The outgoing Miss America, Betty Cantrell,second left, reacts as she tries to put a Miss America sash on winner Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields during the Miss America 2017 pageant, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Shields was crowned the new Miss America at the conclusion of the live finals Sunday night in Atlantic City. The 21-year-old, an early front-runner this week after winning a preliminary talent competition, topped a field of 52 contestants to nab the title. A senior at the University of Arkansas, Shields grabbed attention earlier this week with her jazz dance to They Just Keep Moving The Line from the series Smash. She became the new Miss America on a night where she referenced Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park in her introduction, performed a jazz dance routine and was cut off while responding to a question about her thoughts on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. She was asked what she thought of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton; she answered that while both Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have done a good job thus far, "They also need to watch what they're doing." The runners-up were as follows: Fourth runner-up, Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis; third runner-up, Miss Washington Alicia Cooper; second runner-up Miss New York Camille Sims; first runner up Miss South Carolina Rachel Wyatt. Miss Missouri Erin O'Flaherty, the first openly gay contestant in the history of the pageant, was not among the top 15 picked to advance during the pageant's nationally televised finale. The pageant from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall included contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. “She understands the whole package.” During her 2017 reign, Shields, who is an art major at the University of Arkansas, will promote her platform of “Eat Better, Live Better.” The Miss America contest was started in 1921 as a bit of a marketing ploy — by a group of Atlantic City businessmen who created a week of festivities including the Atlantic City Bathing Beauty Contest as a way to extend the summer resort season past Labor Day.
The Miss America 2017 pageant is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with Savvy Shields, currently Miss Arkansas, winning the event.