time, preliminary events and the finale – held in Mohegan’s
10,000-seat arena – are being streamed live on the NBC app.
Miss America 2020 Live Stream
“We
are looking forward to a fresh take on this historic competition that
will showcase the incredible women vying for the job of Miss America
2020,” Regina Hopper, president & CEO of the Miss America
Organization, said in the July announcement.
Miss
America organizers and NBC have not yet agreed to a multi-year contract
with the Connecticut casino. A decision is expected in the coming
months.
Fifty-one women, representing all 50
states and the District of Columbia, have spent the past week competing
in different events for more than $300,000 in scholarship money,
including talent exhibitions and interviews. Preliminary competitions
were held Dec. 15 and 16. The ultimate winner will be awarded a $50,000
scholarship and “the job of Miss America,” succeeding 2019 Miss America
Nia Franklin, a classically trained opera singer from New York who
didn’t have to don a swimsuit to win the coveted crown.
For the second year in a row, there will be no
swimsuit or evening gown competitions, with organizers stressing that
participants are not judged on outward physical appearance. Those events
were replaced by onstage interviews and opportunities for the women to
discuss their personal achievements, life goals, talents and a planned
“social impact initiative” as the 2020 Miss America.
The
decision to drop the swimsuit competition created controversy and
criticism. Former board chair and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson
was a proponent of the change, announcing in 2018 that Miss America
would represent “a new generation of female leaders focused on
scholarship, social impact, talent and empowerment.” Carlson stepped
down in 2019 but noted she was "extremely proud of the work" she and her
fellow volunteers had accomplished.
