Las Vegas Weekly

January 28, 2010 · 12:33 PM

Photo Gallery & Videos: How the judges score Miss America

By Robin Leach

Miss America Organization Chairman Sam Haskell III introduced the celebrity judges at a press conference in Planet Hollywood on Jan. 27, 2010. From left are Vivica A. Fox, Dave Koz, Brooke White, Shawn Johnson, Rush Limbaugh and Katie Harman.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Fans of the annual Miss America Pageant have asked how the judges score each contestant. First, there’s the one-on-one, 10-minute interview session for each of the 53 contestants with each of the six judges. Then there’s the three nights of preliminary competition judging and then the finals night scoring.

Our contributing photographers Tom Donoghue and Scott Harrison and our videographer Trent Ogle were on hand for yesterday’s official celebrity judges press conference at Planet Hollywood, where judge and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh spoke about his heart problems suffered while in Honolulu during Christmas.

The weighted score values on Tuesday, yesterday and again tonight are as follows: Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit, 15 percent; Evening Wear, 20 percent; Talent: 35 percent; Private Interview: 25 percent; and the dreaded, sometimes brutal onstage question: 5 percent.

The weighted scoring on Saturday night during the broadcast, as the show cuts down the contestants at each semifinal, is as follows: Composite Score, 30 percent for the Top 16; Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit, 20 percent for the Top 16; Evening Wear, 20 percent for the Top 10; Talent, 30 percent for the Top 8; and Onstage Question for the Top 8. For the final ballot, each judge ranks the Top 5 contestants in the order they believe they should each finish. The outcome of the pageant is based solely on the point totals resulting from that final ballot.

Rush and fellow judge and jazz musician Dave Koz said yesterday -- as the other judges agreed with them -- that judging the Miss America Pageant is a tough assignment that they take very seriously.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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