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Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields is the new Miss America

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields is the new Miss America.

Shields topped a field of 52 contestants to win the crown and the title of Miss America 2017 Sunday night in Atlantic City.

She succeeds the outgoing Miss America Betty Cantrell.

Shields performed a jazz dance to a song from the TV show "Smash," for which she won a preliminary competition earlier in the week.

 

The pageant from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall included contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The pageant began in Atlantic City in 1921 as a way to extend the summer tourist season beyond Labor Day weekend.

Shields receives a $50,000 scholarship.