The Miss America preliminaries start Tuesday in preparation for Sunday’s big event, and people across the country are setting their DVRs, ready to drool over bikini-clad beauties twirling batons. Ashley Thompson, who was first runner-up to Miss Mississippi a few years ago, is a member of the team that helped get Lewis ready for the Miss America stage.
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It was the second of three nights of preliminary competition at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
Magoto was thrilled to win the swimsuit competition with her platform on “unedited beauty”, encouraging girls and young women to accept themselves as they are, post social media photos without makeup or electronic editing and reject preconceptions about what is handsome and what is not.
O’Flaherty, who owns a clothing store, said she represents a platform of suicide prevention.
“From the state with the highest number of lightning strikes in the nation, I’m comin’ in hot!” said Miss Florida, Courtney Sexton.
“From the state that gave you your first phone exchange – America, can you hear me now?” asked Miss Connecticut Alyssa Rae Taglia.
Jackson, Miss District of Columbia, got a rousing ovation for her rendition of “Natural Woman”, the Carole King song made most famous by Aretha Franklin.
Miss Nebraska Aleah Peters spoke of combating cyberbullying by thinking twice before reposting something potentially hurtful to someone.
“As we’ve all seen with this election year, a talk about immigration has been extremely painful”, she said.
“The greatest casualty is being forgotten”, she said.
It includes contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
O’Flaherty is one of 52 contestants competing for the coveted Miss America crown this week.
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Grace Burgess, 22, took home the Miss Tennessee title back in June, and this Sunday on ABC 7 she’ll compete for Miss America.
