Year 85 in the history of the Miss America Pageant promised to be, without a doubt, a character builder. The Miss America Organization — the inventor of the original pageant, held September 5, 1921, as a promotion to extend Atlantic City’s seaside summer season — was finally all grown up and leaving the nest, so to speak, with a gracious goodbye from the city that had raised and nurtured it. This was Miss America’s time to fly. And not merely fly, but soar. As the host city to the 2006 Miss America Pageant, Las Vegas proved to be a glamour-worthy setting for the presentation of a two-hour stage show of a scale that even this legendary desert high-life mecca had never seen. New also was the cable TV telecast with Country Music Television (CMT) and affiliated networks, which in cumulative viewings over several broadcasts found a larger audience (and sold-out theater) for Miss America than recorded in recent years. Miss America rolled the dice in 2006 — and hit the proverbial jackpot.

NEW GIRLS ON THE BLOCK Las Vegas is famous for many things — its flamboyant signage [top-right], its blazing, rainbow-colored neon-lit Strip [top-intro], and its history of hosting major entertainment acts at its casinos, including the Aladdin Resort & Casino, where the 2006 pageant was staged. Vegas rolled out the red carpet for 52 of America’s most promising young women, as well as a new host, Desperate Housewives co-starJames Denton [top-left], and a revamped format that quickly introduced the Top 10 [above, L-R]: Miss FL Mari Wilensky, Miss AZ Eudora Mosby, Miss TX Morgan Matlock, Miss VA Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss SC Erika Grace Powell, Miss DC Shannon Schambeau, Miss OK Jennifer Berry, Miss PA Nicole Brewer, Miss GA Monica Pang, and Miss AL Alexa Jones.

SHANNON SCHAMBEAU was a model for Pageantry & PromTime before finishing 4th R/U as Miss District of Columbia 2005.

‘Pageantry’ prepared them well   The 2006 Miss America Pageant was an unprecedented success for two of Pageantry magazine’s alumnae: Shannon Schambeau and Morgan Matlock. Both rose successfully through the Miss America Organization ranks to become Top 10 contenders, and Shannon eventually finished as 4th Runner-up.   As Miss District of Columbia 2005, Shannon Schambeau also won a $1,000 scholarship award as the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit winner. Shannon was an up-and-coming model in 2001 when she earned a coveted modeling opportunity in the 2002 Pageantry & PromTime Fashion Showcase.   As Miss Texas, Morgan Matlock culminated a valiant effort last year that had taken her through several years of competition in the state’s Miss Texas Scholarship Organization, when she used her experience as a Pageantry expert and competitor to great advantage and realized a dream by earning the crown as Miss Texas 2005.   Morgan’s ties to Pageantry reach back to 1999 and 2000, when she was the regularly appearing writer of the “Teen Scene” column. Not surprising for a young woman who taught our teen readers so many important lessons, Morgan plans to be a school counselor upon graduation from Texas Tech University.   Pageantry congratulates Shannon and Morgan, and wishes both of them continued success in all their endeavors.

MORGAN MATLOCK served as the Pageantry “Teen Scene” columnist before her Top 10 finish as Miss Texas 2005.

Even without the move to Las Vegas, expectations would have been at an all-time high as this year’s extravaganza got underway, simply due to the extra time that had passed since the September 2004 crowning of Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs. Now, on Januray 21, 2006, as the Miss America production planners, producers, directors, state titleholders, and their respective entourages arrived in a highly charged atmosphere of opening-night excitement at the Aladdin Theatre of the Performing Arts on the Las Vegas Strip, it was clear that expectations were about to be exceeded. This was, after all, a new beginning, with a fresh, exciting two-hour pageant production ahead and a single major question on everyone’s mind — which woman would become the first Miss America to be crowned outside of Atlantic City?

Of course, as the home performance venue for Celine, Penn & Teller, and Wayne Newton, what happens in Las Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas, despite what the city’s high-profile TV commercial suggests — it gets broadcast on TV and promoted to the far hinterlands across America and around the world — all the better to ensure Vegas’ reputation as a city that never rolls up its red carpet. The warm welcome for the Miss America Pageant was equally evident all around town, where outdoor electronic video billboards tower above the lavish resort courtyards, and custom-printed hotel-room access cards were burnished with the brand of Miss America for a new generation of pageant enthusiasts, who were about to file in to the Aladdin Theatre to witness history in the making.

Chasing The Tiara

CMT cameras were stationed thoughout the Aladdin Theatre to capture every glamorous move live as it happened (the pageant was taped and rebroadcast only for the West Coast) — the first-ever Miss America finals to be held ouside of Atlantic City in 85 years. Inside, more than 7,000 of the capacity audience members gathered with the palpable anticipation of the finalé in an award-winning movie, as many waved hand-made signs in support of their favorite 2006 Miss America state titleholder. One non-commital sign gave the new network a “shout-out,” simply reading: “CMT: Chasing My Tiara.” True-to-form for this world center of wagering, a Las Vegas’ oddsmakers had witnessed a Thursday preliminary and, based on what he’d seen, picked Miss South Carolina Erika Grace Powell, Miss District of Columbia Shannon Schambeau, and Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry as the odds-on favorites to win the tiara, the title, and its $30,000 college scholarship.

But once the curtain was raised on “hot” host James Denton and Miss America’s brave new world, all bets were off (and no wagering parlors were handicapping the pageant, anyway). Instead, with three days of preliminary competitions behind them, the preliminary judges had already chosen their favorites, and once the entire field of 52 contestants introduced themselves to the Aladdin Theatre and TV audiences, Denton was ready to deliver his first “reveal,” as reality TV lingo would dub it: the Miss America 2006 Top 10. With video and voice-overs accompanying their cocktail-dressed appearances front and center stage, the Top 10 were revealed in this order: Miss District of Columbia Shannon Schambeau, Miss South Carolina Erika Grace Powell, Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry, Miss Virginia Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss Georgia Monica Pang, Miss Texas Morgan Matlock, Miss Arizona Eudora Mosby, Miss Pennsylvania Nicole Brewer, Miss Alabama Alexa Jones, and Miss Florida Mari Wilensky. Somewhere in town, a Vegas oddsmaker was patting himself on the back.

survival of the fittest Swimsuit competition brought out the best in (L-R) Miss Florida Mari Wilensky, Miss Arizona Eudora Mosby, Miss Texas Morgan Matlock, Miss Virginia Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss South Carolina Erika Grace Powell, Miss District of Columbia Shannon Schambeau, Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry, Miss Pennsylvania Nicole Brewer, Miss Georgia Monica Pang, and Miss Alabama Alexa Jones.

HOLDING ON TO HOPE Joining hands for Evening Gown competition are Miss Virginia Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry, Miss District of Columbia Shannon Schambeau, Miss Georgia Monica Pang, and Miss Alabama Alexa Jones (L-R).

	MISS AMERICA BY THE DECADES   > 1920s (Left) Miss America has its start on the Boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey, with Margaret Gorman as the first winner. Hollywood soon comes calling.   > 1928-1932 No pageants are held or titles officially bestowed until 1933. By 1935, a talent competition is added.   > 1940s Miss America 1943 Jean Bartel sells $2.5 million worth of Series E World War II bonds. The Miss America pageant becomes a hit.   > 1950s TV coverage began in 1954, when a live broadcast at 10:30 p.m. joins the pageant in progress. About 27 million Americans watch.   > 1960s The first color telecast of Miss America arrives in 1966.   > 1970s Annual scholarships reach $750,000. Bert Parks (above right) concludes his 25-year reign as host in 1979.   > 1980s Vanessa Williams is chosen the first African-American Miss America in 1984. The platform becomes mandatory.   > 1990s Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle raises awareness of the growing HIV/AIDS health crisis.   > 2000s MAO joins forces with CMT and moves the pageant to Las Vegas in January 2006, delivering CMT its best ratings ever.

There would be plenty of celebrating later for the team behind this joint Miss America Organization and CMT production, but as the time for the live show arrived, plenty of heavy lifting lay ahead that would serve to make this 85-year-old pageant a modern and timeless classic. The lights went up on a white circular stage, split in two by a runway that projected toward the audience. The backdrop — a large oval video screen flanked by a set of illuminated ported vents — turned the stage into a massive home multimedia system. Banks of flashing lights from above popped like paparazzi flashbulbs. At the same time, though, a phalanx of chandeliers reminded all the 2006 Miss America Pageant was turning back the clock with many changes designed to polish its brand with the luster of tradition. Focus groups had told CMT and MAO to return to its roots, and thus recent innovations, such as the Casual Wear and Jeopardy-like civics quiz competitions, would be dropped in favor of expansion of the graceful Evening Wear and highly valued Talent competitions, and the return of the Miss Congeniality award.

The more genteel, more glamorous show opened with the entire field of 52 Miss America state titleholders making their own introductions, turning the capacity crowd of 7,000 at the Aladdin Theatre into screaming cheering sections. When it was his turn, dapper host James Denton settled for a simple opening line, saying, “Vegas, baby, Vegas! Welcome to what is, quite simply, history in the making.” The new setting, the new TV network, and the changes in format would attract an initial live home viewing audience of 3.1 million — 10 times that of CMT’s average prime-time audience — while subsequent repeat airings on CMT and VH1 actually brought Miss America’s accumulated viewership beyond that of last year’s on ABC. Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry would comment, “CMT gave us more promotion in the last couple months” than it had in several years.

Everything Old is New

With its 85-year history and reputation for social elegance as a primary style focus, the pageant was able to settle into a gracious comfort zone that longtime Miss America Pageant observers who had witnessed many of the 52 previous TV specials could appreciate — where sashes identified each woman by her state title, fathers and brothers escorted their Top 10-semifinalist favorite young lady in the Evening Gown competition, and a full slate of Top 5 finalists were given air time for live presentations in Talent. This was 2006 by way of 1966.

THE DAILY DOUBLES: PRELIMINARY WINNERS 1. Miss South Carolina Erika Grace Powell was named Tuesday night's preliminary Talent winner, while Miss Utah Julia Marie Bachison was the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit winner; 2. Miss Virginia Kristi Lauren Glakas was the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit winner; while Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry was named Wednesday night's preliminary Talent winner; and 3. Miss California Dustin-Leigh Konzelman was named Thursday night's preliminary Talent winner, while Miss District of Columbia Shannon Schambeau was the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit winner (L-R).

Yet other details added to the production were sure signs of a modern sensibility. New to the show were CMT correspondent Katie Cook providing backstage moments in contestants’ dressing room (actually a tent set up right outside the theater) where volunteer hostesses would assist with wardrobe changes and contestants, we were informed, were required to do their own makeup and hair. In a concession to the new “reality” of TV coverage that also put a spotlight on pageant tradition, CMT assigned reporter Lance Smith to a Scarborough, Maine, household where, as in the past 31 years, a Miss America viewing party was again being held — but only now it was on TV for all of America to enjoy.

Viewers across America also would witness a video summary that followed the 52 state titleholders through a bus tour that included two weeks of appearances (such as Miss America Day in Hollywood), a week of rehearsals, then three days of preliminaries in Las Vegas, that would lead to the soon-to-be-named Top 10 and the final competitions of Swimsuit, Evening Wear, and Talent. For that task, a panel of seven celebrity judges was convened: TV and radio show host Leeza Gibbons (who appeared on Pageantry’s Spring 1993 cover), Miss America 1985 Sharlene Wells Hawkes, Malcolm in the Middle co-star Jane Kaczmarek, R&B recording star Brian McKnight; retired NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice, former Miss Arizona and Desperate Housewives narrator Brenda Strong, and E! Entertainment Network’s fashion expert Robert Verdi.

Whom they would be judging soon was revealed, as James Denton read the names of the Top 10 in random order, and each stepped forward as CMT’s boom-mounted cameras swooped in for close-ups and mini-videographies filled viewers in with the personal revelations of DC’s Shannon Schambeau, SC’s Erika Grace Powell, OK’s Jennifer Berry, VA’s Kristi Lauren Glakas, GA’s Monica Pang, TX’s Morgan Matlock, AR’s Eudora Mosby, PA’s Nicole Brewer, AL’s Alexa Jones, and FL’s Mari Wilensky. Jennifer Berry’s video recalled her childhood Miss America rehearsals in her family’s laundry room, where she and her younger sister, Kim, put on their mom’s high heels, a nightgown, a bow, and a crown. “I would almost always make my sister Kim be the emcee,” she said, “and I always got to be Miss America.”

The bare necessities of swimsuit

If her childhood ambitions were to come true, Miss Berry was going to have to score higher than nine equally imaginative young women who were about to reveal more about themselves in Swimsuit. Denton’s narrative reminded viewers of the Miss America Pageant’s origins as a 1921 bathing beauty contest on an Atlantic City boardwalk. Today, he added, Swimwear competition, comprising 20 percent of the finals scoring, continued not only as a tribute to those historic beginnings but also as a test of each competitor’s commitment to the modern aspirations of physical fitness, composure, personal energy, and confidence. Given a choice between a one- or two-piece bathing suit, all 10 semifinalists picked the bikini.

As further reminder of the pageant’s heritage, a number of former Miss America winners in attendance were presented to fans prior to the start of Evening Wear, another segment worth 20 percent on the judges’ scorecards. The introduction of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2006 Meghan Miller raised America’s awareness of the Miss America Organization’s successful new venture with its national teen pageant. Meanwhile, as gown fittings continued in the dressing room tent, attendees at the Miss America house party in Maine hooted and hollered for their captive audience in Vegas and in front of TV sets at home, prompting Denton to ad-lib, “Wow, that was extremely helpful.”

The start of Evening Wear competition provided Denton another opportunity for a quip, when he described the judging as a combination of overall impression, confidence, stage presence, style and personality, and how the contestants wear the gown. He then added, “They are not judging the gowns themselves... so the gowns can relax.”

SHE’S BACK... MISS CONGENIALITY

RETURN ENGAGEMENT The title of Miss Congeniality, voted on by the competitors for the first time since 1974, was revived for CMT’s first Miss America Pageant telecast. Host James Denton announces the 2006 Miss Congeniality Award would go to Miss Hawaii Malika Dudley, who is congenial in accepting.

TOP 10 COUNTDOWN OF MISS AMERICA’S MOVES THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE   10 PAGEANT PARTY in Scarsborough, Maine, covered by CMT’s Lance Smith is a giggle worth keeping.   9 BACKSTAGE PEEK gives only a few hints about what goes on in the dressing room, but we’re still panting for the dish from beyond the stage lights next year.   8 ON-STAGE VIDEO MONITOR is awesome, like one used to great effect at the first 2006 Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Scholarship Competition last August in Orlando. See, Little Sis can teach Big Sis a lesson.   7 ESCORTS FOR EVENING GOWN are sure to open up a touching groundswell of family pride around the world.   6 LIVE TALENT FINALS are an instant hit, with faceoff of the Top 5 providing a reason to stay glued to the tube.   5 RETURN OF THE SASHES are a tried-and-true tradition we didn’t know we missed until its return in Las Vegas. Thanks for the memories.   4 MISS CONGENIALITY resuscitated for the first time since 1974—another MAO invention saved for posterity.   3 FINAL 3-1-2 COUNTDOWN was a bit of showmanship that all pageants could consider to put the focus on the winner in the end.   2 JAMES DENTON proves a host with his own impromptu humor can add to the hipness and spontaneity.   1 VEGAS, BABY, VEGAS With those words to open the show, pageant host James Denton said it all.

The always-anticipated Evening Wear production featured the sentimental favorites, male escorts, and the addition of voiceover narratives of why each gentleman had been chosen. All but one were fathers (Miss Pennsylvania chose her brother), and the reasons why came close to what Miss Florida Mari Wilensky had to say: “He’s my number one fan... and he also looks great in a tux.” Denton voiced what much of America might have been thinking at the conclusion, when he said, “Well, that was as elegant as television gets.”

Before the newly revamped Top 5 Talent segment, another element that had been a Miss America tradition reappeared when Denton introduced the 2006 Miss Congeniality recipient as “the contestant most liked and respected by her peers.” Last voted on in 1974, the Miss Congeniality honor re-emerged to the delight of many longtime pageant fans, as well as this year’s winner, Miss Hawaii Malika Dudley, who, when asked by Denton to express her feelings, smiled and said, “I’m speechless right now... I guess this means the [Miss America 2006] reunion’s going to be in Hawaii.” Denton once again used the award to humorous effect, making a joking reference to the strife among his female co-stars on Desperate Housewives, saying, “These women really get along and have a lot of fun together — just like the ones on my show.”

The fun turned serious, though, when account Brian Ford of Ernst & Young carried what were the results of the judges voting — the naming of the Top 5, accompanied by a drum roll: Miss VA Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss OK Jennifer Berry, Miss DC Shannon Schambeau, Miss GA Monica Pang; and Miss AL Alexa Jones. Each then had a chance to chat with Denton, who asked them in turn to share their favorite smell, favorite TV show, favorite food, and least favorite trait in other people.

After a quick peek backstage, where Katie Cook commiserated with the rest of the Top 10, the cameras turned attention on the expanded Talent competition, which would count for 30 percent of the total scores and be evaluated on technical skill, quality, interpretive ability, stage presence, personality, and entertainment value. Strong performances were delivered by Miss Virginia in vocal performance, Miss Oklahoma in ballet en pointe, Miss DC in a contemporary tap routine, Miss Georgia in a classical piano piece, and Miss Alabama in ballet en pointe.

Once the judges marks for Talent were compiled, Denton reintroduced the Top 5 by name and state title, and then introduced another new twist added this year: a Top 3. Moving forward, and called in random order, were: Alabama’s Alexa Jones, Oklahoma’s Jennifer Berry, and Georgia’s Monica Pang. Saying, “Reaching this level is a great accomplishment,” Denton bid farewell to Miss DC Shannon Schambeau and Miss VA Kristi Lauren Glakas.

The pageant’s next surprise came when each of the Final 3 was asked the same question, and given 30 seconds to answer. More a challenge than a question, the Top 3 addressed this request: “Describe a significant experience from your childhood, and the impact it had on shaping your character, making you who you are today.” Alexa Jones described her dancing since the age of 4 years old, Jennifer Berry described learning to cope with being made fun of as a 5-ft.-8-in. sixth grader who wore giant eyeglasses, and Monica Pang cited the challenge of growing up in a family with an Asian father and American mother. Back in the dressing room, the Top 3 all radiated confidence as Katie Cook asked them to describe what was going through their minds as they awaited their fate. “I still remember watching [Miss America] on TV, and thinking those are the classiest, most sophisticated women,” said Miss Pang, “and now ... people are looking at me maybe like that.”

Changing of the guard

The previous year’s first lady, Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs, appeared for her final walk, as her audio told of “working with Cure Search for a cure for childhood cancer... and that has truly been my crowning moment.” She took her position next to Denton, and awaited the history-making transfer of her crown and all the glory that goes with it. With a tone that respected the moment, Denton called the 2nd Runner-up, with an extra $15,000 scholarship, as Alabama’s Alexa Jones. Then, in a final new shift in this pageant full of surprises, the next name called would be the woman who would forever be remembered as history’s first Miss America captured outside of Atlantic City. That was... Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006. As Monica Pang gave her a warm embrace, Jennifer turned her wet and wide-open eyes toward 7,000 appreciative fans, who gave her an extended ovation while the confetti spilled all around her. “Miss America 2006,” said Denton, “the runway is yours.”

Like so many moments at this year’s remarkable pageant, the tried-and-true combined with modern trends to the very end, when, for her first official acts as Miss America 2006, Jennifer made her runway walk to a recording of the original Bernie Wayne Miss America theme song and lyrics — “There she is, fairest of the fair she is” — then moved to a press conference, where her favorite snack food, one that she’d sworn off in her quest for the Miss America crown, awaited: a plate of french fries with ranch dressing. Success never tasted so good.

COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry and Miss Georgia Monica Pang (right, L-R) clasp each other’s hands to await the announcement that will put one of them into the history books as the first Miss America crowned outside of Atlantic City. When the words parted James Denton’s lips, he called Jennifer’s name first as Miss America 2006. Monica’s heartfelt 1st Runner-up embrace was followed by Deidre Downs’ fastening the tiara, allowing Jennifer to greet her fans with smiles, waves, and tears of true elation.