A No Talent Miss America
Hot babes and best wishes for world peace.
That's what the Miss America Pageant has come to, now that organizers have announced they've axed the talent portion from the televised competition.
The move was made in response to a shortened telecast for this year's Sept. 18 crowning and not everyone's clapping.
"It's the cornerstone of our organization. It's what sets us apart," Miss America CEO Art McMaster told the Associated Press. "If it were up to me, I'd show all 52 talents on TV. But when you're in a collaborative effort, as we are with ABC, there had to be a compromise somewhere."
Last year, viewership for the brains and beauty contest fell to an all-time low, garnering a mere 10.3 million for its parade of lovely ladies. And so the decision was made to trim the show.
And it's not like they were going to edit out of the swimsuit segment.
Contestants will actually get to put their baton-twirling skills on display during the preliminary rounds of the pageant, which will be broadcast to TV viewers as a videotaped montage.
Producers will then pick one contestant to perform live during the show--presumably not the girl who recites the pledge of allegiance.
Talent, which once accounted for 40 percent of a contestant's score, now only counts for 20 percent, a drop some chalk up to the sorry state of stunts performed during the allotted two minutes, including trampoline jumping and tractor driving.
Originally introduced in 1935 to validate the pageant as more than just a beauty contest for brainless bimbos, (we thought that's what the mandatory world peace Q&A was for), the talent portion became an official requirement in 1938.
Its passing is not being taken lightly by Miss America afficionados.
"They're eliminating one of the core values of the Miss America competition," said former CEO Leonard Horn.
Another critic, Heather French Henry, Miss America 2000, also weighed in. "It's a tragedy," she said. "That's what separates us from the type of contestant that goes to Miss USA. Our young ladies get into it for the scholarships and the talent."
For now, they'll have to settle for glitz and gams. The casual wear, swimwear and evening wear elements of the competition have all jumped from 10 to 20 percent of a contestant's score.
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