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Seems like every year the Miss America Pageant claims it’s finally catching up with the times. In 1993, that meant the young ladies all had to do their own hair. Two years later, viewers got to vote by phone about whether the swimsuit competition should be eliminated. Two-piece bathing suits arrived in 1997. In 1999, rules allowed divorced women for the first time. Last year, the classic “There She Is” song went electronica.
“THE CHANGES in the past have mostly been superficial,” says Bob Renneisen, president and CEO of the Miss America Organization. He arrived at the company 18 months ago and this year set out to refresh the show for real. The telecast, which airs Sept. 22, will steal a good deal from reality TV. Each of the 41 nonfinalists will get to cast a vote. Cameras placed in an off-stage “Jury Room” will capture comments from the also-rans as the crowning draws near. And the final five contestants will be given a current-events quiz. “If someone doesn’t know the basic rudiments of how our government works, or the history of our country or what’s going on in the world today,” says Renneisen, “maybe that’s not the person to be Miss America.” The CEO took a few questions himself from NEWSWEEK’s B. J. Sigesmund.
NEWSWEEK: Why the reality-TV conventions?
Bob Renneisen: I’ll be very candid. What we have always done is reality TV, but I don’t think we’ve portrayed it very well. In recent years, there have been shows that billed themselves as reality, “Survivor” and “Big Brother” and the others. They’ve done very well. So I thought if their techniques tend to work, why shouldn’t we borrow some of them?
Now I’m sure this won’t happen. But what if one of the contestants says something mean about a finalist in the “Jury Room” and it ends up on TV?
Well, what she says is what she says. Though I’d be surprised if that happened, because that’s not typical of what goes on backstage. I know the movies want to make it seem that way. But if someone’s mean, she’s mean.
We’ve got to talk about the “knowledge quiz.” The final five will be asked questions about history and current events. Won’t it be humiliating for those who don’t know the answers?
Let’s take a hypothetical case. Suppose we have five finalists, and three of them can handle the questions and two can’t. Maybe those two shouldn’t be Miss America. We’re involved in an endeavor here to find someone truly outstanding.
How difficult will the questions be?
Because of the possible difference in age and education of the five finalists [contestants range from 18 to 24], the questions will all be geared toward a high-school-level education. Basically, someone who’s graduated from high school and who reads the paper and watches TV ought to be able to deal with these questions. The winner will spend the next 12 months meeting presidents, addressing Congress, talking to members of the media. She won’t be asked to sing and dance very often.... This is a job search, and if certain people are better than others at doing the things the job requires, then those are the ones who are supposed to win.
How will the quiz be administered?
“Jeopardy”-style. They’ll all be asked the same questions at the same time. They will not see each other’s answers, but the audience will. They may write the answer in front of them, or it may be multiple choice. We haven’t worked out all the details yet. There may be as few as five questions, or maybe as many as 15. We’re still looking at show timing and pacing and a few other things.
You no longer have a “swimsuit competition,” right? It’s been incorporated into the new “lifestyle and fitness” section. Why?
We’ve broadened some of the categories. We felt it didn’t make sense to have a competition category called “swimsuit” anymore. In the “lifestyle and fitness” section, there will be an on-stage appearance in swimwear, but the judges will also take into consideration a video of the woman doing whatever it is she does to stay in shape on her own.
So we’ll see women on the treadmill, swimming, doing yoga...?
All of the above, plus ATV riding, figure skating, bungee jumping and who knows what. In general, throughout the show, you’ll see more video, which personalizes the contestants.
During the “presence and poise” phase of the show, contestants will be escorted by a brother or a father. Where did that idea come from?
It’s impossible for a young woman to be involved in this competition without family also being involved. Why not find a way to give them some recognition? And maybe some moral support for the contestant, too? If it were me out there, and someone were going to waltz me on to the stage, I’d rather have Daddy do it than somebody I’d never met.
You’re adding a lot to the pageant, but it’s still only three hours. What was thrown overboard?
You’ll see fewer outside singing and dancing groups. There will still be one or two production numbers, but they are more likely to include the contestants themselves, and the host.
Speaking of the host—which you refuse to reveal—our money’s on Regis Philbin.
Your idea’s as good as anybody else’s. But I’m not going to tell you whether you’re right or wrong.
Why won’t you say at this point?
One reason, we’re still finalizing contracts. The other is I get another shot at all you media guys. I expect to be able to make an announcement within a week or two. If we did have a contract, though, I’d probably still delay it, because you know, that’s showbiz.
“THE CHANGES in the past have mostly been superficial,” says Bob Renneisen, president and CEO of the Miss America Organization. He arrived at the company 18 months ago and this year set out to refresh the show for real. The telecast, which airs Sept. 22, will steal a good deal from reality TV. Each of the 41 nonfinalists will get to cast a vote. Cameras placed in an off-stage “Jury Room” will capture comments from the also-rans as the crowning draws near. And the final five contestants will be given a current-events quiz. “If someone doesn’t know the basic rudiments of how our government works, or the history of our country or what’s going on in the world today,” says Renneisen, “maybe that’s not the person to be Miss America.” The CEO took a few questions himself from NEWSWEEK’s B. J. Sigesmund.
NEWSWEEK: Why the reality-TV conventions?
Bob Renneisen: I’ll be very candid. What we have always done is reality TV, but I don’t think we’ve portrayed it very well. In recent years, there have been shows that billed themselves as reality, “Survivor” and “Big Brother” and the others. They’ve done very well. So I thought if their techniques tend to work, why shouldn’t we borrow some of them?
Now I’m sure this won’t happen. But what if one of the contestants says something mean about a finalist in the “Jury Room” and it ends up on TV?
Well, what she says is what she says. Though I’d be surprised if that happened, because that’s not typical of what goes on backstage. I know the movies want to make it seem that way. But if someone’s mean, she’s mean.
We’ve got to talk about the “knowledge quiz.” The final five will be asked questions about history and current events. Won’t it be humiliating for those who don’t know the answers?
Let’s take a hypothetical case. Suppose we have five finalists, and three of them can handle the questions and two can’t. Maybe those two shouldn’t be Miss America. We’re involved in an endeavor here to find someone truly outstanding.
How difficult will the questions be?
Because of the possible difference in age and education of the five finalists [contestants range from 18 to 24], the questions will all be geared toward a high-school-level education. Basically, someone who’s graduated from high school and who reads the paper and watches TV ought to be able to deal with these questions. The winner will spend the next 12 months meeting presidents, addressing Congress, talking to members of the media. She won’t be asked to sing and dance very often.... This is a job search, and if certain people are better than others at doing the things the job requires, then those are the ones who are supposed to win.
How will the quiz be administered?
“Jeopardy”-style. They’ll all be asked the same questions at the same time. They will not see each other’s answers, but the audience will. They may write the answer in front of them, or it may be multiple choice. We haven’t worked out all the details yet. There may be as few as five questions, or maybe as many as 15. We’re still looking at show timing and pacing and a few other things.
You no longer have a “swimsuit competition,” right? It’s been incorporated into the new “lifestyle and fitness” section. Why?
We’ve broadened some of the categories. We felt it didn’t make sense to have a competition category called “swimsuit” anymore. In the “lifestyle and fitness” section, there will be an on-stage appearance in swimwear, but the judges will also take into consideration a video of the woman doing whatever it is she does to stay in shape on her own.
So we’ll see women on the treadmill, swimming, doing yoga...?
All of the above, plus ATV riding, figure skating, bungee jumping and who knows what. In general, throughout the show, you’ll see more video, which personalizes the contestants.
During the “presence and poise” phase of the show, contestants will be escorted by a brother or a father. Where did that idea come from?
It’s impossible for a young woman to be involved in this competition without family also being involved. Why not find a way to give them some recognition? And maybe some moral support for the contestant, too? If it were me out there, and someone were going to waltz me on to the stage, I’d rather have Daddy do it than somebody I’d never met.
You’re adding a lot to the pageant, but it’s still only three hours. What was thrown overboard?
You’ll see fewer outside singing and dancing groups. There will still be one or two production numbers, but they are more likely to include the contestants themselves, and the host.
Speaking of the host—which you refuse to reveal—our money’s on Regis Philbin.
Your idea’s as good as anybody else’s. But I’m not going to tell you whether you’re right or wrong.
Why won’t you say at this point?
One reason, we’re still finalizing contracts. The other is I get another shot at all you media guys. I expect to be able to make an announcement within a week or two. If we did have a contract, though, I’d probably still delay it, because you know, that’s showbiz.
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