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The show will air on TLC, and the channel has been stoking the fires of interest with its reality show, "Miss America: Countdown to the Crown." In fact, the 2009 pageant is doing something different: four of the top 15 finalists are being chosen by viewers of the lead-in episode of the reality show.
The winner of the 2009 Miss America pageant will take home a $50,000 scholarship before embarking on a year of travel and public appearances. They also are paid for their appearances; according in Wikipedia many have made in excess of $100,000 in appearance fees.
The Miss America pageant has lost much of its luster in recent years. The fact that it is no longer on a major network but rather on a smaller cable network (for the second year) is a clear indicator of the loss of power.
Still, the title of Miss America has been used as a stepping stone by many women to modeling, acting or singing careers. Examples are Lee Meriweather, Miss America 1955, and Vanessa Williams, who eventually resigned after nude photos or her were published in Penthouse.
Pictured above is Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund.
Posted January 25th, 2009 by Michael Santo
