TLC Takes the Title with Pageant Series 'KING OF THE CROWN'

Go Inside the World of Pageants in New Series set to Premiere September 30th at 9PM

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 -- TLC announced plans to premiere new pageant series KING OF THE CROWN, taking viewers behind the glam, beyond the hair spray and into the unseen world of pageants. The show revolves around veteran pageant expert Cy Frakes, who has been coaching aspiring beauty queens for over 20 years. Twelve episodes have been ordered and will premiere on September 30(th) only on TLC.

The world of pageants is estimated to be over a billion dollar a year business and continues to be of intrigue to many Americans. TLC goes inside the world of competitive beauty pageants with Cy's pageant training business, Gowns and Crowns, as his team helps clients perfect everything from their walk, to their talk, to their hair, down to the dress. The premiere episode features the now infamous Caitlin Upton, the former Miss Teen USA South Carolina who could not give a coherent answer during the question portion of the competition. She became a YouTube sensation, generating over 35 million views. In the premiere, Cy takes on the challenge of preparing the most parodied teen queen for a comeback to the pageant stage. He wants to not only redeem Caitlin's image, but also prove his business can deliver pageant-perfect women.

The team behind Gowns and Crowns, South Carolina's premiere pageant coaching business, is made of more then just owner Cy. Behind the sequins and the smiles are: Amanda Helen Pennekamp, a pageant competitor who helps train the aspiring title holders to perfect everything from their walk to their self confidence; Kyle Taylor works as the booking agent scheduling appointments and wants to follow in Cy's footsteps; Shane Mason is the interview coach and part time referee amongst the staff.

"KING OF THE CROWN brings all the fun and excitement of the pageant world with a lot of southern charm," says TLC SVP Production and Development, Nancy Daniels. "Cy is a great personality who is not only entertaining, but a real expert in his field. The series has the perfect balance of high stakes and heart. It also further builds out our pageant programming."

"The series definitely captures the essence of who I am and what I do," says Frakes. "KING OF THE CROWN has a lot of humor but also shows that we deal with broken heels, broken nails and, of course, broken hearts. We prepare girls beyond a superficial level; we prepare them to overcome any challenge in life."

The series is produced for TLC by FiveFive Productions and Discovery Studios. Executive Producers are Amber Mazzola and Rachel Tung.

About TLC

TLC's innovative docu-series and reality-based programming include favorites Jon & Kate Plus 8, Little People, Big World, What Not to Wear, 18 Kids and Counting, and LA Ink. TLC defined home design with Trading Spaces and continues to renovate the genre. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award-winning A Baby Story. The channel is available in more than 98 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website at www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries.