LAS VEGAS (January 29, 2007) — Fifty-two ambitious, young beauties have their eyes on the crown as the Miss America Pageant tosses in a few reality TV-twists in selecting its ideal woman in a new time slot on the Las Vegas Strip.
A Saturday night staple no more, the 86-year-old pageant Monday night features Mario Lopez, of “Dancing with the Stars” and “Saved by the Bell,” as master of ceremonies. The show airs at 8 p.m. EST on the Country Music Television channel with a delayed broadcast to the West.
Among the field of crown-coveting women is former “American Idol” competitor Shilah Phillips, the first black Miss Texas; Miss District of Columbia Kate Michael, a legislative aide and aspiring lobbyist; and Miss Delaware Jamie Ginn, a chemical engineer who has been blogging about her pursuit of the crown.
This is Miss America’s second year at the Aladdin Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The pageant moved from its hometown of Atlantic City, N.J., last year in an attempt breathe new life into an institution that had fallen far from forefront of American pop culture.
Although previous experiments with reality gimmicks fell flat, this year’s show includes viewer voting and increased participation from the panel of celebrity judges, which includes MSNBC talk show host Chris Matthews.
“We embrace Miss America for what is it, but we’re taking what’s been done before and giving that a turn,” executive producer Charlie Haykel, of Mischer Productions, the company also producing next week’s Super Bowl halftime show.
The changes are part of a larger marketing blitz aimed at reintroducing a new generation to Miss America, a feminine idol born of a publicity stunt on the New Jersey seaside in 1921.
After a long reign as a cultural icon, Miss America’s ratings have plummeted, and sexier reality shows have eclipsed her girl-next-door appeal. The addition of pop quizzes and casual wear contests couldn’t save the pageant from losing its network TV contract in 2004.
MTV-Networks’ CMT picked it up in 2005 and has been attempting to restore the old girl to her former glory. It stripped the pageant of the failed gimmicks, and for the first time in decades brought back Miss Congeniality.
The 2006 live crowning of Jennifer Berry of Oklahoma attracted less one-third of the viewers than the year before, but was replayed 20 times on CMT and its sister-network VH1 for a total of 36 million viewers.
With a year to market its new product, CMT came back with its own set of gimmicks — a Bert Parks ringtone, a $1 million giveaway for picking the winner and a reality-TV special intended to help viewers connect with the contestants in the days before the crowning.
Producers took cues from “American Idol” and incorporated interviews with judges and text message voting after the swimsuit, talent and evening gown competitions.
They also moved the show off a date night. CMT, which reaches 83 million households, hopes the Monday night airing attracts a broader, younger audience — the sort of viewers whose devotion first catapulted the beauty queen to prominence.
Along with the crown, the nonprofit that runs the pageant gives the winner gets a $50,000 scholarship and a one-year contract to represent the Miss America Organization at charity, corporate and fundraising appearances.
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