Is it the end for Miss America?

Miranda Kimball A&E Editor

When you think of Atlantic City, a few thoughts probably jump into your head: salt-water taffy, the boardwalk, tacky Donald Trump-owned casinos, and the Miss America Pageant. While three of these institutions are alive and strong (or at least as alive and strong as one can be in Atlantic City), the Miss America Pageant is simply not the celebration it once was. On Sept. 18, Miss Alabama, Deidre Downs, was crowned Miss America 2005. Downs will get her 15 minutes of fame and the chance to promote her platform, curing childhood cancer, while traveling across the country. But this year’s competition resembled a reality show more than the traditional pageant.

For those whose Miss America knowledge is on the thin side, here’s a quick history of the pageant: The Miss America competition was created in 1921 by a local Atlantic City businessman as a means to extend the summer tourist season. In 1954, Miss America entered our homes with its first television broadcast. In 1989, the platform program became a part of the pageant. This year, Miss America celebrated its fiftieth year on TV. Over the years, who can forget such great hosts as Regis Phillban and Kathy Lee Gifford? (While Bert Parks did host the event for 25 years, my guess is our demographic doesn’t know who he is.)

So where did it all go wrong? With such a cherished tradition of “providing young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instill a spirit of community service through a variety of unique nationwide community-based programs,” how did the host of “The Bachelor” get tapped to host this year’s event?

Answer: it all comes down to the ratings. In 1995, 25 million people tuned in to the Miss America telecast. This year a measly (and record low) 9.8 million viewers watched. Somewhere between the ratings dropping and the organizers revamping the pageant, the spirit of Miss America was lost.

This year’s telecast was clearly a mastermind of the ABC executives who thought it a good idea to let Miss America jump on the reality show bandwagon. The telecast was all about trimming—from swimsuits (this year’s contestants wore two-piece suits provided by sponsor Speedo) to the talent portion of the program (for the first time, the two finalists went head-to-head in an “American Idol” like showdown) to the broadcast itself (the length of the telecast was shortened from three hours to two hours).

While perhaps it’s inspiring for little girls to see an aspiring doctor crowned Miss America, the pageant itself has simply become a fast-paced parade of sequins, skin, and tears. Yes, there was a six-question quiz about American history, government, and current events, but the packaging of the pageant still leaves us with images of intelligent, but, more importantly, pretty looking American gals, who can rock casualwear, swimwear and eveningwear!

Perhaps Rutgers University professor Steven Miller has said it best: “In order to compete against more modern shows, it needs to a have a complete makeover.” Too bad this year’s re-vamped pageant was a dismal failure. Before long, “There she goes, Miss America” will be echoing in our ears.