Well, I have two kids on the Hope Scholarship and I didn't get it.

I thought Miss Michigan's formalwear dress looked like a long version of a figure skating dress.

I know people have critiqued the overall show, and I have to agree. I know it's hard to balance classic beauty pageants with the modern world, but some of the new interpretations SUCKED. Maybe it was just because TLC did it. (I like TLC...but Miss America on TLC? eh...)

The main announcer wasn't very good at all. I feel like the stage, announcer, music, etc. all lacked the classic poise and grace expected of a Miss America Pageant. Calling the names of eliminated girls was not cool (as said before). Do they always sit on stage after being eliminated? I would want to run backstage and cry my eyes out! Oh, and feeding them donuts was lame lame LAME!

Was anyone else as bothered by this stuff as I was?

I just felt is was boring and the girl who won was not the best! Her gown was so tacky and so 2004! Anyway, perhaps it will improve but I think I'll skip it next year and just read about it online!

I think it was just meant to be funny. This is coming from someone born and raised in Tennessee and who went to college in Mississippi. I laughed really hard.

I thought it was kinda like redneck jokes. You know one of them will probably hit home at some point if you are Southern, but it's still funny as hell.

I also LOVED SC's intro: from the state where everybody knows everybody -- and their business.

[rant]"We want to update Miss America's image. No more plastic beauties! And the new Miss America is a 19 year old anorexic blonde Barbie!!!!???!!!!" What's wrong with this picture? :rolleyes:[/rant]

I thought a lot of the introductions were funny. Some of my favs, in addition to Washington and South Carolina (both already mentioned):

Wyoming - "moved up our primary, but nobody cared"
Wisconsin - "cheese isn't just a dairy product, it's also a fashion accessory"
Vermont - "where the people are as sweet as the maple syrup"
Virginia - "Virginia's for lovers, so show me some love!"
Nevada - "when you come here, your money stays here, and we love you for it"

There were a bunch of others I liked, but I can't remember now.

Now I really don't get it
 

OK, did you all hear the host remark to the 16 finalists that the "slate has been wiped clean from this point on" or words to that effect? Well, I just read (on the miss america site) that actually, 30% of their score from the preliminaries were carried over into the telecast. AND, turns out that the final question wasn't even judged! So even though I thought Michigan gave a great interview answer, it didn't count. She must have had a great score from the prelims.

^I don't like that the final question didn't count but I do like that the prelims held some weight. It's always bugged me that one set of judges decides the finalists and another set choses the winner.

I heard that remark too. I like Mark Steines on ET, but the guy called Miss Wisconsin "MISS WYOMING" for crying out loud! I can understand if it was early on in the competition, but you'd think that an hour into the telecast he'd get the names of the finalists right!

CMT had Miss America 2007 on tonight for some reason. Hopefully they'll bring back that hot slut Mario Lopez to host next year.

Three nights of prelims:

She had won swimsuit, night two.

Iowa had won talent, night one. Texas won swimsuit night three.

All I have to say is that I was really disappointed this year. When they got to the end, I really thought Miss Washington, Miss Indiana, Miss California, and Miss Wisconsin would top out. They were not "classic pageant beauties." But, they could have been awesome choices.

Miss America had the opportunity to change its image. Instead, the judges just couldn't help themselves and voted a girl that was more Miss USA than Miss America.

You SO hit the nail on the head. It seems like such a "sell out" choice.

Yeah she looked beautiful in her bathing suit...and yes, they aren't supposed to judge the dress but her poise and confidence....but she does have to know how to dress herself appropriately, right? Miss Michigan's talent was "mailed in"--she did a tired song ("Over the Rainbow" has been ruined for anyone else to sing on a national stage thanks to the great job by Katherine McPhee on Idol and its just an "immature" song to me), and she didn't sing it well despite the fact she is going to school at a Conservatory for musical theatre. And now to know that the interview question didn't count--just crazy.

I agree that prelims should count. But they flat-out lied to the audience by saying that all the contestants were starting out fresh once the 16 finalists were chosen. And then the final interview question didn't count, which I also thought was misleading. Why take up time doing something that won't be judged? How about reducing the % of the evening gown or swimsuit competition and give a little bit of % to the final question/answer?

Why in the world would swimsuit count over her ability to answer rapid-fire questions? My goodness, if you're going to make a media star out of her she better damn well be well-spoken! It's the very least they could have done! Oh wow! So we can send her to pose for playboy but she can pretty much be dumb as a sack of walnuts!

And I still have to say it - Miss Wisconsin was ROBBED! I would have bet money on her winning and she didn't even get a runner up!