Miss America. You know I love it. You know I follow it. If you didn't know, now you do. I have written so many Miss America and pageant experience posts by this point that you could basically learn every little item you need to know. In fact, all week I will be pulling things from the archives to get you pumped for Miss America on September 13 live on ABC. I think it makes a difference when you know all the ins and outs of how the system works before you watch. But also, to get you ready for the show, I am giving you all my ideas to make sure if you do sit down to watch with friends that it is the BEST night ever.
Start Time. My very first piece of Miss America viewing party advice is to start the show at least 30 minutes before the pageant airs. That way everyone can get there, get their predictions in, pick a seat, and get comfy for a night of high heels and gowns. Lately Miss America has been showing a "lead in" show with the titleholder's journey to Miss America, their experience at Miss America, and a little backstage insight too. So if there is a "Road To Miss America" show of any sort, I usually start my party when that starts. That way they can watch that while they are getting ready for Miss America.
Food. It is a party, so food is a must. There are so many options for a Miss America party. You can check out the Pinterest board below for all the food ideas I have seen that are theme appropriate. I tend to lean towards a build your own food of sorts. Last year I did a Fruit Pizza bar with sugar cookies, frosting, and fruit - that way everyone could build their evening snacks to their hearts content. I also had a few other snacks like meat, cheese, crackers, and of course water and lemonade to drink. Miss America makes for a long night so make sure there is something for your party goers to eat.
Follow Deidre Miller's board Miss America Viewing Party on Pinterest.
Predictions. This is one of the most fun parts about arriving early for a Miss America viewing party. Predicting who you think will be in the top 15. I always have a computer on a table next to the food that has all the contestant's head shots pulled up. I also have a list of who has won each prelim so far and the preliminary group they are in next to the computer. That way the ladies that don't follow along closely, still feel they can make educated guesses. This year I am thinking of printing off all the head shots to hang up on the wall with their talents and everything listed. We will see if I get that done! Once everyone completes their prediction sheet you hand them in. They have to be in before the opening number to be counted for a prize. Then you hand them back out for everyone to score someone else's throughout the night. The person with the highest grand total wins a prize at the end of the night. You can get a copy of the prediction sheet HERE.
Scoring. This is the other side of watching the pageant. Scoring along with the judges to see who will be the winner. Make sure you are listening closely to the announcers as they call out the women that move on to the next part of competition so you can fill in their names. Then give them your own score. Keep scoring through each phase of competition until you get to the top 5, figure out your score, and then place them in their rightful position in the Miss America court. The woman with the most accurate Miss America court gets a prize - sometimes this can be split four or five different ways. So make sure you have a few of the same prize so everyone wins. You can get a copy of the score sheet HERE.
Crowning. Everyone loves a crown, am I right? So once the top 15 is called write down all the states on a piece of paper and put them in a jar to be drawn out. Go around the room and let everyone draw a piece of paper. Whichever state you draw, you become. If there are more finalists than party guests, let the women that had the highest top 15 prediction score draw additional names. Then as the night moves on have everyone watch for their contestant to move on too! Because whichever state wins get's their very own crowning moment. As it comes to the top 5 have the ladies with those states come up and let them act as runners up - then let the top 2 have their final moment before one lovely lady gets crowned!
Commercial Breaks. Okay... so we are all here for some Miss America fun, right? So commercials can be used for just chatting, tallying up scores, or for some serious Miss America commercial break games. Here are a few commercial break ideas.
Sash Decorating. Head to the dollar store and get a rectangle plastic table cloth that can be cut up. Make as many sashes as you can. by just folding and connecting into a loop. Once predictions are over, the prediction table can become the sash table. Lay out all the lovely sashes, markers, and any other decorating items you might want. Let everyone make their own sash and title to wear throughout the evening. You could also do a different variation with pipe cleaners and headbands for crown designing. But I always lean towards the sash so I can see everyone's self proclaimed titles.
Commercial Competition. Let everyone know that during commercial breaks they will be competing in a specific part of the competition. You could do evening gown modeling - but let them twist it to viewing party attire modeling. You can tell them all to prep a 30 second talent. You could do some on stage questions. Your choice! Just let your guests know to come prepared. On the final commercial break everyone can vote for their favorite "contestant" and the winning lady will get a prize. Or a crown. Your call!
Pageant Trivia. There is a very rich Miss America history. Head online and find some Miss America trivia. Set the group up into two teams. On commercial breaks, let the teams battle it out for the true Miss America historians. It is as simple as that! Finding the trivia is pretty easy - knowing the answers is the hard part.
Commercial Break Gameshow. I have a friend that came up with an awesome game that is all about getting to know your party goers through pageantry. She thought back to her pageant days and put together 5 questions for the night. As your guest arrive put their names into a bowl. Throughout the night draw a name out during the commercial break and fill in the blank with that name. On the back of their score sheet that person writes down which option they would choose and everyone else writes their guess as to what the person wrote. Once everyone has something written down, the person picked reveals their answer. You can find the slide show she made HERE. You can also download it to the computer by clicking File -> Download As.
So there you have it. Tips, tricks, and events to make your Miss America viewing party one to remember. Everyone will want to come next year! What do you do to make your viewing parties a success? Any fun games I didn't mention? Can't wait to hear how your party goes!
Start Time. My very first piece of Miss America viewing party advice is to start the show at least 30 minutes before the pageant airs. That way everyone can get there, get their predictions in, pick a seat, and get comfy for a night of high heels and gowns. Lately Miss America has been showing a "lead in" show with the titleholder's journey to Miss America, their experience at Miss America, and a little backstage insight too. So if there is a "Road To Miss America" show of any sort, I usually start my party when that starts. That way they can watch that while they are getting ready for Miss America.
Food. It is a party, so food is a must. There are so many options for a Miss America party. You can check out the Pinterest board below for all the food ideas I have seen that are theme appropriate. I tend to lean towards a build your own food of sorts. Last year I did a Fruit Pizza bar with sugar cookies, frosting, and fruit - that way everyone could build their evening snacks to their hearts content. I also had a few other snacks like meat, cheese, crackers, and of course water and lemonade to drink. Miss America makes for a long night so make sure there is something for your party goers to eat.
Follow Deidre Miller's board Miss America Viewing Party on Pinterest.
Predictions. This is one of the most fun parts about arriving early for a Miss America viewing party. Predicting who you think will be in the top 15. I always have a computer on a table next to the food that has all the contestant's head shots pulled up. I also have a list of who has won each prelim so far and the preliminary group they are in next to the computer. That way the ladies that don't follow along closely, still feel they can make educated guesses. This year I am thinking of printing off all the head shots to hang up on the wall with their talents and everything listed. We will see if I get that done! Once everyone completes their prediction sheet you hand them in. They have to be in before the opening number to be counted for a prize. Then you hand them back out for everyone to score someone else's throughout the night. The person with the highest grand total wins a prize at the end of the night. You can get a copy of the prediction sheet HERE.
Scoring. This is the other side of watching the pageant. Scoring along with the judges to see who will be the winner. Make sure you are listening closely to the announcers as they call out the women that move on to the next part of competition so you can fill in their names. Then give them your own score. Keep scoring through each phase of competition until you get to the top 5, figure out your score, and then place them in their rightful position in the Miss America court. The woman with the most accurate Miss America court gets a prize - sometimes this can be split four or five different ways. So make sure you have a few of the same prize so everyone wins. You can get a copy of the score sheet HERE.
Crowning. Everyone loves a crown, am I right? So once the top 15 is called write down all the states on a piece of paper and put them in a jar to be drawn out. Go around the room and let everyone draw a piece of paper. Whichever state you draw, you become. If there are more finalists than party guests, let the women that had the highest top 15 prediction score draw additional names. Then as the night moves on have everyone watch for their contestant to move on too! Because whichever state wins get's their very own crowning moment. As it comes to the top 5 have the ladies with those states come up and let them act as runners up - then let the top 2 have their final moment before one lovely lady gets crowned!
Commercial Breaks. Okay... so we are all here for some Miss America fun, right? So commercials can be used for just chatting, tallying up scores, or for some serious Miss America commercial break games. Here are a few commercial break ideas.
Sash Decorating. Head to the dollar store and get a rectangle plastic table cloth that can be cut up. Make as many sashes as you can. by just folding and connecting into a loop. Once predictions are over, the prediction table can become the sash table. Lay out all the lovely sashes, markers, and any other decorating items you might want. Let everyone make their own sash and title to wear throughout the evening. You could also do a different variation with pipe cleaners and headbands for crown designing. But I always lean towards the sash so I can see everyone's self proclaimed titles.
Commercial Competition. Let everyone know that during commercial breaks they will be competing in a specific part of the competition. You could do evening gown modeling - but let them twist it to viewing party attire modeling. You can tell them all to prep a 30 second talent. You could do some on stage questions. Your choice! Just let your guests know to come prepared. On the final commercial break everyone can vote for their favorite "contestant" and the winning lady will get a prize. Or a crown. Your call!
Pageant Trivia. There is a very rich Miss America history. Head online and find some Miss America trivia. Set the group up into two teams. On commercial breaks, let the teams battle it out for the true Miss America historians. It is as simple as that! Finding the trivia is pretty easy - knowing the answers is the hard part.
Commercial Break Gameshow. I have a friend that came up with an awesome game that is all about getting to know your party goers through pageantry. She thought back to her pageant days and put together 5 questions for the night. As your guest arrive put their names into a bowl. Throughout the night draw a name out during the commercial break and fill in the blank with that name. On the back of their score sheet that person writes down which option they would choose and everyone else writes their guess as to what the person wrote. Once everyone has something written down, the person picked reveals their answer. You can find the slide show she made HERE. You can also download it to the computer by clicking File -> Download As.
So there you have it. Tips, tricks, and events to make your Miss America viewing party one to remember. Everyone will want to come next year! What do you do to make your viewing parties a success? Any fun games I didn't mention? Can't wait to hear how your party goes!
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