Tonight was the first night of preliminaries during the Miss New Jersey pageant. The first set of contestants took the stage, as they competed in swimsuit, talent, evening gown & on-stage question. Historically we have seen that the Miss New Jersey production numbers have surpassed each prior year, and this year it was nothing less than spectacular - again!

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Brenna Weick, Miss New Jersey 2016, opening up the first night of preliminaries with an amazing dance performance. It has been a while since we’ve seen her grace the Miss New Jersey stage with her dancing talents, so this was a treat for all in attendance. We then went into the introductions to all of the contestants, and this was the first time that the audience was able to see all of the women, outside of the parade, who are vying for the title of Miss New Jersey 2017.

Our amazing Outstanding Teen, Augostina Mallous, also took the stage with her amazing dance performance, as she prepares for Nationals next month! (…and yes, we will be there to bring you all the highlights from MAO Teen in Orlando)!

From a Bollywood-inspired dance routine, to an sea-full of evening gowns, the first set of contestants from the Miss New Jersey Class of 2017 answered their on-stage questions with poise and confidence. All of our contestants were amazing; but then it came down to two preliminary winners for the first night. And with that, a hearty congratulations goes out to Amanda Rae Ross for winning tonight’s Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimwear award, and Krystle Tomlinson for winning tonight’s Talent award! We were able to catch up with the winners of preliminaries for a quick interview, which was a lot of fun!

What did you do to best prepare yourself for Miss NJ this year?
Krystle: I have been working with the Shore family, and practicing my talent a lot, and working on myself as an individual.
Amanda: For me preparing was just about how I could make myself a better person, all-around – creating a regimen diet, as well as, practicing my talent, and being able to embrace anything happening around me.

What do you find the most difficult part about pageants, and how did you overcome that difficulty this year in your preparations?
Krystle: I have def grown as a person. The most difficult thing, I would say, is mentally preparing for this world because there’s so much going on. I am lucky enough to have opportunities to come to the Miss America Organization and compete and do what I love.
Amanda: I think one of the most difficult things, in pageantry, is that a lot of people keep thinking that we’re competing against each other, so being able to create a positive mindset, and know that you’re competing against yourself to better yourself, and not just to compete to someone next to you, not just only for some girls who are new, but it is also a difficult concept for society to also understand as well.

Regardless of who wins Miss New Jersey, what do you hope is the number one thing she tries to achieve during her reign?
Krystle: I hope that our new Miss New Jersey can really make a difference in our community, (not only) in the State of NJ, but also across America because we need someone who is going to be dedicated to her platform and someone dedicated to the Miss America Organization, and what the organization stands for.
Amanda: Miss New Jersey  is a woman who is passionate about her communities; so I hope whoever is the new Miss New Jersey will embrace the communities around her, and create them to become her hometown, and inspire people through her own story, and to just show the world what an impact the Miss America Organization can do.

As the first set of preliminary winners for Miss New Jersey 2017, what words of thanks would you like to give to those who have helped to get to where you are today?
Krystle: If I had to thank a couple, I would thank my first voice teacher when I was 7 years old. And my mom; I told my mom I wanted to sing at seven, I started to dance at 2, and at 10 years old, we put it all together.
Amanda: My family has been my biggest support system. So I would like to give a big shout out and say thank you for allowing me to have a crazy schedule and taking the time to calm me down to calm me down whenever I felt I  was getting too hectic out there. They inspire me to keep going, so thank you.

Tickets are still available if you would like to come to Friday nights preliminaries or Sat. evening’s final pageant! Check out some of the images from the first night of preliminaries thanks to P.G. Photography: