ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Miss Maryland and Miss Arkansas won preliminary contests Wednesday in the second night of the Miss America pageant.
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It includes contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Savvy Shields performed a jazz dance number to a tune from “Smash”.
Miss Missouri, Erin O’ Flaherty, will compete for the Miss America crown this weekend as the first openly lesbian contestant.
The 2017 Miss America will be crowned Sunday night.
It was the second of three nights of preliminary competition at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. The first night of preliminary competition in this year’s pageant will be held Tuesday, Sept. 6.
While Cantrell and Ford won Miss Georgia pageants in 2015 and 2016 respectively, Jackson and Sims took less direct routes to the Miss America pageant.
“From the only place in America close to paying women equally, catch up, America!” said Miss District of Columbia Cierra Jackson, who won Tuesday night’s swimsuit competition. The first night of preliminary competition in the pageant is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept.
Burgess chose the well-known crowd pleaser “Desperado” by The Eagles as her talent performance, delivering it with a slight country tilt, earning one of the loudest ovations of the evening.
Jackson called her swimsuit win “a blessing”.
Miss America contestants, including Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis, change clothes as many as four times a day while the pageant is underway.
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In addition to Miss Georgia Patricia Ford, who is representing the state at the national competition, other Miss America contestants with Georgia connections are Miss District of Columbia Cierra Jackson and Miss New York Camille Sims.
