America Votes for Surprise 16th Pageant Finalist in TLC's 'MISS AMERICA: AMERICA'S CHOICE'
- TLC Viewers Vote Online for Their Favorite Miss America Contestant;
Surprise 16th Finalist to be Announced During MISS AMERICA LIVE! Finale -
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 -- For the first time in the 87 year
history of Miss America, everyone in America will have the opportunity to
select one of the finalists, along with the 15 finalists selected by the
judges. This year, a surprise 16th pageant finalist will be announced
during the live finale as the result of MISS AMERICA: AMERICA'S CHOICE, an
online competition that allows viewers to vote for their favorite Miss
America contestant. Fans can vote by visiting
http://www.tlc.com/missamerica beginning on Friday, January 4, after the
first episode of TLC's new series, MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK and can vote
through the final episode on Saturday, January 26 (3 am EST). The
contestant with the most votes, who is not already included as a top 15
finalist, will be chosen as "America's Choice," and revealed at the MISS
AMERICA LIVE! finale. Hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Mark Steines, the
live pageant airs from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on
Saturday, January 26, at 8:00 PM EST.
"As viewers watch MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK they'll get to know the
contestants in a way that they never have before," says Angela
Shapiro-Mathes, President and general manager for TLC. "The entire
competition becomes more relevant to today's audience as they vote and root
for their favorites at the live finale."
MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK premieres January 4, at 10 PM (ET/PT) and
airs consecutive Friday nights leading up to the MISS AMERICA LIVE! finale
on January 26. Hosted by Michael Urie, the four-part series is designed to
get these 52 state winners to forget everything they've learned in "pageant
schools" over the years ... the walk ... the talk ... the hairspray ... and
prepare them for the final competition to select Miss America 2008 ... the
relatable "it girl" who can connect with today's modern woman. MISS
AMERICA: REALITY CHECK is shot in high definition and can be viewed on the
TLC HD simulcast.
About TLC
TLC's innovative hit series include perennial fashion favorite What Not
to Wear; Little People Big World, now in its third season; Miami Ink and
the hit spin-off LA Ink. The channel defined home design with Trading
Spaces and continues to reinvent the genre with Property Ladder, Flip That
House and Moving Up. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award-winning A
Baby Story as well as Take Home Chef, featuring one of People Magazine's
Sexiest Men, Curtis Stone. The channel is available in more than 93 million
homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website
at http://www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications which is
owned by Discovery Holding Co. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse
Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman.
About Miss America
The Miss America Pageant -- and the scholarship program itself -- is
among the most enduring endeavors in modern American history. From its
humble beginnings as a "bathing beauty" contest in the 1920s, the Miss
America Organization today is one of the nation's leading achievement
programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for
young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and
local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and
scholarship assistance, helping young women all across the country to reach
their dreams and goals. For more information, go to
http://www.missamerica.org.
SOURCE TLC
http://www.tlc.com
http://www.missamerica.org
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