For the first time I remember, it wasn't two standing at the end, but four. I liked the way the first runner up was named, giving her a distinct honor, instead of having her named and all attention go to the winner in a rush. Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron from Fredericksburg, Virginia was crowned Miss America 2010 on January 30 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The final night of the Miss America Pageant was broadcast live from Las Vegas on TLC and hosted by Mario Lopez and TLC's Clinton Kelly.
First runner-up was Miss California Kristy Cavinder who earned a $25,000 scholarship. Kristy's talent performance was ballet en pointe and her personal platform is the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Second runner-up honors and a $20,000 scholarship were awarded to Miss Tennessee Stefanie Wittler. Stefanie's talent was vocal, and her personal platform is Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Third runner up of Miss America 2010 was Miss Louisiana Katherine Putnam.
Fourth runner up of Miss America 2010 was Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin.
The rest of the top ten (in alphabetical order):
Caressa Cameron has begun a journey that will take her to every corner of the country during her year of service as Miss America 2010. Caressa will travel approximately 20,000 miles each month speaking to audiences about her personal platform of "Real Talk: Aids in America," and acting as the official National Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network. Children's Miracle Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children's hospitals, is the national platform partner of the Miss America Organization.
As Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron will have her entire wardrobe provided by Joseph Ribkoff International Clothing and shoe wardrobe provided by DSW Warehouse. She will also be provided with skincare and cosmetics by Artistry Cosmetics exclusively from Amway Global. In addition, Caressa will help support the Miss America Organization's efforts to go green by being the official spokesperson for Nature's Bottles.
Caressa Cameron is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University with a major in Broadcast Communications. Her scholastic ambition is to obtain a master's degree in Mass Communications and she ultimately hopes to become an anchor for a television news station. Along with the title of Miss America 2010, Caressa won a $50,000 scholarship, sponsored by Amway Global, to continue her education. For the talent portion of the competition, Caressa sang "Listen," from the movie, Dreamgirls.
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 scholarship assistance. 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 nationwide community-based programs.