Official Miss America Press Release: Preliminary Night Three

For Immediate Release

MISS CALIFORNIA DUSTIN-LEIGH KONZELMAN AND MISS DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SHANNON SCHAMBEAU WIN PRELIMINARY AWARDSIN 2006 MISS AMERICA COMPETITION

Las Vegas, NV - January 19, 2006 -

Miss California Dustin-Leigh Konzelman [left playing the fiddle and left above] was named Thursday night's preliminary Talent winner for her performance of “The 12th Street Rag,” during the third night of competition in the 2006 Miss America Pageant at The Aladdin Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.



Also in the spotlight was Miss District of Columbia Shannon Schambeau [right in Swimsuit and right above], who was the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit winner in an orange and black Speedo swimsuit.




The Miss America 2006 final night of competition will be broadcast nationally, live from Las Vegas, on CMT on Saturday night, Jan. 21 from 8-10 p.m. EST, marking the program’s 51st anniversary on television.

As the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women and one of the nation's leading achievement programs, The Miss America Organization last year made available more than $45 million in cash and tuition scholarship assistance. [With their awards, Konzelman poses on the left and Schambeau on the right.]



The Miss America Organization provides young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instills a spirit of community service through a variety of unique nationwide community-based programs.

Additional information about the Miss America Organization can be found at http://www.MissAmerica.org.

For up-to-the-minute competition news and information as well as downloadable high-resolution images of Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs and the 2006 Contestants visit the 24-hour access online pressroom at http://www.MissAmericaPressRoom.com.

To download photos of tonight’s preliminary winners, go to http://homepage.mac.com/bvbfoto/

Contacts:
Jenni Glenn
Miss America Organization
(609) 345-7571 x17
jenni@missamerica.org

Brooke Primero
BNC
(310) 854-4800
bprimero@bncpr.com

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