At this year's event, hosted by Chris Harrison and Sage Steele, 15 contestants got to move on to the swimsuit portion of the competition and 12 of them were announced to compete in the evening gown portion. Later that night, ten semifinalists showed off their talents, but only seven ladies had the chance to impress judges during the Q&A portion. The girls, who included Miss New York, Miss Washington, Miss Mississippi, Miss South Carolina, Miss Arkansas, Miss Maryland and Miss Tennessee, were asked various questions about politics by judges like Ciara, Mark Cuban, Cole Swindell and Gabby Douglas.
Asked to give her opinions on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Shields answered, "If you're trying to be leader of the free world, everything you say and do matters. And all of your actions are held to a higher standard." "And unfortunately, the media does love to sensationalize everything. It's hard to decide what is truth and what is truly scandal," she continued. "Both of the contestants have done a good job, but they also need to watch what they're doing."Your @MissAmerica 2017 is SAVVY SHIELDS from ARKANSAS Congratulations, @MissAmericaAR! #MissAmerica pic.twitter.com/eBzxoLZUSo— Miss America Org (@MissAmericaOrg) September 12, 2016
Shields was crowned Miss America 2017 by her predecessor Betty Cantrell, who was representing Georgia when winning last year's competition. Miss South Carolina Rachel Wyatt was the night's first runner-up, followed by the second runner-up Miss New York Camille Sims.
