COACH.
SHE HAS A 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER,
FRANCES, AND OUR THOUGHTS ARE
WITH THEM TONIGHT.
WHAT A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE STORY
THAT SURFACED THIS MORNING.
ALSO DEVELOPING THIS EVENING,
TONIGHT THEY ARE CALLING IT NOW
I COMPETITION AND NOT A PAGEANT.
THAT IS THE NEW MOTTO OF THE
MISS AMERICA ORGANIZATION WHO
ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THEY ARE
BANISHING THE SIGNATURE BIKINI
PORTION OF THE PAGEANT.
INSTEAD CONTESTANTS WILL NOT
TAKE PART IN A LIVE INTERACTIVE
SESSION WITH THE JUDGES AND THE
ORGANIZATION IS ALSO GETTING RID
OF THE EVENING GOWN PORTION OF
THE COMPETITION.
I THINK SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SHOW
EVIDENCE
UP IN SWEATPANTS.
SHANNON BREAM, OUR GOOD FRIEND,
JOINS US TONIGHT.
IT'S SO GOOD TO BE HERE WITH
TUCKER AND SHANNON AND SO MANY
OF THESE GREAT PEOPLE.
I KNOW YOU DID NOT WANT TO SHOW
ANY PICTURES OF YOU FROM THE
PAGEANT TONIGHT.
BUT -- >> I MIGHT HAVE FOUND
SOME, I DON'T KNOW.
>> Martha: SHANNON IS
GORGEOUS, IT'S VERY INTERESTING
TO LOOK BACK AND SEE THOSE.
I WANT TO ASK YOU THIS, WHY DO
YOU NOT WANT TO SHOW THEM?
WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT WHERE
YOU ARE WITH THAT?
>> IT WAS SUCH A DIFFERENT TIME
IN MY LIFE, I'M MISS AMERICA
PAGEANT FOR ME WAS A GODSEND
BECAUSE I WANT SCHOLARSHIP MONEY
THROUGH THAT THAT PUT ME THROUGH
SCHOOL, UNDERGRAD, AND A LOT OF
MY LAW SCHOOL AS WELL.
I DIDN'T COME FROM A FAMILY THAT
HAVE A LOT OF MONEY OR MEANS.
FOR ME THIS WAS A VERY FUN WAY
TO STRETCH MYSELF.
IT WAS TERRIFYING AT TIMES BUT
IT PAY FOR SCHOOL FOR ME AND IT
WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
I'M NOT SURE ANYONE WANTS TO SEE
MY SWIMSUIT PICTURES NOW.
>> Martha: I WAS FROM
NEW JERSEY WHERE PAGEANTS
WEREN'T THAT VAGUE BUT TO WIN
THIS FLORIDA AND MISS VIRGINIA,
WHERE ARE ALL THESE GORGEOUS
GIRLS IN FLORIDA AND VIRGINIA,
YOU DID REALLY, REALLY WELL.
BUT I HAVE TO ASK MYSELF, ARE WE
PASSED THIS WHOLE THING AS A
SOCIETY?
AS WOMEN, IS THERE ANOTHER WAY
TO HAVE A GOOD SCHOLARSHIP
CONTEST IN THIS COUNTRY
SHOULD BE, THEY ARE GORGEOUS,
JUST LIKE THE BACHELOR AND ALL
THE OTHER STUFF.
IF THERE IS MERIT IN BEAUTY AND
THAT IS A SPECIAL ATTRIBUTE AS
WELL.
>> IS INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU
KNOW MISS AMERICA STARTED OUT
YEARS AGO IN THE 20s ON THE
BOARDWALK IN NEW JERSEY.
IN ATLANTIC CITY, IT WAS A
SWIMSUIT CONTEST AT THE CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE AND LOCAL BUSINESS
PEOPLE CAME UP WITH TO KEEP
PEOPLE IN TOWN AROUND LABOR DAY.
IT EVOLVED OVER TIME, SO IT'S
NOT JUST ABOUT SWIMSUITS.
THEY ADDED TALENT AND INTERVIEW
AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
SWIMSUIT IS STILL A TINY
PORTION, AND IT'S GOING AWAY
COMPLETELY BUT, I DON'T KNOW
THAT IT EVER REALLY DECIDED THE
WINNER.
IF THEY THINK IT'S A BETTER IDEA
TO SAY, WE WANT PEOPLE OF ALL
DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES, AND
PEOPLE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN
INTERESTED BEFORE, I THINK IT'S
INTERESTING.
AND I'M ALL ABOUT TAKING CARE OF
MYSELF, CLEANING UP MY COLLEGE
DIET AND WORKING OUT.
IT WAS GRUELING BECAUSE I WAS ON
THE ROAD ALL THE TIME.
>> I
BLUE DRESS.
>> Martha: EVERYONE LOOKS LIKE
THEY WERE DECADES OLDER THAN
THEY ACTUALLY WERE.
I THINK YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL.
NOW, FOR FORMER HOUSTON TEXAN
CHEERLEADERS ARE DELIVERING
DEMANDS DIRECTLY TO NFL
COMMISSIONER ROGER CADDELL.
WATCH THIS.
>> WE HOPE THAT BY DELIVERING
THIS LETTER TO ROGER CADDELL
TODAY THAT HE TAKES US
SERIOUSLY, AND UNDERSTANDS THAT
WE JUST WANT TO BE RESPECTED AND
TREATED FAIRLY.
AND COMPENSATED PROPERLY FOR THE
WORK THAT WE DO.
>> THEY WERE ALL SOMEONE'S
DAUGHTER.
THEY WORK HARD AND THEY CARE.
THEY LOVE THE NFL.
LET'S SEE SOME LOVE COMING BACK
TO THEM IN TERMS OF WORKING
CONDITIONS.
>> Martha: YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE
GLORIA ALLRED.
BUT AGAIN, SHOULD THIS BE
SOMETHING THAT WOMEN SHOULD BE
ASPIRING TO?
>> ALSO IN MY PAST I WAS A LABOR
AND EMPLOYMENT LAWYER.
YES THE PLAYERS ARE MAKING
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER YEAR BUT
THEY ARE ALSO BRINGING IN
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER YEAR.
SO IF THESE WOMEN ARE ALLEGING
THAT THEY WERE PAID MINIMUM WAGE
AT TIMES AND THEN THEY WERE
ASKED TO TO GO TO APPEARANCES
ASKED TO TO GO TO APPEARANCET
ASKED TO TO GO TO APPEARANCEA
ASKED TO TO GO TO APPEARANCET
THEY NEVER GOT PAID FOR ABOUT
THE TEAMS GOT PAID FOR TO HAVE
THEM THERE, THOSE ARE SOME
INTERESTING QUESTIONS.
YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO MAKE WHAT
AN NFL PLAYER CAN MAKE, AND YOU
SHOULDN'T MAKE WORK NEAR WHAT
THEY MAKE.
BUT IF THEY ARE NOT BEING PAID
FOR THE HOURS THEY WORKED, THAT
DOES CONCERN ME.
>> Martha: THEY ARE BEING
TOLD, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO
IT, SOMEBODY ELSE WILL.
SO I GET WHERE THEY ARE COMING
FROM.
SHANNON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU'VE GOT IT ALL GOING ON, EVEN
IF YOU DIDN'T WIN THOSE