On Sunday, 4.3 million people tuned in to watch the pageant, which is down 19% from the previous year.
Miss America Chairman Gretchen Carlsonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqXLk3n_gNc
The pageant started as usual, with each state candidate introducing their state with a witty fact. Miss Michigan turned some heads when she injected her introduction with a call for action in Flint. She said, "From the state with 84% of the United States' fresh water but none for its residents to drink, I am Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma." The pageant saw some weird moments, including Cara Mund's final walk as Miss America. With a smile from ear to ear, she said "Miss America gave me the platform," she went on to say "And I am just getting started." This final walk seemed a little awkward after Mund wrote her letter calling out the pageant leaders for trying to silence and marginalize her. Seeing her walk across the stage looking happy as ever, did not seem as genuine especially after all of those allegations. Mund plans to attend law school and eventually become the first female governor of North Dakota. This perfectly aligns with the "Miss America 2.0" message that the show was pushing all night. The event kicked off with groups of contestants saying phrases that emphasized empowerment.
Miss Michigan Emily Siomahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqH3hT-COGY
The new Miss America, Nia Franklin, believes that the changes made to Miss America are positive and should be embraced. When asked a question about the absence of the swimsuit portion of the competition, she said she was glad that she didn't have to wear a swimsuit in order to win, going further to say women are "more than just that." Franklin is the winner of not only Miss America, but she also receives a $50,000 scholarship. Hopefully, this year will be smoother for the new Miss America, and for the organization overall, but in the meantime, we'll just have to wait and see.
