The Miss America Organization has nearly 100 years of history since its inception, and has provided young women, across the nation, with scholarships that have allowed them to graduate debt free from college. And I happen to personally know amazingly talented women, who have taken part, and are still a part of the MAO; and their success stories are amazing. These women have gone onto become news anchors, entrepreneurs, or even going onto graduate school to utilize their scholarships. Whatever the end outcome has been for this women, it was related to one of the four points of the crown: success. And with all the new changes which have been happening within the Miss America Organization, chatter has been among those attending in regards to how the new stage would be, the format, and the overall experience. I will be honest; I wondered what what it was going to be like as well. And then I turned to Karen Nocella, the Executive Director of Operations, yesterday evening, as we watched the prelims competition, and I told her I was impressed with the way Miss America "2.0" was kicked off.

I would have to say, the parade of states, which opened up the first night of prelims, was my favorite part. I enjoyed this because it allowed all 51 women to showcase who they were in a unique and different style – another important point of the Miss America crown. Now don’t get me wrong; a sponsored outfit for opening number is fabulous, and I think it’s a wonderful thing. But to see each of these women define their own interpretation of style…it was great. There were dresses, there were two pieces, there was something different for everyone to enjoy.

Nina Davaluri, Miss America 2014, was the host for the evening. She was as radiant as ever; and the first thing which caught my eye was her outfit. I had the opportunity to catch up with Nina in the media room, post-prelims, and asked her about her outfit. I thought right away a name like Naeem Khan, or Falguni & Shane Peacock would be thrown out. But I was even more impressed; she said the dress she wore was designed by herself, and used to be her mother’s engagement sari. I loved the authentic-feel to her outfit on stage, and loved how she brought her culture with her back to Miss America!

So now onto the first night of Miss America prelims! Groups of people supporting their home-state contestant were flooding in! I saw light-up sings for Texas, banners for Massachusetts, hand signs for Delaware, and so many other avenues of support for these young women! Outstanding Teens were present to support their big sisters who were competing in competition — and it was amazing to see their eyes light up when their Miss graced the stage!
The first phase of competition was talent! And boy oh boy, was there a lot of talent on the stage! There were some notable costumes/outfits from the talent portion. North Dakota was lovely! When asked about her choice of attire, she said, “I love light blue; so I ordered it off a costume company then got it tailored exactly how I wanted it. (And) then actually (added the rhinestones onto) the entire thing myself. There are hundreds of rhinestones on it”

Another outfit I really liked was that of Miss Washington. She said that it was a “custom Jovani jumpsuit!” She also went onto say, “I designed the train to be full and dramatic!” Miss Michigan also had a great look for talent. She said, “It was made by a friend from my hometown; she owns Sew Stoppers and she’s made some of my old costumes as well!”

To see more images from prelims, check out the album below:


23-year-old Miss Florida 2018, Taylor Tyson, was the talent prelim winner for the night. She effortlessly played a shortened rendition of “Mephisto Waltz,” by Hugarian composer Franz Liszt, on the piano for her Miss America talent – also earning her a scholarship (another important point of the Miss America crown) of $2,000. In a post-prelim media interview, Tyso stated that she has, “been playing the piano since I was 4 years old, so it’s crazy to say I’ve been playing the piano for almost 20 years.”



The OSQ (On-Stage Question), broke up the talent portion, and was hosted by Miss America 2017, Savvy Shields (who recently got married)! 25-year-old Miss Wisconsin, Tianna Vanderhei, was awarded with a $1,000 scholarship, as she was the Interview winner. During this phase of competition, she answered a question about discrimination in college admissions.


Then there was Red Carpet/Evening Wear, which allowed the contestants to showcase their own personal red carpet style. Once the contestants showcased their choice of evening wear, they answered one question: What would you tell America? — And it was interesting because it allowed them to say one thing to the audience and judges, and many seemed to lean towards something related to their personal platform. To read more about my picks on evening gowns, read this article! Stay tuned for more on the Miss America prelims later on this week! And if you’re interested in attending, tickets are still available.