America Votes for Surprise 16th Pageant Finalist in TLC's 'MISS AMERICA: AMERICA'S CHOICE'

- TLC Viewers Vote Online for Their Favorite Miss America Contestant; Surprise 16th Finalist to be Announced During MISS AMERICA LIVE! Finale -

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 -- For the first time in the 87 year history of Miss America, everyone in America will have the opportunity to select one of the finalists, along with the 15 finalists selected by the judges. This year, a surprise 16th pageant finalist will be announced during the live finale as the result of MISS AMERICA: AMERICA'S CHOICE, an online competition that allows viewers to vote for their favorite Miss America contestant. Fans can vote by visiting http://www.tlc.com/missamerica beginning on Friday, January 4, after the first episode of TLC's new series, MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK and can vote through the final episode on Saturday, January 26 (3 am EST). The contestant with the most votes, who is not already included as a top 15 finalist, will be chosen as "America's Choice," and revealed at the MISS AMERICA LIVE! finale. Hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Mark Steines, the live pageant airs from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 26, at 8:00 PM EST.

"As viewers watch MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK they'll get to know the contestants in a way that they never have before," says Angela Shapiro-Mathes, President and general manager for TLC. "The entire competition becomes more relevant to today's audience as they vote and root for their favorites at the live finale."

MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK premieres January 4, at 10 PM (ET/PT) and airs consecutive Friday nights leading up to the MISS AMERICA LIVE! finale on January 26. Hosted by Michael Urie, the four-part series is designed to get these 52 state winners to forget everything they've learned in "pageant schools" over the years ... the walk ... the talk ... the hairspray ... and prepare them for the final competition to select Miss America 2008 ... the relatable "it girl" who can connect with today's modern woman. MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK is shot in high definition and can be viewed on the TLC HD simulcast.

About TLC

TLC's innovative hit series include perennial fashion favorite What Not to Wear; Little People Big World, now in its third season; Miami Ink and the hit spin-off LA Ink. The channel defined home design with Trading Spaces and continues to reinvent the genre with Property Ladder, Flip That House and Moving Up. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award-winning A Baby Story as well as Take Home Chef, featuring one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men, Curtis Stone. The channel is available in more than 93 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website at http://www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications which is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman.

About Miss America

The Miss America Pageant -- and the scholarship program itself -- is among the most enduring endeavors in modern American history. From its humble beginnings as a "bathing beauty" contest in the 1920s, the Miss America Organization today is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance, helping young women all across the country to reach their dreams and goals. For more information, go to http://www.missamerica.org.

SOURCE TLC
http://www.tlc.com http://www.missamerica.org