Miss America 2012

Miss America 2012
Date	January 14, 2012 [1]
Presenters	Chris Harrison Brooke Burke
Venue	Theatre for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcaster	ABC [2]
Entrants	53
Placements	15
Winner	Laura Kaeppeler   Wisconsin
←  2011 2013  →

Miss America 2012, the 85th Miss America pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts of Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 14, 2012. Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan from Nebraska, crowned her successor Laura Kaeppeler from Wisconsin at the end of this event. It was broadcast live on ABC. ^[2] All 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico competed for the title.

Chris Harrison ^[3] and Brooke Burke, for the second year in a row, hosted the pageant.

Results

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 2012	Wisconsin – Laura Kaeppeler [4] [5]
1st Runner-Up	Oklahoma – Betty Thompson* [5]
2nd Runner-Up	New York – Kaitlin Monte [5]
3rd Runner-Up	Arizona – Jennifer Sedler [5]
4th Runner-Up	California – Noelle Freeman [5]
Top 10	Illinois – Hannah Smith   Iowa – Jessica Pray   Louisiana – Hope Anderson   Tennessee – Erin Hatley   Texas – Kendall Morris
Top 13	Alabama – Courtney Porter**   Florida – Kristina Janolo   South Carolina – Bree Boyce
Top 15	North Carolina – Hailey Best   Virginia – Elizabeth Crot

* - America's Choice

** - Saved by eliminated delegates after Swimsuit Competition to compete in Evening Gown as a "wild card" ^[6]

Order of announcements

Top 15  Oklahoma  South Carolina  Florida  New York  Iowa  Texas  Virginia  Illinois  Arizona  Alabama  Tennessee  Wisconsin  North Carolina  California  Louisiana

Top 13  Louisiana  Iowa  Illinois  South Carolina  New York  Wisconsin  Florida  Tennessee  Arizona  Texas  California  Oklahoma  Alabama

Top 10  Arizona  Illinois  Oklahoma  Texas  Wisconsin  New York  Louisiana  Tennessee  Iowa  California

Top 5  Wisconsin  Oklahoma  Arizona  New York  California

Awards

Preliminary awards

Awards	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	New York - Kaitlin Monte Texas - Kendall Morris [4] Utah - Danica Olsen
Talent	Hawaii - Lauren Cheape [4] Oklahoma - Betty Thompson Wisconsin - Laura Kaeppeler [7]

Quality of Life award

Results	Contestant	Platform
Winner	Kentucky - Ann-Blair Thornton [4]	Alzheimer's Awareness Research
1st runner-up	New Hampshire - Regan Hartley	-
2nd runner-up	Michigan - Elizabeth Wertenberger	-
Finalists [8]	Arkansas - Kristen Glover Hawaii - Lauren Cheape Minnesota - Natalie Davis New York - Kaitlin Monte Ohio - Ellen Bryan	Various

Duke of Edinburgh awards

Medal	Contestants
Gold	Ohio - Ellen Bryan South Carolina - Bree Boyce
Silver	N/A
Bronze	Alabama - Courtney Porter Connecticut - Morgan Amarone Florida - Kristina Janolo Louisiana - Hope Anderson Maine - Julia Furtado Michigan - Elizabeth Wertenberger North Carolina - Hailey Best North Dakota - Ariana Walker Puerto Rico - Laura Ramirez Vermont - Katie Levasseur West Virginia - Spenser Wempe Wyoming - Catherine Brown

Other awards

Awards	Contestant
Miss Congeniality	Nebraska - Kayla Batt
Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Miracle Maker Award	Louisiana - Hope Anderson
Four Points Award	Idaho - Genevieve Nutting [4]
Non-finalist Talent Award	Delaware - Maria Cahill Hawaii - Lauren Cheape Nebraska - Kayla Batt Washington - Brittney Henry
Ric Ferentz Non-finalist Interview Award	District of Columbia - Ashley Boalch

Judges

The seven judges for the competition were: ^[9]

• dancer and musician Mark Ballas
• television personality Raúl De Molina
• television producer Mike Fleiss
• television personality Kris Jenner
• actress Teri Polo
• personal trainer Chris Powell
• television personality Lara Spencer

Contestants

51 Contestants competed for the title.

State	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Platform	Placement	Awards	Notes
Alabama	Courtney Porter [10]	Clay	25	Tap Dance	Mentoring At-Risk Youth Through the Boys and Girls Clubs of America	Top 13	Duke of Edinburgh
Alaska	Katy Lovegreen [11]	Anchorage	21	Dance	Speak Out: Promoting Public Speaking and Debate Programs for Youth			Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010
Arizona	Jennifer Sedler [12]	Chandler	20	Jazz Dance	Supporting Children with Life Threatening Illnesses	3rd runner-up
Arkansas	Kristen Glover	Stuttgart	21	Tap Dance, "Piano Sonata #11 in A major, K 331' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Second Chances Through Mentoring		Quality of Life Finalist
California	Noelle Freeman [13]	Culver City	21	Ballet en Pointe, "The Black Swan Variation" from Swan Lake	A Promising Future for Autism	4th runner-up		Miss Teenage California 2007, Miss Teen World U.S. 2007 & 2008
Colorado	Diana Dreman [14]	Boulder	23	Dance	The American Cancer Society - The Official Sponsor of Birthdays			Daughter of Miss America 1974 Rebecca Ann King
Connecticut	Morgan Amarone [15]	Hamden	23	Jazz Dance	The Power of Pink: Cancer Education Awareness		Duke of Edinburgh
Delaware	Maria Cahill [16]	Newark	20	Irish Dance	Project 16 - 26: Drive Safe, Drive Smart		Non-finalist Talent
District of Columbia	Ashley Boalch	Sandy Spring, MD	23	Vocal	Making Cents: The Next Generation of Business Owners		Non-finalist Interview
Florida	Kristina Janolo	Winter Park	24	Vocal	America's Wake Up Call - Protect Our Environment	Top 13	Duke of Edinburgh	Contestant at National Sweetheart 2009
Georgia	Michaela Lackey [17]	Marietta	21	Classical Ballet En Pointe	PASSION: Performing Artists Serving Society In Our Neighborhoods			Previously Miss Georgia's Outstanding Teen 2007
Hawaii	Lauren Cheape [18]	Mililani	23	Jump Rope Routine	C.A.R.E. - Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone		Quality of Life Finalist, Preliminary Talent, Non-finalist Talent	Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010
Idaho	Genevieve Nutting [19]	Boise	21	Piano	Building the 3 C's Through Girl Scouts - Courage, Character, and Confidence		Fourpoints	Previously Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen 2006 Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010
Illinois	Hannah Smith [20]	Huntley	20	Ballet en Pointe	Distracted Driving... FOCUS!	Top 10
Indiana	Jackie Jerlecki [21]	Goshen	23	Vocal	Support the Arts - A Vital Part of a Vibrant Community
Iowa	Jessica Pray [22]	Johnston	19	Classical Vocal	Saving Lives Through the Gift of Blood Donation	Top 10
Kansas	Carissa Kelley [23]	Winfield	24	Dance	No Kid Hungry			Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA 2004
Kentucky	Ann-Blair Thornton	Bowling Green	22	Piano	Alzheimer's Awareness Research		Quality of Life	Previously Miss Kentucky's Outstanding Teen 2007 4th runner-up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008 1st runner-up at National Sweetheart 2010 pageant
Louisiana	Hope Anderson [24]	Monroe	23	Dance	Pilots for Patients	Top 10	Miracle Maker, Duke of Edinburgh	Contestant at National Sweetheart 2009
Maine	Julia Furtado [25]	Dayton	19	Vocal	Leadership Among Our Youth		Duke of Edinburgh
Maryland	Carlie Colella [26]	Hagerstown	21	Contemporary Dance	Empowerment of Women: Creating an Equal Opportunity for Success
Massachusetts	Molly Whalen	Middleborough	20	Vocal	Smart Smiles: Promoting the Importance of Oral Health
Michigan	Elizabeth Wertenberger [27]	Dundee	22	Dance	Continue to Dream: Giving Hope to Children with Chronic Illnesses		Quality of Life 2nd runner-up, Duke of Edinburgh
Minnesota	Natalie Davis [28]	Dassel	21	Vocal	Autism Awareness: The Missing Piece		Quality of Life Finalist	Previously Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen 2006 Contestant at National Sweetheart 2009
Mississippi	Mary Margaret Roark [29]	Cleveland	20	Piano, "Nostradamus" by Tonci Huljic	J.E.W.E.L.S. for Alzheimer's
Missouri	Sydney Friar [30]	El Dorado Springs	22	Vocal	Reconnecting the Family Unit
Montana	Veronika Ohlinger [31]	Cooke City	23	Vocal	Inspiring America: Dare to Dream			Previously Miss West Virginia's Outstanding Teen 2005 [32]
Nebraska	Kayla Batt [33]	Alliance	21	Vocal	Make Music Rock: The Importance of Music Education		Non-finalist Talent, Miss Congeniality	Previously Miss Nebraska's Outstanding Teen 2007 Top 10 and Miss Congeniality at National Sweetheart 2010 pageant
Nevada	Alana Lee	Las Vegas	22	Vocal, "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters	Patriotism: Rock the Vote
New Hampshire	Regan Hartley [34]	Dover	20	Vocal	Stand Up: Bullying Awareness in Our Community		Quality of Life 1st runner-up
New Jersey	Katharyn Nicolle [35]	Wenonah	20	Dance	Reading for the Right Reasons			Previously Miss New Jersey's Outstanding Teen 2008
New Mexico	Sarina Turnbull [36]	Alamogordo	24	Ballet en Pointe, "The Prayer" by Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli	Turn the Page to a Lifetime of Reading			Contestant at National Sweetheart 2009
New York	Kaitlin Monte [37]	Rochester	22	Vocal	That's Enough! Coming Together to End Bullying	2nd runner-up	Quality of Life Finalist, Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness	1st runner-up at National Sweetheart 2008 as Miss Florida
North Carolina	Hailey Best [38]	Goldsboro	20	Operatic Vocal	The Live On Foundation	Top 15	Duke of Edinburgh
North Dakota	Ariana Walker [39]	Bismarck	20	Contemporary Lyrical Dance	Ronald McDonald House of Charities: Raising Awareness, Funds, and Hope		Duke of Edinburgh	Previously Miss North Dakota's Outstanding Teen 2008 Previously Miss North Dakota Teen USA 2010
Ohio	Ellen Bryan	Celina	23	Vocal	When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors - Promoting Lightning Awareness		Quality of Life Finalist, Duke of Edinburgh
Oklahoma	Betty Thompson [40]	Davenport	22	Irish Dance	Milk, It Really Does a Body Good!	1st runner-up	Preliminary Talent, America's Choice	Covered the 2013 Miss America Pageant as a TMG Pageant Newwork Reporter
Oregon	Caroline McGowan [41]	Waukee, IA	20	Vocal	American Red Cross - Disaster Preparedness
Pennsylvania	Juliann Sheldon	Plum	21	Jazz Dance	Mental Health Awareness
Puerto Rico	Laura Ramirez	Arecibo	21	Ballet en Pointe	Transforming Lives: Promoting Values and Developing Dreams		Duke of Edinburgh
Rhode Island	Robin Bonner [42]	Westhampton, NY	20	Lyrical Dance	Heart to Heart: Women's Cardiac Care Spread Awareness
South Carolina	Bree Boyce	Florence	22	Classical Vocal	Eating Healthy and Fighting Obesity	Top 13	Duke of Edinburgh
South Dakota	Anna Simpson	Brookings	21	Piano	Give Back Volunteer Network
Tennessee	Erin Hatley	Collierville	20	Vocal	Volunteerism: Connecting People with Opportunities	Top 10
Texas	Kendall Morris	Ennis	20	Piano	Leukemia: Living for a Cure	Top 10	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Winner	Previously Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen 2006
Utah	Danica Olsen	Tooele	21	Dance	Prescription Drug Addiction Awareness		Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness
Vermont	Katie Levasseur	Burlington	21	Scottish Highland Dance	Youth of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow		Duke of Edinburgh
Virgin Islands	Camila Daniels	Saint Thomas	18	Flute	Keep Music Alive in Public Education
Virginia	Elizabeth Crot	Chesapeake	24	Vocal	Get Involved - Change Your World!	Top 15
Washington	Brittney Henry	Edgewood	24	Fiddle	Promoting Higher Education for Low-Income Families		Non-finalist Talent	Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010
West Virginia	Spenser Wempe	Martinsburg	19	Lyrical Dance	The Wounded Warrior Project and Veteran's Welfare		Duke of Edinburgh	Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010
Wisconsin	Laura Kaeppeler	Kenosha	23	Operatic Vocal	Children of Incarcerated Parents	Miss America 2012	Preliminary Talent	Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010
Wyoming	Catherine Brown	Richardson, TX	24	Pop Vocal & Sign Language Interpretation	Traumatic Brain Injury Prevention and Awareness		Duke of Edinburgh

Replacements

• Montana - Veronika Ohlinger was originally the 1st runner-up but later was crowned Miss Montana 2011 to replace the original winner Taryn Chuter, who resigned due to a knee injury that required surgery. ^{[43] [44]}

References

1. "MissAmericaLIVE". Miss America Organization. June 28, 2011.
2. "Miss America Pageant Back on Network Television!". Miss America Organization. May 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011.
3. Ng, Philiana (2011-09-07). "Chris Harrison to Host 2012 Miss America Pageant". Hollywood Reporter.
4. "Miss Wisconsin wins Miss America pageant". FOX News. January 14, 2012.
5. "Miss America pageant crowns 2012 winner". USA Today. January 14, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
6. Walton, Val (January 14, 2012). "Miss Alabama Courtney Porter makes top 13 in Miss America pageant, misses top 10". The Birmingham News . Retrieved July 8, 2014.
7. "Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler wins talent preliminary in Miss America pageant". Green Bay Press Gazette. January 12, 2012.
8. Leach, Robin (January 6, 2012). "2012 Miss America photos: IHOP breakfast, Quality of Life finalists". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved September 24, 2014.
9. "Miss America: Press Releases: The 2012 Miss America Pageant National Judges Announced Today on Good Morning America!". Miss America Organization. December 7, 2011. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
10. Loggins, Nicole (June 11, 2011). "AU graduate named Miss Alabama". Opelika-Auburn News . Retrieved July 7, 2014.
11. "2011 Miss Alaska and Teen are chosen". Anchorage Daily News. July 2, 2011. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011.
12. "Jennifer's News Letter". Miss Arizona Organization. June 21, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
13. "Miss Culver City wins Miss California crown". Fresno Bee. June 25, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
14. "CU Boulder student crowned Miss Colorado". 9 News. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012.
15. "Morgan Amarone, of Hamden, named Miss Connecticut". Post-Chronicle. June 28, 2011.
16. "Maria Cahill crowned Miss Delaware". Beaumont Enterprise. June 12, 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
17. "Former Miss Georgia Outstanding Teen Michaela Lackey crowned Miss Georgia". Ledger-Enquirer. June 20, 2011.
18. "Lauren Cheape crowned Miss Hawaii". KHON 2. June 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012.
19. "Miss Idaho 2011 Results". Miss Idaho Organization. June 2011. Archived from the original on 2010-09-18.
20. "Miss Windy City crowned Miss Illinois". The Southern. July 3, 2011.
21. "Goshen's Jackie Jerlecki Miss Indiana". Goshen News. June 25, 2011.
22. "Miss Muscatine wins Iowa crown". Quad-City Times. June 11, 2011.
23. "Pageant newcomer earns Miss Kansas title". Pratt Tribune. June 11, 2011. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011.
24. "Monroe's Hope Anderson is crowned Miss Louisiana". Victoria Advocate. June 25, 2011.
25. "Dayton teen crowned Miss Maine". Morning Sentinel. June 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012.
26. "Hagerstown resident Carlie Colella crowned Miss Maryland 2011". Herald-Mail. June 25, 2011.
27. "Dundee woman wins Miss Michigan". WTOL 11. June 21, 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
28. "Miss Minnesota Crowned in Eden Prairie". KSAX-TV. June 19, 2011.
29. "Mary Margaret Roark reigns in state pageant". Clarion Ledger. July 2, 2011.
30. "El Dorado Springs Woman Named Miss Missouri 2011". KSPR 33. June 11, 2011. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011.
31. "Corvallis Woman Gives Up Miss Montana Crown Due to Knee Injury". The Missoulian. July 15, 2011.
32. "Miss West Virginia's Outstanding Teen 2005". GeoCities.
33. "Miss Nebraska 2011 - Kayla Batt Bio". June 12, 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
34. "Dover's Hartley wins Miss New Hampshire title". Union Leader. April 30, 2011.
35. "Wenonah woman is new Miss New Jersey". NJ.com. June 20, 2011.
36. "Future Miss America?". Alamogordo Daily News. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011.
37. "Miss New York crown goes to Kaitlin Monte". SILive.com. June 19, 2011.
38. "Hailey Best Crowned As New Miss North Carolina". WFMY News 2. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.
39. "And the winner is: Ariana Walker is crowned Miss ND". Williston Herald. June 11, 2011.
40. "Miss Oklahoma State University Betty Thompson Crowned Miss Oklahoma". News on 6. June 12, 2011.
41. "Caroline McGowan of Corvallis wins 2011 Miss Oregon pageant". The Oregonian. July 2, 2011.
42. "Rhode Island Welcomes 2011 State Titleholder". Four Points. May 23, 2011.
43. "Corvallis' Taryn Chuter crowned Miss Montana 2011". Ravalli Republic. June 19, 2011.
44. "Veronika Ohlinger". July 15, 2011.

External links

• Miss America 2012
• Miss America official website