The final night of preliminary competition in the 2012 Miss America pageant was hosted by Dena Blizzard. The Mu, Alpha, and Sigma groups competed in their final phases of the pageant.

Miss Hawaii Lauren Cheape received a $2,000 scholarship from Amway for her energetic jump rope routine.

Miss New York Kaitlin Monte received a $1,000 scholarship from Amway in the lifestye and fitness in swimsuit competition.

Congratulations!

You guys, I cannot BELIEVE it is Thursday already! Time is just FLYING by and it's not because of the time difference. Well, not entirely because of the time difference.

The show last night was a blast! It was way more high energy than Tuesday night and I really enjoyed it! If you follow my Tweets (and really, you should!), you will know that there are a LOT of dancers this year! I think there are more dancers than I have ever seen before, which is great. I wonder, though, if the contestants get super nervous becase dance fiend Mark Ballas is a judge? That would definitely make me nervous, but I just enjoy watching Mark Ballas judge. He gets really into the music and performances.

This morning I had the pleasure of attening a press conference featuring: the Quality of Life finalists, the winner of our fourpoints scholarship award, and a whole slew of former Miss Americas.

Miss Kentucky Ann-Blair Thornton won the Quality of Life Award and gave a very moving speech about her platform and the experience of losing a loved one to Alzheimer's.

I also got the chance to talk one-on-one with Miss Idaho Genevive Nutting, our fourpoints scholarship winner. She is such a lovely young lady and you can learn more about her in the next issue of fourpoints. Her mother also stopped to talk for a minute and was so nice, so excited. It's moments like that, that really make it all worth it!

What else? The former Miss America were awesome as always.

It looked like Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund had a very heavy left hand - I think she's engaged!

The Miss Americas also shared where they keep their crowns. Vonda Kay sleeps in hers and Dorothy Benham keeps hers in a butter cookie tin. I swear, you can't make this stuff up!

fourpoints sat down with Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan to talk about giving up the title and what the future holds for her.

Have a lot of the contestants asked you for advice during pageant week?

The contestants have asked me advice, yes, and a lot of them have been asking me for advice since they were crowned. I always tell them that it is important to prepare before the pageant and have a good mindset during pageant week. But I also stress the importance of imagining what happens after the crowning moment. Your life doesn't end then—it actually begins.

What are you doing with your $50,000 Amway scholarship?

In total, I have earned $62,000 in scholarships from competing in the Miss America system. I have received a full tuition scholarship for my first four years of college, so I will be deferring my Miss America scholarships to pay for 3 years of law school. I knew at the age of 13 that I would have to get scholarships in order to pay for college, so the Miss America system has drastically changed my life in that way.

How do you stay humble when you hold a title like Miss America?

My family does a good job of keeping me humble! I am the middle of 7 children, so a week after I began my year as Miss America, my little sister had moved into my bedroom. When I visit home (not that I get to very often) I sleep on a matress, and I make my own bed.

Have you done anything special for the 2012 Miss America contestants?

I actually took 53 stones ouf of my crown and had them made into necklaces for the contestants. I want them to know that even though only one of them can take the crown on Saturday night, that each of them deserve it. This way, they will always have a piece of the crown. They are incredible women, and they deserve it.

Miss Hawaii shares a story with us about her Miss America 2012 experience!

On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, the 53 Miss America 2012 contestants competed in the second night of preliminary competition.

Miss Oklahoma Betty Thompson won a $2,000 scholarship (courtesy of Artistry by Amway) for her rousing Irish dance.

Miss Texas Kendall Morris won a $1,000 scholarship (courtesy of Artistry by Amway) in the Lifestyle & Fitness competition in swimsuit. Kendall wore a swimsuit by Komplique, the new offical swimsuit sponsor of Miss America.

Congratulations, ladies!

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For more photos in the gallery click here.

It's all happening you guys! I whirled into Las Vegas this evening, in plenty of time for the first night of preliminary competition! It was lovely, to say the least. I hope you are following us on Twitter for all the updates, news, and information I can possibly give you! I had a blast live-Tweeting the pageant tonight and we have a big day planned tomorrow. The judges press conference is first thing in the AM and I am finally going to get close enough to Mark Ballas to challenge him to a hand jive competition. Well...we'll see if it works out! I am excited to listen to the judges talk about their experience so far! 

There is so much energy and hubbub happening here, it's wonderful! I ran into some people from Good Morning America and they start filiming at 2:30 AM - whoa! They offered to let me come along, but we all know a pagaeant girl needs her beauty sleep!

Hey - what should I ask the judges tomorrow? What are your burning questions?

All 53 contestants competing for the 2012 Miss America Pageant debuted in their EXPRESS fashions at the annual arrival ceremony at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Josh Strickland, one of Planet Hollywood's stars, hosted the ceremony. The contestants returned to the Theatre for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino for the seventh consecutive year, and the arrival kicked off a week of preliminary competitions (interview, lifestyle and fitness, talent and evening wear), culminating in the live telecast on ABC, Saturday, January 14 at 9 p.m. (EST)/tape delay (PST).

On hand to welcome and introduce the 2012 Miss America Contestants were Rossi Ralenkotter, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Tom Collins, Commissioner and Board Chair of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, David Hoenemeyer, Regional President of Bally's, Paris and Planet Hollywood, Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board of the Miss America Organization and Art McMaster, President and CEO of the Miss America Organization.

Source: Miss America Organization

The 2012 Quality of Life finalists were announced at the annual arrival ceremony at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

The eight finalists and their personal platform issues are:

Miss Arkansas Kristen Glover–Second Chances Through Mentoring
Miss Hawaii Lauren Cheape–C.A.R.E., Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone
Miss Kentucky Ann Blair Thornton–Alzheimer's Awareness and Research
Miss Michigan Elizabeth Wertenberger–Continue to Dream, Giving Hope to Children with Chronic Illness
Miss Minnesota Natalie Davis–Autism Awareness: The Missing Piece
Miss New Hampshire Regan Hartley–Bullying Awareness in Our Community
Miss New York Kaitlin Monte–Anti-Bullying Through Youth Leadership 
Miss Ohio Ellen Bryan–Promoting Lightning Awareness, "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors"

The Quality of Life Awards were introduced in 1988 to recognize contestants who excel in their commitment to community service. In order to be considered for the Quality of Life Award, contestants must submit an application describing their involvement with Children's Miracle Network, the national platform of the Miss America Organization, and their own personal platform issue.

The winner of the Quality of Life Award will receive a $6,000 scholarship, the first runner-up will win a $4,000 scholarship, and the second runner-up will win a $2,000 scholarship. Winners will be announced at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on January 14 during the 3 p.m. (PST) press conference.

Source: Miss America Organization

Vibrant colors and personal expression are an integral theme of the upcoming 2012 Miss America Pageant, and the fifty-three women taking part in the iconic event—airing on ABC Television on Saturday, January 14, 2012. Showcasing strength, body, intelligence and beauty via their new official swimwear sponsor Kompliqué, the swimwear features vibrant colors and bold patterns that match the style and personalities of the individual Miss America contestants—and the bold new direction the Miss America brand is taking.

President and CEO of the Miss America Organization, Art McMaster says, “This year we are celebrating the vibrancy, individual style and colorful personalities of our contestants, and aligning with Kompliqué as the official swimwear sponsor, will allow each contestant’s personal style to shine in the fitness and health competition.  It will bring an entirely new dynamic to the production of this year’s show as it emphasizes the intelligence and health of today’s young women.”

Kompliqué will be bringing an exciting new element to this year’s pageant. Each contestant will have a private consult with the Kompliqué design team to determine the style, fit, and colors that exemplify their individualism. Looking amazing in swimwear is no accident. The contestants cannot study the night before or purchase a swimwear figure in a boutique. The swimwear competition is unique in that it measures the contestant’s lifestyle and lifestyle choices. Just like the Miss America pageant is more than a beauty contest, Komplique is more than just bikinis.

Komplique is a lifestyle brand that embraces health, beauty, and self-esteem–a lifestyle that is achieved through education, hard work ethic, and self-discipline. Komplique recognizes and appreciates the commitment that these young women have made to lead a healthy lifestyle. We are very excited to see our collection on these amazing, talented, and hardworking young women! The sponsorship with Kompliqué was developed and introduced by Miss America Properties.

Source: Miss America Organization