Four preliminary winners were announced after the first night of preliminary competition on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at Township Auditorium in Columbia, SC. The Miss South Carolina and Miss South Carolina Teen pageants will continue this week with two more nights of preliminary competition on Wednesday, June 24, and Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m.
The final competition for the Teens is at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26, when the new Miss South Carolina Teen will be crowned. The final competition for the Miss contestants starts with a pre-show at 7 on Saturday, June 27, when the new Miss South Carolina will be crowned live on WACH FOX TV.
Preliminary winners as of Wednesday were:
Miss Hilton Head Island, Kate McKinney, 23, from Columbia, won the Tuesday Talent preliminary in the Miss South Carolina competition. She performed a classical vocal of Je Veux Vivre.
Miss York, Mae-Ann Webb, 23, from Ridge Spring, won the Tuesday Swimsuit preliminary in the Miss South Carolina competition.
Miss Reidville Teen, Shaylyn Simmons, 17, from Reidville, won the Tuesday Talent preliminary in the Miss South Carolina Teen competition. She tap danced to Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Miss Duncan Teen, Makayla Stark, 16, from Inman, won the Tuesday Evening Gown/Onstage Question preliminary in the Miss South Carolina Teen competition.
Two area teens are representing the area. Miss Powdersville Teen Rachel Grimsley and Miss Woodmont High School Teen 2015, Caitlin Frederiksen will be competing in the Miss SC Teen pageant. Miss South Carolina Teen 2014 Hope Harvard will also be attending.
It was announced this week that Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev will attend the Miss South Carolina Pageant on June 25-27 and that Mark Walberg will join Stephanie Whittler (Miss Tennessee 2009, second runner-up to Miss America 2010) as emcee for the Friday and Saturday evening pageants.
The Saturday night pageant and crowning of the new Miss South Carolina will be televised live on WACH TV, starting with the Red Carpet at 8 pm. The pageant will run from 8:30-10:30 pm. Local television channels broadcasting the pageant include WACH TV, My TV Charleston, CW 12 Myrtle Beach, My 40 WMYA Greenville, and Fox 28 Savannah. Radio stations under the Sinclair Broadcast Group include 973 Kiss FM, WJMX, WNOK and Y1025.
Miss South Carolina 2015 will compete for the title of Miss America in Atlantic City, NJ, in September 2015. Miss South Carolina Teen 2015 will compete for the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen in Orlando, FL, in August 2015.