LAS VEGAS — Miss Washington Kristen Eddings who soon know if she will be the next to don the Miss America crown.
“I’ve had a lot of fun, I’ve been calm,” she said of her journey thus far.
Three nights of preliminary competitions concluded Saturday night at the Aladdin Hotel & Casino (the soon-to-be Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino). It was an important night for Eddings who performed her talent, worth 35 percent of her total score. The Silverdale native made it her own, belting out her jazzed up rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life.”
“She rocked it,” exclaimed Janelle Stevens, who attended Seattle Pacific University with Eddings. “It was phenomenal.”
After Saturday night’s preliminary, Eddings had a chance to meet for a short time with her large fan base of family and friends. Tears welled in her eyes as she greeted and hugged her friends and loved ones.
With the preliminary competitions complete, Eddings will join 51 other hopefuls tomorrow night on the Miss America stage where the winner will be crowned. The pageant airs at 8 p.m. on CMT. Judging the competition are Debbie Allen, an actress, director, producer, choreographer, singer, dancer and Emmy winner; Nigel Barker, who made his debut as a celebrity photographer and judge on “America’s Next Top Model;” Delta Burke, an accomplished actress, author and producer; Michael Feinstein, who is nationally recognized as one of the premiere interpreters of American popular song; Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and “The Chris Matthews Show;” and former Miss America 1981 Susan Powell, the host of her Discovery Channel show, “Home Matters.”
In the preliminary competition scoring is based on five categories: Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit, 15 percent; Evening Wear, 20 percent; Talent, 35 percent; Private Interview, 25 percent; and On-Stage Question, 5 percent.
In the final round of competition tomorrow night, contestants will be judged on Composite Score, 30 percent (Top 10); Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit, 20 percent (Top 10); Evening Wear, 20 percent (Top 10); Talent, 30 percent (Top 5); On-Stage Question, (Top 3). On the final ballot each judge ranks the top three contestants in order of how he/she believes they should finish. The pageant’s outcome is based on the point totals from the final ballot.
