Miss Missouri, Erin O’ Flaherty, will compete for the Miss America crown on September 11 as the first openly lesbian contestant.
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Cierra won in the swimsuit section, while Grace bagged the top spot in the talent section after she wowed the judges with her version of the Eagles’ classic Desperado.
Miss Tennessee, Grace Burgess, left, and Miss District of Columbia, Cierra Jackson, right, won the Talent and Style & Fitness portions of the first night of Miss America Preliminaries, Tuesday, Se.
Tuesday night is the first of three nights of preliminary competition lasting through Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the Miss America Organization unveiled the shoes that the contestants will be wearing at the annual “Show us your Shoes” parade on Saturday on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Miss Alabama Hayley Barber waves to the crowd during the opening of the second night of Miss America Pageant Preliminaries at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, in Atlantic City. Th. “It’s such an honor to be able to walk on that stage in the first place”, Burgess, 22, said of her win, which earned her a $2,000 scholarship.
Lewis was the recipient of the Gold Award presented on the Miss America stage for the Duke of Edinburgh’s worldwide program which is the world’s leading youth achievement program.
‘I felt it was up to me to try my best to carry on his legacy, ‘ she said.
Shields was crowned Miss Arkansas on July 9 in Hot Springs.
“You let your light shine and let other people see what happens”, she said. Also capturing the spotlight was Miss District of Columbia, Cierra Jackson, who was the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness victor in a pink Irene West swimsuit.
“Miss New Jersey Brenna Weick sang “Someone Like You” from” Jekyll & Hyde, Miss Minnesota Madeline Van Ert sang and played the piano on “What a Wonderful World”, and Miss New Mexico Stephanie Chavez went all-Jersey with a version of Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life”.
Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis sang “A Piece Of the Sky” from ‘Yentl, ‘ and Miss Colorado Shannon Patilla sang ‘Something’s Got a Hold On Me’.
“One of my favorite things about dance is connecting with the audience”, she said.
And Miss Massachusetts Alissa Musto added, “From the state that brought you bands like Boston, The Cars and Aerosmith, I’m here to rock and roll!”
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Supporting the military, helping children and seniors figured prominently in the onstage interviews some of the contestants gave. The Beijing-born Quan said she hopes to “provide tools to Americans to celebrate their backgrounds”.
