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02/01/2008: "Here She Is ... Miss Weekend Eye Candy!"

It's been a while since the Miss America Pageant has had any real relevance in American culture. Started in 1921 as an Atlantic City beauty pageant, the event has long struggled to get out from under the impression that it's nothing more than a skin fest.

Ever since long time emcee Burt Parks was canned in 1979, Miss America has floundered. From the Vanessa Williams scandal in the 80's to losing their TV contract a few years ago, the pageant has seen its popularity sag. Attempts to revitalize the event with younger hosts and a hip new location in Las Vegas have met with only mild success.

This year, TLC bought the rights to the event and created a reality show around it. In "Miss America: Reality Check", the series poked fun at the traditions of the pageant and attempted to update the image of Miss America. One of those changes was to leave the one-piece bathing suits behind in favor of hot bikinis on the catwalk. I'll leave it to you to determine if it worked or not. Here we see Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund, working it for the people. She must have done something right, because she's now the new Miss America 2008.

Sure, she's got the tiara and the sash ... and the cash. But how many women can claim the coveted title of "Miss Weekend Eye Candy"!