The Miss America pageant was a night to remember. Not only was Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell crowned as Miss America 2016, but Vanessa Williams, who was the first African-American woman to win the title, received a public heatfelt apology from the CEO of the pageant after she was forced to resign amid a scandal 32 years ago. Williams, who opened the show with “Oh How the Years Go By” and was the head judge of the competition, accepted the apology with the utmost grace.
The night began in Atlantic City with 52 incredible, driven and beautiful–both inside and out–women representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. After presenting themselves in the opening number to the judges, the audience and the country, judges announced the top 15 contestants. The top 15 then began the swimsuit portion of the competition where they strutted to the tune of Nick Jonas’ vocals.
Despite a flawless swimsuit competition, only 12 were able to move on into the evening gown portion, which led to two more eliminations, leaving the last 10 contestants to compete in the talent portion of the night. Talents this year ranged from violin, opera and singing, but it was Miss Colorado who went where no contestant has gone before when she delivered a monologue about her job as a nurse. Her talent of caring for others and what it means to her was truly moving and inspirational.
Lastly was the interview round where the seven final contestants were given the chance to showcase their intelligence and stances on hot button issues. The judges asked difficult questions pertinent to our society and generation, ranging from what woman should we see on the ten dollar bill, Planned Parenthood funding, Donald Trump and the “Black Lives Matter” movement. All contestants answered with certainty and poise.
In the end, it was Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell who the judges decided was the “real combination of beauty, grace, and intelligence, artistic and refined,” everything that Miss America represents. After her opera performance of “Tu Tu Piccolo Iddio” from Madame Butterfly and answering a bizzare question about Tom Brady’s role in Deflategate, Cantrell was crowned Miss America by reigning 2015 Miss America Kira Kazantsev. Cantrell, 21, who is a student at Mercer University, will spend the year traveling the country as a spokeswoman for her platform “Healthy Children, Strong America.” She plans to act as a role model and make a difference in society through her charitable work.