Miss America preliminary competition kicks off
(CBS/AP) The first round of the Miss America talent competition in Las Vegas has kicked off with an opera-singing Miss Wisconsin topping the talent competition and swimsuit-clad Miss Utah scoring honors in the lifestyle and fitness category.
Miss Wisonsin Laura Kaeppeler is taking home a $2,000 scholarship for her performance of "Il Bacio" during the Tuesday night preliminary.
The talent portion is 35 percent of a contestant's preliminary score.
Miss Utah, Danica Olsen, earned a $1,000 scholarship after sporting a swimsuit made by Deavill Komplique that had Swarovski crystal accents.
The fitness category is 15 percent of a contestant's score.
Two more winners in each category will be selected during two more days of preliminary competition. The final competition is set to take place Saturday at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.