Here she comes, Miss Survivor

Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Miss America Pageant is borrowing elements of "Survivor" and game shows to punch up the drama in the telecast promoters call the original "reality TV."

"People are out there inventing things like ‘Survivor’ and portraying it as reality TV," said Robert Renneisen Jr., president and CEO of the Miss America Organization. "But in fact the Miss America telecast has been providing viewers with high-stakes reality television since its broadcast debut in 1954."

Pageant officials hope the updates to the 81-year-old pageant will draw more viewers to a telecast that has had slipping ratings in recent years.

Among the changes:

?Contestants who do not make it to the Top 10 will be able to cast votes for the finalist they think should wear the crown, similar to the way "Survivor" contestants help determine the show’s winner. The contestants’ votes will be added to the judges’ scores.

?The five finalists will be quizzed on current events, American history and U.S. government. A wrong final answer would not eliminate them, as it does on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," but it would count against their final scores.

Pageant competitions also will be renamed. The swimsuit competition will be known as the "Lifestyle and Fitness" competition. While the contestants cross the stage in bathing suits, a video illustrating how they stay fit will be shown.

"It might be ATV riding or bungee jumping," Renneisen said. "Something that gives a broader picture of what her life is all about."

The evening wear competition will be called the "Presence and Poise" phase, while the talent segment will be renamed "Artistic Expression." The interview segment will be called "Presentation and Community Achievement."

This year’s telecast also will contain fewer song-and-dance routines than in years past, and the top 20 semifinalists will be featured in the first hour of the show to give the audience a better idea of what they are like.

Renneisen said the changes were made after The Chambers Group, a Los Angeles-based company, asked people across the country what they would like to see in the pageant.

"The project we commissioned showed that the American public wants to see more competition among the women and a more accurate gauge of the intelligence that contestants possess," he said. "They also want the telecast to portray the contestants in a more natural way."

Each year, 12,000 women begin competing in pageants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The 51 winners compete in Atlantic City.

This year’s pageant will air live Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on ABC-TV.

On the Net:

Miss America: http://www.missamerica.org