CHRIS HARRISON TO RETURN AS HOST FOR THE 97th MISS AMERICA COMPETITION VETERAN ESPN PERSONALITY SAGE STEELE RETURNS AS CO-HOST

The '2018 Miss America Competition' to Broadcast Live From Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sunday, September 10, at 9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT, on The ABC Television Network

The Miss America Organization, dick clark productions and ABC announced today that TV personality and fan-favorite Chris Harrison (ABC's "The Bachelor" franchise and "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire") will return as host of the "2018 Miss America Competition." Joining Harrison as co-host of the legendary competition, once again, is popular host and lead commentator for ESPN's "SportsCenter on the Road" and "SportsCenter:AM," Sage Steele. Airing live on ABC from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 (9:00-11:00p.m. EDT), the "2018 Miss America Competition" will showcase the intellect, grace and exceptional talent of 51 accomplished women representing their home states (and District of Columbia) to compete for the coveted title of Miss America.

"It's an honor to grace the Miss America stage as host for the 9th time," said Chris Harrison. "I'm extremely happy to be sharing the hosting duties once again with my friend Sage Steele. Sage is a true professional whose quick wit and charisma lights up the stage and the show."

"I can honestly say that co-hosting Miss America last year was one of the most memorable events I've been a part of in my 22 years in this business," said Sage Steele. "These young women are so inspirational to millions across the country, including my own daughters, and yours truly! I can't wait to reunite with my friend Chris Harrison and the entire team in Atlantic City!"

"Chris Harrison has been a part of our Miss America family for almost a decade," said Sam Haskell, executive chairman & CEO of the Miss America Organization. "We are thrilled to have him host his ninth Miss America telecast, as he is both a great friend and one of our most stalwart ambassadors!"

"We are thrilled to have Sage Steele return for her second year as co-host of the Miss America Competition," said Josh Randle, president of the Miss America Organization. "Sage brings her energy and flair to the telecast, and she embodies the style and success synonymous with Miss America."

Chris Harrison began his television career by covering local sports in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Dallas, Texas, native went to Oklahoma City University on a soccer scholarship, and then made the natural transition to sportscasting with a local station. During his six years there, he worked his way up the ranks from part-time sportscaster to weekend sportscaster. He also had the opportunity to cover hard-news stories. After moving to Los Angeles in 1999 and landing a job as host of HGTV's "Designer's Challenge," he went on to host ABC's hit romance/reality series "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." He has also hosted ABC's popular reality shows "Bachelor Pad," "Bachelor in Paradise," and "After Paradise." In 2015, Harrison was named the new host of the nationally syndicated game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." Since 2011, Harrison has co-hosted ABC's live coverage of "The Miss America Competition." He first hosted the iconic broadcast on ABC in 2004. Additional hosting credits include "Emmys Red Carpet Live" at the 2012 Primetime Emmys, ABC's 2011 "American Music Awards Red Carpet," live television coverage of the final championship rounds of the 2010 "Scripps National Spelling Bee" on ABC, ABC's 2008 "American Music Awards Red Carpet Live!" and "Road to the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards," ABC.com's daily coverage leading up to the 2008 "Primetime Emmy Awards." In a departure from his many broadcast endeavors, Harrison turned to the written page, as he penned his first book - an emotional, passionate and suspenseful novel entitled "The Perfect Letter." The romantic novel was published by Harper Collins in May 2015. The versatile Harrison has done his fair share of acting as well, with roles in the popular television series "Alias," "The Practice," "Six Feet Under" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." His feature-film appearances include "Bounce," "Showtime" and portraying himself in the comedy "Date Movie." In his spare time, Harrison still plays soccer and has become addicted to golf. He has developed a great appreciation for the weather and lifestyle of Southern California, and spends as much time as possible outdoors with 15-year-old son Joshua and 13-year-old daughter Taylor.

Sage Steele is one of ESPN's most popular and respected commentators, currently serving as the lead host for "SportsCenter on the Road" and as the Monday-Thursday anchor for "SportsCenter:AM," the 7-10 a.m. ET edition of ESPN's news and information program, from ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut. Steele's lead role for SportsCenter on the Road includes on-site, day-long and pre-event coverage for the biggest sports events of the year, including the Super Bowl, World Series, the Masters, the College Football National Championship and many more. Steele was named SportsCenter on the Road host in September of 2016. Previously, she hosted NBA Countdown on ESPN and ABC from 2013 through the 2016-17 NBA season. Steele, who joined ESPN in 2007, served as a regular anchor of SportsCenter until 2013. She also hosted the Scripps National Spelling Bee from 2010-2013. In addition to SportsCenter, she also has contributed to "First Take" and "Mike & Mike," and has been a guest co-host of ESPN2's SportsNation. Steele also hosted ABC and ESPN's New Year's Rockin' Eve during the inaugural College Football Playoff. Beyond her work for ESPN, Steele has co-hosted ABC's telecast of the Miss America pageant since 2016 and has been a featured guest host on ABC's "The View." In 2015, Steele added mommy blogger to her job portfolio, contributing several stories to Disney-owned Babble. She has also been a guest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and has been profiled by Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, Vibe and Huffington Post, to name a few. Steele began her television career at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana, as a producer and reporter (1995-1997). She then moved to WISH-TV in Indianapolis where she was the beat reporter for the Indianapolis Colts, in addition to covering the 1997 NCAA Men's Final Four, NASCAR and the IndyCar Series. In August 1998, Steele moved to Tampa and worked as a reporter, anchor, and host for WFTS-TV. She was the beat reporter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1998-2001 and covered the 1999 NCAA Men's Final Four. In 2000, she joined Fox Sports Net in Tampa as a reporter and covered Super Bowl XXXV for the 2000-01 NFL season. In April 2001, Steele became the anchor for the debut of Comcast SportsNet, serving the Washington D.C./Baltimore region. She anchored the flagship show SportsNite for six years and was also a beat reporter for the Baltimore Ravens from 2001-2005, hosting a magazine show for all five seasons.

For the latest news, be sure to follow Miss America on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #MissAmerica. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missamerica Twitter: https://twitter.com/missamericaorg Instagram: https://instagram.com/missamerica YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissAmericaOrg Tumblr: http://blog.missamerica.org/ Snapchat: MissAmerica Join the Conversation: #MissAmerica

dick clark productions and the Miss America Organization will collaborate on all creative, marketing, sponsorship, licensing, ticketing and distribution elements of this year's show. Anthony Eaton and Tall Pony Productions will produce "The 2018 Miss America Competition."

To purchase tickets to the "2018 Miss America Competition," please visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/Miss-America-Competition-tickets/

For more information on the "2018 Miss America Competition," please visit Miss America Organization's website at www.missamerica.org.

About The Miss America Organization:

The Miss America Organization, a 501(c) 4 non-profit corporation, awards millions of dollars in annual college scholarship assistance making it the largest scholarship program for women in the United States. MAO is comprised of 51 organizations, including all 50 states and the District of Columbia. MAO contestants contribute over 500,000 hours of community service annually and have raised over $16 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals since 2007.

About dick clark productions:

dick clark productions (dcp) is the world's largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the "Academy of Country Music Awards," "American Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," "Golden Globe Awards," "Miss America," "Hollywood Film Awards" and the "Streamy Awards." Weekly television programming includes "So You Think You Can Dance" from 19 Entertainment and dcp. dcp also owns one of the world's most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with more than 55 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.