Donald Kravitz/Getty Images for dcpCongratulations, Betty Cantrell!
The former Miss Georgia took home the biggest prize at last night's 95th annual 2016 Miss America Pageant, earning a $50,000 scholarship and a gorgeous tiara to boot.
There's no doubt that the 21-year-old brunette beauty looked absolutely gorgeous on stage, but it was her moving opera performance during the talent competition and thoughtful response when asked to weigh in on Tom Brady's deflategate scandal that really wowed the judges.
Interested in knowing more about Cantrell's journey to the top? Here are five things to know about the newly crowned Miss America!
#ThereSheIs... your newly crowned #MissAmerica 2016 @MissAmericaGA, Betty Cantrell! ??
https://t.co/fjAvbTnaVF
? Betty Cantrell (@MissAmerica) September 14, 20151. She Doesn't Consider Herself a "Pageant Girl:" As a newbie to the beauty pageant world (her first competition was in late 2013!), Betty once admitted she "had absolutely no clue what [she] was doing" early on in her career, adding " I had never actually thought about [doing pageants], because I just didn't think I was a pageant girl." Well, it sure does suit you now!
2. She Could Be Broadway Bound: After bringing the entire house down with her performance of "Tu Tu Piccolo Iddio!" from Madame Butterfly, we wouldn't be surprised if Betty gets a few phone calls about starring in a future Broadway production. After winning Miss Georgia in June, Cantrell told the Ledger-Inquirer she has musical aspirations, adding, "When I sing I want the audience, not just the judges, to feel the emotion. I want to make them feel something."
3. She Knows Her Way Around a Farm: Don't let the rhinestone gowns fool you. Miss America isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. While growing up on a farm in Warner Robbins, Ga., Cantrell told The Macon Telegraph she learned to skin a rabbit, clean a deer and plow a field. As she put it, "All those great things that every girl should know."
4. She's All About Staying Healthy: With physical therapists as parents, it's no surprise that Betty leads such a healthy lifestyle. She explained to The Macon Telegraph why she decided to pursue a platform called "Healthy Georgia. Strong America," saying, "I was brought up in a household where being healthy and nutrition conscious and exercising was pretty much everything. I wanted to carry that out to those children who didn't grow up in a home like I did."
5. She's Driving Around a Brand-New Set of Wheels: If you see a flashy Kia Sorento driving down the street, make sure to do a double take because it might be Betty! As part of her winning the Miss Georgia title, the beauty queen received the keys to her new ride.