MISS AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS

0 -- Vermont is the only state without a contestant advancing to the semi-finals of the Miss America Pageant.

1 -- One year and one week: Katie Stam’s reign as outgoing Miss America.

2 -- As in twice, the number of times in the last 50 years that a state has produced back-to-back winners: Mississippi with Mary Ann Mobley, 1959, and Lydna Mead, 1960. They were Ole Miss co-eds and Chi Omega sorority sisters. Oklahoma claimed consecutive crowns in 2006 (Jennifer Berry) and 2007 (Lauren Nelson).

3 --Three masters of ceremony for the three nights of preliminary competition: Brad Brown, an Indiana TV sport reporter with ties to the Miss Indiana pageant, Tuesday; Reggie Rivers, former Denver Broncos special teams star, author and community activist, Wednesday; and Dena Blizzard, Miss New Jersey 1995 and standup comedian, Thursday.

4 – Oklahoma has produced four winners since 1981 (Susan Powell), Shawntel Smith (1995), Berry (2006) and Nelson (2007).

5 – 2010 marks the fifth year the pageant has been held in Las Vegas, at the Planet Hollywood Resort’s Theater of Performing Arts (7,000 capacity).

6 -- Six judges: Actress Vivica Fox, Miss America 2002 Katie Harman, jazz artist Dave Koz, Olympic gymnastic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and Brooke White, an “American Idol” finalist. Comedian Paul Rodriguez dropped out for personal matters.

15 -- Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap and her husband, Brian, won “The Amazing Race 15.” Mary Campbell of Ohio was the first 15-year-old to win (1922) and she repeated the next year.

16 -- The first Miss America was 16-year-old Margaret Gorman of Washington, DC in 1921, the pageant’s inaugural year.

18 -- Contestants must now be 18 years or older.

19 -- Youngest 2010 contestants Miss Utah Whitney Merrifield and Miss Wyoming Anna Nelson.

21 -- Twenty states have not won a Miss America title: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Indiana had not won until Stamm broke through in 2009.

27 -- The last time Miss California won was in 1983 (Debra Maffett).

32 -- Thirty-two years since Ohio has won (Susan Perkins).

35 -- Thirty-five years since Texas won (Shirley Cothran, 1975).

36 -- Thirty-six years since Colorado has won (Rebecca King, 1974).

56 -- Fifty-six years since Pennsylvania has won (Evelyn Ay, 1954).

64 -- Sixty-four years since a Los Angeles resident won the title (Marilyn Buferd, 1946).

1970 -- The first black Miss America contestant (Cheryl Brown) from Iowa. The first black contestant to reach the Top 10 was Lencola Sullivan, Miss Arkansas 1980. In 1984, Vanessa Williams of New York became the first black Miss America.

2,000 -- As in $2,000, the amount awarded to Miss Congeniality.

50,000 -- As in $50,000, the amount awarded to Miss America.

--NORM CLARKE, Vegas Confidential