Three Miss America 2016 candidates got $1,500 scholarships each as their prizes for the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness contest. The winners are Miss South Carolina Daja Dial who wore a turquoise bikini, Miss Florid Mary Katherine Fechte in a white bikini and Miss Iowa Taylor Wiebers in blue bikini.
E! News reports that the talent and Lifestyle and Fitness preliminary contests were held last week at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey and the winners awarded two days ago.
For the talent contest, winners are Wiebers, Miss Louisiana April Nelson and Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell. Wiebers sang "Don't Forget Me," a song number from "Smash," a musical drama. Nelson won for her rendition of "Climb Every Mountain" from "Sound of Music" and Cantrell performed "Tu Piccolo Iddio" an operatic song. The three candidates received $2,000 scholarships as their prize.
According to Zap2it, the 52 candidates have been cut to 12 semi-finalists who are Wiebers, Daja Dial, Fechtel, Nelson. Cantrell, Miss Oklahoma Georgia Frazier, Miss Alabama Meg McGuffin, Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson, Miss Texas Shannon Sanderford, Miss Nebraska Alyssa Howell, Miss Mississippi Hannah Roberts and Miss Tennessee Hannah Robison.
Leading the panel of judges is former Miss America Vanessa Williams who received an apology from the organization at the start of the show. The other judges are Brett Eldredge, Taya Kyle, Danica McKellar, Kevin O'Leary, Amy Purdy and Zendaya. Williams was Miss America 1984 and was the first black Miss America.
The pageant's finals airs on Sunday on ABC with Chris Harrison from "The Bachelor" as host.