Miss Alabama 4th runner-up in Miss America pageant

Miss Alabama 4th runner-up in Miss America pageant

Miss Alabama Meg McGuffin finished fourth runner-up and won $10,000 in Sunday’s Miss America pageant.

McGuffin, an Auburn University graduate student, was crowned Miss Auburn University in 2014 and Miss Phenix City 2015.

Miss Georgia, Betty Cantrell, was crowned Miss America on Sunday evening.

According to The Miss America Organization’s website, the 21-year-old’s platform is “Healthy Georgia. Strong America.” She will receive $50,000 in scholarship money.

Miss Mississippi, Hannah Roberts, is the first runner-up. She has won $25,000 in scholarships.

The pageant also marked the return of Miss America 1984 Vanessa Williams, who was back for the first time after resigning the crown following a nude photo scandal. Pageant executive chairman Sam Haskell apologized to Williams on behalf of the pageant.

“I want to apologize for anything that was said or done,” Haskell told Williams as they stood on the stage. “Vanessa: Welcome back!”

For Williams, who went on to stardom on television and on the Broadway stage, it was a triumphant return to the Miss America stage.

“I did the best I could in my reign as Miss America,” she said during Sunday’s pageant.

Preliminary competition in talent, interviews, evening wear and swimsuit competition ran through Thursday.

On Saturday, the Miss America contestants hit the Atlantic City Boardwalk for the annual “Show Us Your Shoes” parade.

Most of the shoes had designs specific to the contestant’s home states. New Jersey, for instance, had dice and Monopoly money on her shoes in a nod to the pageant’s Atlantic City history. Miss Idaho had a potato.

Contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were vying for the crown. The U.S. Virgin islands, which competed last year, could not field the required minimum number of entrants this year, pageant officials said. It is eligible for future competitions.

From Google.