Miss America pageant begins amid turmoil

ATLANTIC CITY — The post-swimsuit era for the Miss America pageant begins Wednesday night.

It does so amid a revolt by state pageant officials who are unhappy with the way the decision to drop swimsuits was made and are demanding that top leaders, including chairwoman Gretchen Carlson, step down.

The current Miss America, Cara Mund, has accused Carlson and

CEO Regina Hopper of bullying and silencing her — allegations the two officials deny.

A spokesman for opponents of the current leadership said 46 state organizations have signed letters calling for Carlson and Hopper to resign; only Arkansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada and Vermont have not signed.

The first of three nights of preliminary competition begins with a big change: In past years, one talent and one swimsuit winner were named in each of the three preliminary nights.

This year, instead of a swimsuit winner, the winner of an onstage interview will be named.

“Starting this year, candidates will no longer be judged on their physical appearance,” The Miss America Organization said in a statement. “The most important part of Miss America 2.0 is to give the audience a chance to get to know who they are and what they want to do with the job. From the first phase of competition, the audience and the judges will hear from each candidate talking about why she is uniquely qualified for the exciting, challenging, 365-day job of Miss America.

The focus of the show is on the substance of each woman.”

The preliminaries will not be televised.

The format is similar to what will happen during Sunday night’s nationally televised broadcast on ABC.

Scholarships totaling nearly $506,000 will be awarded, including $50,000 for the new Miss America.