Watch Secrets of Miss America

With recent tragedies in the pageant community, the issue of mental health in the Miss America competition has been brought into focus; Miss Americas are expected to face the judgements of the past while carrying the weight of current expectations.

The Miss America Organization claims to be open to women of all races, backgrounds and body shapes, but there has never been a Latina winner, and the experiences of African American women competing in Miss America have been fraught with challenges.

Since the 1960s, the swimsuit has been a thorn in the pageant's side, but a thorn that kept millions of viewers tuning in year after year. In 2018 the pageant took the drastic decision to ban the swimsuit round from the competition, causing a divide between modernizers and traditionalists which ends in an all-out war that has the potential to bring end Miss America.

The Miss America Organization is rocked to its core when a whistle-blower leaks shocking emails involving the entire Board of Directors.