Miss America 2011: Prelim Night Two Videos

1 of 3 - Opening, 1st half of Sigma Talents and Mu Swimsuit:

2 of 3 - Teen Introductions, Alpha Onstage Question, 2nd half of Sigma Talent and Mu Evening Gown:

3 of 3 - Awards:

First of all former NFL player Reggie Rivers was a great host! Not all his jokes landed, but he was charming and you could tell the audience enjoyed him! As for the contestants, here are my thoughts...

Talent - Sigma group

Ohio (vocal) - Becky performed a soulful rendition of "A House is not a Home" in a sparkling gown. After the contrived pageant power ballads last night, it was refreshing to hear a song manage to tell a story in only 90 seconds and not just screech the same line over and over! Her vocals were solid! Great job!

Maine (tap dance) - Her dance included tons of very typical, expected tap-looking moves, not that I, a nondancer knows what any of them are. It was cutsy and I wasn't a fan of the fringy costume.

South Carolina (tap dance) - She is dancing a cappella. I don't know about dance, but when people sing a cappella it's just a gimmick! People assume it's more difficult, but for vocalists it's actually easier! Therefore, I'm indifferent to this performance.

Montana (vocal) - She's doing a very old-school pageant song, "Don't Rain on my Parade," making this very easy to pick on. However, her vocals were spot on! It was fantastic, making the song selection forgivable! Second best vocalist so far behind Miss California last night.

Illinois(tap dance) - I like the contemporary club music and citchy flame costume, but it looks like she's really working at it; it was more labored than energetic, if that makes sense...

Vermont (vocal) - I LOVE this song selection! Berlin is classic Broadway, yet it's not a song that's been overdone by beauty queens. However, her performance leaves a lot to be desired; I wish she were more jazz with a red costume and handheld mic and less Laurence Welk. I mean really, aqua feathers?!

Iowa (vocal) - That looks like it's probably a sexy little dress (low video quality) but her vocals are extremely weak and she doesn't have much stage presence.

Florida (vocal) - Oh look, she literally borrowed one of Stephen Tyler's old outfits to sing "Don't wanna miss a thing!" :) I am not a fan of her performance but it's better than the previous two singers.

Delaware (dance) - Okay, there has been so much publicity about this girls wig, how do I keep from watching for it to fly off!? :0 I know that's crass, but seriously?! She was cute and entertaining.

Massachusetts (piano) - I'm finding it a bit odd that all the pianist are getting preset; is this to save time? Her beautiful white gown is absolutely perfect for this soothing piano piece! This is my favorite pianist so far because it's so pleasant to listen to, but I doubt it scored as well as the previous showier arrangements.

Hawaii (vocal) - Sorry, but I'm just not getting the Hawaii hype this year. In fact, I think she may be the prelim winner who doesn't make the cut! Her vocals are extremely weak; you can hear how nervous she is. Also, it's NEVER a good idea to sit during short performances; it kills your energy and in her case the "big reveal" of the short dress when she stood up seriously lacked pay-off. NEXT!

Rhode Island (vocal) - All I can hear is Randy Jackson saying "Pitchy, dog, a little pitchy." It wasn't horrid, but I'm shocked by her Preliminary Talent win. It must have been substantially better live in the theatre.

Idaho (opera) - She was lovely, but neither the dress nor the song selection seemed to be Miss America caliber, I mean, that's what you see from strong local contestants. You could hear some nerves a bit, but overall the vocal quality sounded much better than Rhode Island to me!

Missouri (lyrical dance) - Wow! I really love this! She has all the grace of a ballerina with the energy of the tappers. I can't judge her technique, but I am completely captivated! Great song, beautiful costume, totally enjoyable!

DC (vocal) - "This is my now" by Jordan Sparks was not a great selection because we all know what it should sound like. While she looks sexy in a short sparkling number, her vocals aren't strong enough.

South Dakota (gymnastic dance) - When I hear "gymnastic" I expect a LOT more energy and entertainment value. It seemed like perhaps she was prohibited by the dimensions of the stage.

Indiana (vocal) - BEAUTIFUL! That was a lovely operatic performance of "You'll Never Walk Alone." I feel badly for her because her type of talented probably would have been scored higher a decade ago. An emotional performance with outstanding vocal quality!

Utah (vocal) - It's so refreshing to hear a contemporary performance that actually sits in womans vocal range! Her voice sounds very pure, unlike a lot of the pushed ballads you hear on pageant stages. There's a twang in her tone which makes me wonder if a song by a country vocalist would have been better than this Leona Lewis number. Great job!

I have to say, I'm surprised by Rhode Islands Preliminary Talent win... She would not have even been on my radar! Based on the YouTube video, I thought Montana, Missouri and Indiana were all better. Ohio, Delaware and Utah also performed well.

Swimsuit - Mu group

Is it just me, or did it seem like they sped the pace up and shrunk the swimsuit bottoms tonight?! Much like last night when this group answered their Onstage Question it started off weak, but got progressively better. Again, because of the low video quality it's difficult to see physical and facial details, but that doesn't keeping me from picking hits and misses!

I liked Oregon, Arizona, Virginia and Alabama.

You could tell Arizona literally believed she was working a high fashion catwalk! Even with the lacking video quality you could see Virginia's rock hard body and she was very confident. This group lacked personality, making that what totally set Alabama apart in this video, not to mention the fabulous muscle tone we've seen in pictures. She strutted with snakelike confidence; seriously, did anyone else see her body moving like an S? Alabama deserved the second Preliminary Swimsuit win, but Virginia must have been close!

On the other hand Alaska, Wyoming, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Nevada did not impress.

Onstage Question - Alpha group

I felt the strongest ladies in this group were Pennsylvania, New York, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee!

Among a group of ramblers Pennsylvania was refreshingly concise! I LOVED Miss New Yorks eloquent description of her gay rights platform as a HUMAN issue. Often statistics sound contrived but Mississippi used her in a wonderfully powerful way. Oklahoma was perfectly empowering and well spoken!

Evening Gown - Mu group

I think this group looked lovely in their gowns; several were wonderful! Although I didn't like Kentucky or Arizona's gown styles in pictures, they both had confident onstage walks. Virginia was also very poised and I loved Colorado, was her gown like Massachusetts' but with a slit? In my opinion the gown of the night was, hands down, Alabama!!! Stunning!!!

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The preceding was unpaid. The claims and opinions expressed are those of MISScellanea and its one and only writer/editor/chief of staff, formulated after viewing a low quality YouTube video. If you are offended by the views expressed here longer than two-and-a-half seconds, please consult a therapist immediately and stop being a fan of the SUBJECTIVE sport of pageantry.

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