Miss America 2008
Miss America 2008, the 81st Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, on Saturday, January 26, 2008.
The pageant was broadcast live on TLC from the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, only the third time that the pageant had been held outside Atlantic City.
Kirsten Haglund was crowned Miss America 2008 by Miss America 2007, Lauren Nelson.
''Miss America: Reality Check''
The pageant's new network, TLC, premiered a four-week reality competition, titled Miss America: Reality Check, on January 4, 2008, hosted by Ugly Betty actor Michael Urie. The premise of the show is to show the contestants preparing for the pageant and to update the image of the Miss America pageant, which had seen a decline in popularity over the last few decades. In addition, viewers were able to vote online and choose one of the delegates to be a finalist in the pageant.Judges
The seven judges for the competition were fashion designer Trace Ayala, magazine editor Sarah Ivens, Olympic athlete and gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, casting director Jason La Padura, personal trainer Kim Lyons, television news anchor Robin Meade, and motivational speaker James Arthur Ray.Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 2008 |
Preliminary awardsQuality of Life awardOther awardsDelegatesCrossoversFor the first time since Miss America 2003, four former Miss Universe Organization titleholders competed at Miss America.They are:
|
Michigan