Hurricanes Harvey and Irma may be wreaking havoc in numerous parts of the US, but they are not going to be a hindrance for the crowning of the 97th Miss America. The finale round will take place in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on September 10, Sunday.
The preliminary round took place this week with contestants from the hurricane affected places also participating, according to an Associate Press report. A few of the contestants advanced to the finale.
Also Read: Miss USA 2017: Check out the complete list of contestants
Miss Texas, Margana Wood, won Wednesday night's swimsuit preliminary. The Houston-based participant then gave a shout-out to her flooded hometown.
Irma-affected Florida has sent Sara Zeng to participate this year in Miss America. The model won Friday's swimsuit prelim and has promised to be a part of the post-Irma cleanup and recovery effort, regardless of whether she wins Miss America 2017.
Miss Louisiana, Laryssa Bonacquisti, had also had a good start in the competition, winning the swimsuit and talent preliminaries on Thursday and Friday night.
Apart from the three gorgeous ladies, the open competition sees about 51 contestants participating in the competition this year. AP reports that one participant from each state, including the District of Columbia, will be competing for the crown.
Miss Alabama 2017 Jessica Procter, Miss California 2017 Jillian Smith, Miss Colorado 2017 Meredith Winnefeld, Miss District of Columbia 2017 Briana Kinsey, Miss Florida 2017 Sara Zeng, Miss Hawaii 2017 Kathryn Teruya, Miss Illinois 2017 Abby Foster, Miss Kansas 2017 Krystian Fish, Miss Maryland 2017 Kathleen Masek, Miss Mississippi 2017 Anne Elizabeth Buys, Miss Nevada 2017 Andrea Martinez and Miss New York 2017 Gabrielle Walter are just some of the contestants.
This year's finale will have a notable change. Miss America 2017 has introduced another round to help understand contestants better. Contestants nearing the final round on the finale night will surpass the onstage questioning and interact with Sam Haskell, executive chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organisation for more interaction. The round is designed to understand more about the contestants.
Miss America is being hosted by ESPN's Sage Steele and The Bachelor's Chris Harrison.
Celebrity judges include Jordin Sparks, Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri, Olympic figure skater and NBC Sports commentator Tara Lipinski, model and actress Molly Sims, TV host Maria Menounos, Jess Cagle, editorial director of People magazine and Entertainment Weekly, and country singer Thomas Rhett.
When is it taking place: September 10
What time: 9 pm ET
Where to watch it: The finale will be broadcast live on ABC.
Where to watch and steam it live online: The event will be showcased on the ABC website or the app. Also, on Sling TV.
