The bikini portion of the evening may be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of glitz, glamour and gorgeous gowns on the final night of the 2019 Miss America competition in Atlantic City, NJ, on Sunday, September 9. Hosted by Carrie Ann Inaba and Ross Mathews, boxing great Laila Ali, radio host Bobby Bones, musician Randy Jackson, country singer Jessie James Decker, journalist Soledad O’Brien, Drybar founder Alli Webb and singer Carnie Wilson judged the 92nd edition of the newly revamped pageant and crowned Miss New York Nia Franklin the winner.
Earlier this year, the organization announced sweeping changes to the annual event in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Being called Miss America 2.0, contestants are now referred to as “candidates” and judged primarily on their talents, goals and achievements. The swimsuit competition is out and the traditional evening gown presentation was replaced with a “red carpet” portion meant to allow the finalists to show off their distinctive style and personality. Oh, and the ladies also kicked off the night wearing some seriously fierce ensembles that went far beyond the standard cocktail dress.
Keep scrolling to see all the sparkly frocks, colorful gowns, cool jumpsuits and more!
