Savvy Shields, Miss Arkansas, Is Named Miss America 2017
WSLS 10 Staff
Miss Arkansa Savvy Shields waves to crowd after being named new the Miss America 2017, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)
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Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell waves to the crowd during the 2017 Miss America pageant "Show Us Your Shoes" parade Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Atlantic City. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)Miss California Jessa Carmack shows off her shoes during the 2017 Miss America pageant "Show Us Your Shoes" parade Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Atlantic City. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)Miss Connecticut Alyssa Taglia shows her shoe during the 2017 Miss America pageant "Show Us Your Shoes" parade Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Atlantic City. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)Contestants wave during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss South Carolina Rachel Wyatt, center, waves during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss Tennessee Grace Burgess performs during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)A worker walks across the stage during preparations for the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Fans of Miss Oregon Alexis Mather, hold up a sign during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss Idaho Kylee Solberg performs in a swimsuit during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss South Carolina Rachel Wyatt during swimsuit competition at the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)Miss Texas Caroline Carothers during swimsuit competition at the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)Miss California Jessa Carmack reacts to being named a finalist in the talent competition during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)Miss Maryland 2016 Hannah Brewers reacts as she is selected to move on in the competition during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss South Carolina Rachel Wyatt, performs during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss Tennessee Grace Burgess, performs during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss Maryland Hannah Brewer, competes during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss California Jessa Carmack, performs during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss New York Camille Sims, performs during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields performs during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)The outgoing Miss America, Betty Cantrell, pauses and wipes a tear as she sings the National Anthem during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)The outgoing Miss America, Betty Cantrell, second left, stands with contestants during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Miss Maryland Hannah Brewer, center, and Miss Texas Caroline Carothers, right, congratulate Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields as Miss America during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)The outgoing Miss America, Betty Cantrell, back left, crowns the Miss America winner Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields, while Lynn Weidner, third right, assists, as Miss Maryland Hannah Brewer, second right, and Miss Texas 2016 Caroline Carothers, look...Miss Arkansa Savvy Shields waves to crowd after being named new the Miss America 2017, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell waves to the crowd during the 2017 Miss America pageant "Show Us Your Shoes" parade Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Atlantic City. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Savvy Shields, Miss Arkansas, is the new Miss America.
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She won against 51 other contestants to win the title of Miss America 2017 on Sunday night in Atlantic City. She succeeds the outgoing Miss America, Betty Cantrell.
Shields performed a jazz dance to a song from the TV show "Smash," for which she won a preliminary competition earlier in the week.
The pageant from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall included contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — as well as the first openly gay contestant.
Miss Missouri, Erin O'Flaherty, wasn't among the top 15 picked to advance in the pageant during its nationally televised finale. Djuan Trent competed in the Miss America pageant as Miss Kentucky in 2011, when she finished in the top 10. She came out as a lesbian in 2014.
In addition to Shields, the finalists were Misses Kentucky, Washington, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Idaho, Iowa, Texas, California, Oklahoma, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi.
