The 53 contestants for the 2014 Miss America competition. photo: B. Vartan
The preliminaries for the Miss America pageant are over as the 53 contestants prepare for Sunday’s grand finale. The winners of last night’s final prelim program were Miss Georgia Carly Mathis and Miss Florida Myrrhanda jones winning the swimsuit and talent categories, respectively.
In honor of Miss Arkansas’ clogging, NJ.com goes through some of the less traditional talent choices over the many years of Miss America competition. But last night was also honoring other Miss America traditions, such as former Miss America Donna Axum Whitworth, who was crowned back in 1964 where she was Miss Arkansas and used her scholarship to help complete her Bachlore’s and Master’s degree at University of Arkansas.
The final prelim for 2014 featured a new twist for the swimsuit category when Miss Kansas Theresa Vall showed off more than her shoes–her tattoos.
The 22-year old sergeant currently serving in the U.S. Army features two tattoos–one the Serenity Prayer, the other the symbol of the U.S. Army Dental Corps. Coincidentally, she’s also the second contestant to ever be on active duty while participating the Miss America pageant.
The Washington Post spoke to Miss D.C. Bindhu Pamarthi who spoke about her experience in the pageant when it comes to nerves:
“The stage fright actually hasn’t gone away…At the same time, I definitely have developed a technique for how you deal with that anxiety. I know how to channel that into energy and charisma on stage.”
The weekend kicks off tomorrow with the annual “Show Us Your Shoes” parade, which Miss Maine Sondra Celli is going to stand out thanks to 50,000 Swarovski crystals and the rest of her parade attire from the Maine Sun Journal. Rumor has it that there will be a pair of bedazzled Louboutins.