This week “Good Morning America” revealed the judges for the 2013 Miss America Competition which will be broadcast on ABC. And on the panel, an ABC host.
Sam Champion joins Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney, former “Entertainment Tonight” host Mary Hart and others for the Las Vegas pageant.
And at least one of the contestants has something in common with Champion. Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram, is a meteorologist at Fox44 in Burlington.
Just a few years ago, the pageant’s days seemed to be numbered. No broadcast network wanted it. So in 2006, the broadcast moved to CMT then to TLC, but returned to ABC in 2011 when it drew 2.5 million viewers. Earlier this year, the 2012 competition drew 2.8 million viewers — both airings were up against NFL Wild Card games. And that will be the case again this year.