The 2015 Miss America Competition has its live broadcast on ABC from Atlantic City’s historic Boardwalk Hall at 9:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 14, 2014. Read on for all the facts on the competition below:
1. The Hosts Are Chris Harrison and Lara Spencer
430 pm. It's ON! "@chrisbharrison: @LaraSpencer @missamerica get over here girl we got work to do & in work I mean good food & wine!"
— Lara Spencer (@LaraSpencer) September 12, 2014
Chris Harrison is named as host of the competition, while Lara Spencer is co-host. You may know Harrison as the host of shows including HGTV’s Designer’s Challenge, ABC’s The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise. Lara Spencer is an anchor on Good Morning America, and is returning to the Miss America competition as co-host for the second year in a row.
2. It’s a Celebrity-Studded Judging Panel
Photo of former #MissAmerica and current judge @LeeMeriwether from 1955! #throwbackthursday @MissAmericaOrg pic.twitter.com/UMy1vL7URx
— Boardwalk Hall (@BoardwalkHall) September 11, 2014
The judges this year range from former a Miss America to a model to an athlete. NJ.com reports the judges to be:
Gary Vaynerchuk, 38, a social media branding expert and CEO of VaynerMedia, is one of this year’s celebrity judges, alongside Miss America 1955 and former Catwoman Lee Meriwether, TV writer and producer Marc Cherry (“Desperate Housewives”), model-mogul Kathy Ireland, Green Bay Packers veteran Donald Driver and Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson. The group, which also includes retired Army Brig. Gen. Anne Macdonald, is charged with picking the best of the finalists Sunday.
Welcome to our incredible #MissAmerica judges @ShawnJohnson @Donald_Driver80 @garyvee @kathyireland @LeeMeriwether pic.twitter.com/Lgm15tCHaK
— Boardwalk Hall (@BoardwalkHall) September 10, 2014
3. Saturday Is the Show Us Your Shoes Parade
#PHOTOS Miss America Contestants Unveil “Show Us Your Shoes” Footwear (photos via @CleveBryan) http://t.co/Me1SiSP2P9 pic.twitter.com/NICjsG0bRf
— CBS Philly (@CBSPhilly) September 9, 2014
Each year, the contestants have a parade to celebrate the competition. On Saturday, September 13, 2014, each of the girls will participate in the “Show Us Your Shoes” parade. According to Miss America Press:
The two-hour parade will kick-off at Connecticut Avenue at 5:00 p.m. Measuring a distance of approximately two miles, the full parade route stretches from Rhode Island Avenue to Albany Avenue with a special performance viewing area in front of historic Boardwalk Hall. More than 200,000 people are expected to view this spectacular display along the famed Boardwalk.
Host Chris Harrison is the Grand Marshall of the parade Miss America 2014 winner Nina Davuluri will be there as well. The tickets are $22.50 for general reserved seats and $39.50 for production viewing seats and can be purchased at www.ShowUsYourShoes.com.
The shoes of the 2015 Miss America Contestants were revealed today for Saturday's Show Us Your Shoes parade! pic.twitter.com/liKQVNbxsC
— Boardwalk Hall (@BoardwalkHall) September 9, 2014
4. The Preliminary Award Winners Have Been Chosen
The preliminary competitions were held this week from September 9 – 11, 2014 and two winners were chosen each night. For the first night, Miss Ohio and Miss Florida won. On the second night, Miss Kentucky and Miss Oklahoma were the winners. Finally, on the last night, Miss Pennsylvania and Miss Maryland won. For Miss Ohio, her ventriloquism act in the talent portion tipped the scales for her. As for Miss Pennsylvania, she won the talent portion for her night by singing “Phantom of the Opera”.
Thursday lifestyle & fitness winner is @MissMD2014 Jade Kenny. She receives a $1000 scholarship. #MissAmerica pic.twitter.com/XZwRvSW1Cq
— Miss America Org (@MissAmericaOrg) September 12, 2014
In addition to the regular winners this year, there will be the Quality Of Life Award and the America’s Choice Award.
5. Atlantic City Is Hoping That the Pageant Will Boost Its Economy
Miss America has a three-year contract with Atlantic City, New Jersey, good through next year. After that, the future is uncertain. Recently, two large casinos, Revel and Showboat, were shut down as the economy in Atlantic City is suffering. With all the attention the Miss America competition brings, locals, as well as New Jersey as a whole, hopes that the economy will get a boost. A local business owner named Wayne Richardson told NJ.com:
Having them here, absolutely, it’s great for the economy. I hope they stick around.
When talking about the possible third hotel closure of Trump Taj Mahal, which claimed bankruptcy on Tuesday, Richardson expressed his feelings:
Hopefully it’s just going to be a restructuring stage. These people are more than just employees to us. They’re family. They’ve been with us for 10, 15, 20 years. Hopefully we’ll have some positive energy back around this way.
The competition plans to have at least 8 minutes of footage just showing off some of the highlights of Atlantic City to bring attention to the historic area that needs our help.
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Miss America 2015: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know