This introduction to the second season of Curse of Miss America examines the unraveling of the Miss America pageant. Host Bridget Armstrong previews reporting on decades of scandals, including leaked emails and allegations of mistreatment, that have eroded the competition's once-massive audience and sponsor appeal.
The episode highlights an ongoing legal battle over who rightfully owns the Miss America Organization, with two people each claiming to be the rightful owner. Listeners will hear from former winners, contestants and whistleblowers, and learn how the organization has responded to the investigation.
In this episode Bridget Armstrong
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For more than a century, Miss America sold the country a fantasy. And we loved it. Miss America!
Miss, Miss America! Our new Miss America is Vanessa Williams, Miss New York!
Miss America herself was a celebrity. She was the image of an ideal woman. And behind her, an organization that promoted women's empowerment. When I was a kid, I watched Miss America every year. The pageant was primetime TV, as big as the Super Bowl.
There was a time when Miss America got 80 million viewers, and they have all these advertisers, all these sponsors.
And being Miss America brought fame and opportunity.
I made a lot of money for a 21-year-old girl. It was nice. That was a real prize.
But over the past decade, the crown's been slipping.
They said goodbye to swimsuits, now hello to lawsuits. Leaked emails.
Writing, quote, OMG, she is huge and gross. Other exchanges.
After she says she was controlled, manipulated, and bullied by the new Miss America leadership.
When I took on this project, I thought I'd be talking about crowns and gowns, but what I uncovered was something much darker. Today, the Miss America Organization is at the center of an extraordinary battle. 2 people are claiming to be the rightful owner, and it's getting ugly.
How could that vicious woman How did she turn this around?
I'm Bridget Armstrong. Last season, we took you into the world of America's Next Top Model, a show that defined a generation. I'm back with Curse of season 2, all about the rise, fall, and uncertain future of an American institution, the Miss America Pageant. We'll hear directly from former Miss America winners, participants, and whistleblowers.
I never received scholarship money to pay for my student loans.
He looks at me and goes, you don't look like you suffered an eating disorder.
She's great, but looks too ethnic.
Even with insiders sounding the alarm, thousands of young women continue to dedicate their life to the pageant. Now they're standing on the sidelines watching it implode.
I actually did very much enjoy it. And it just seems like so much has clouded that enjoyment.
I don't want to bring any harm to Miss America because the sisterhood of it all, you don't want to damage. But there was also this grave injustice. And so it's so disappointing.
This is a story the Miss America Organization really doesn't want us to tell. And we know that because they've tried their best to interfere with our production.
An exploitation of our Miss Americas is treated by the Miss America Organization as an attack on Miss America itself.
It's the story of how the crown became a curse, an investigation into the legal battle playing out in real time, and maybe a final reckoning for Miss America.
It's all just a game. It's all just a joke. What is the value of these women?
Maybe this is the meta question for the podcast. What is Miss America at this point?
Listen to The Curse of Miss America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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It's all just a joke. What is the value of these women?
I'm Bridget Armstrong, back with season 2 of the podcast Curse of Miss America. We're talking to participants, whistleblowers, and people who say Miss America didn't live up to their promises.
He looks at me and goes, you don't look like you suffered an eating disorder.
I never received scholarship money to pay for my student loans.
Maybe this is the meta question for the podcast. What is Miss America at this point?
Listen to The Curse of Miss America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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A new season of Curse Of is out now! The team investigates the unraveling of the Miss America pageant. We follow the ongoing legal battle over the pageant’s ownership, and the scandals that have been plaguing the pageant for decades. New episodes drop every Tuesday. You can reach out to the Curse of Miss America team at missamericapod@gmail.com. For more Curse of Miss America, follow us on Instagram @glasspodcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.