Miss America...The Gown, The Swimsuit, The Talent

Yes, I'm super excited to the see the girls competing for the Miss America crown on Sunday evening!  Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014 is a tough act to follow!  Her gown, her swimsuit, her talent...all so very unique and beautiful.

Last September Nina rocked this canary yellow chiffon gown with the capped sleeves and plunging neckline (with a modesty net).  I call them "evening gowns," but the Miss America Organization now calls it "evening wear."  And yes, there is a difference between an "evening gown walk" and a "swimsuit walk."

Anyhow, the evening gown counts for 20% of the scoring.

Tony Bowls is the official Miss America evening gown designer.  Each contestant was gifted a Tony Bowls gown which they will wear on Sunday evening during the evening gown competition.

Who can forget how fabulous she looked in the zebra print bikini?  Lord have mercy, she looked gorgeous!  Starting in 1977, the Miss America Organization broke from the tradition of one-piece bathing suits and allowed the girls to wear two piece suits.  The bottoms could not be more than one inch below the navel and had to be "full/moderate" bottoms and the tops "full coverage" with straps at least 1/2" wide.  I'm sure her bikini bottom is more than one inch lower than her navel.

The swimsuit competition counts for 20% of the scoring.

Catalina is the official sponsor of Miss America swimsuits this year.  You can find the Miss America swimsuits at Walmart!

What a talent!  Talk about standing out. Nina did an outstanding Bollywood dance routine...and looked cute doing it!

Talent counts for 30% of the scoring.

I'm looking forward to Sunday night y'all!

Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014

Congratulations to Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014.  The 24 year-old Miss New York beat out 52 other contestants to win the coveted crown and at least $50,000 in scholarship cash.  She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and hopes to become a physician like her father.

Nina looking stunning in the "Shoe parade."  That dress...love love love!

Her canary-yellow evening gown was perfection.

Nina rocked her zebra-print bikini in the bathing suit completion.  She said that she has battled bulimia in the past and lost approximately 60 pounds before winning the title of Miss New York.

I absolutely loved her talent--a classical Bollywood fusion dance.  Nina traveled to LA to train with Nakul Der Mahajan, a choreographer for the "So You Think You Can Dance" television show.

Unfortunately, as soon as the tiara was placed onto her beautifully coiffed hair, social media was abuzz with racist attacks in the fact that she was the first woman of Indian descent to ever win Miss America...calling her names such as  "Miss 7-11."  This is so ridiculous.  

Responding to the remarks, she said, "I have to rise above that.  I have always viewed myself as first and foremost American."

I'll admit that going into the competition, I was hoping Miss Georgia would take home the crown.  Although Miss Georgia is incredibly beautiful, her talent was lacking.  In my opinion, Nina scored 10's at every stage of the competition.  She deserves the win and I look forward to following her reign!