They danced, twirled, flashed their pearly whites and strutted their best stuff in a quest for the tiara — and the scholarship cash. And in the end ... Miss New York, Mallory Hytes Hagan, 23, was named Miss America 2013. Her hometown is Brooklyn and she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her platform issue is child sexual abuse prevention and she plans to obtain a degree in cosmetics and fragrance marketing, according to her bio, with an eye toward a career in global cosmetics marketing. She was tops with the judges in the swimsuit competition during Saturday night's show, and she performed a mean tap dance to James Brown's Get Up Offa That Thing. The night kicked off with ABC hosts Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) and Brooke Burke-Charvet (Dancing With the Stars) introducing the 53 contestants (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), who introduced themselves with sassy state sayings, including: -"From the state that brought you Channing Tatum, People's Sexiest Man Alive, You're Welcome. I'm Anna Laura Bryan, Miss Alabama." -"From the state where your vote counts, and counts, and counts, I'm Laura McKeeman, Miss Florida." -"From the state that celebrates diversity — from Scarlett O'Hara to Honey Boo Boo, I'm Leighton Jordan, Miss Georgia." -"From the home of Abraham Lincoln — before he was a movie, I'm Megan Ervin, Miss Illinois." -"From the home of Aerosmith, rock on, America. I'm Taylor Kinzler, Miss Massachusetts." -"From the state that weds 150 couples each day in Las Vegas — Tim Tebow, what do you say we make it 151? — I'm Randi Sundquist, Miss Nevada." -"Sandy may have swept away our shores, but never our spirit. I'm Miss New York, Mallory Hagan." -"From the state where we use sushi as bait, and, no, y'all are the ones with the accent, I am Miss South Carolina, Ali Rogers." And there's Mariah Cary, Miss Iowa. Said Burke-Charvet, "I feel great. It's gonna be a good night!" First up: A special "America's choice" semi-finalist, chosen from online voting based on contestant vidoes: Miss Montana Alex Wineman, the first contestant in the pageant to have been diagnosed with autism. Doing the judging: Entertainment Tonight veteran host Mary Hart, designer Bradley Bayou, Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney, GMA weatherman Sam Champion, Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke, Shark Tank star Daymond John and Miss America 2009 Katie Stam Irk. The 14 semifinalists (joining Miss Montana): Miss Texas Danae Couch Miss Utah Kara Arnold Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson Miss Alabama Anna Laura Bryan Miss Maryland Joanna Guy Miss Illinois Megan Ervin Miss Indiana Merriebeth Cox Miss New York Mallory Hytes Hagan Miss Florida Laura McKeeman Miss Kentucky Jessica Casebolt Miss Iowa Mariah Cary Harrison then announced a surprise twist! The judges were going to get a chance to add one more semifinalist to the pack. Quick! Huddle around Mary Hart and come up with a 16th semifinalist. After "madly conferring," he said, they added Miss Washington Mandy Schendel. Swimsuit time featured the 16 showing their taut bods sporting Catalina bikinis, most of them in solid red, blue, white or black. Before announcing the next cuts, McKayla Maroney took a second out to give her "not impressed" look. But she said she was "kidding." The 12 moving on to the evening wear part of the competition: Miss Washington Mandy Schendel Miss Maryland Joanna Guy Miss Texas Danae Couch Miss Alabama Anna Laura Bryan Miss New York Mallory Hagan Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers Miss Indiana Merribeth Cox Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden Miss Illinois Megan Ervin Miss Iowa Mariah Cary So, what are the judges looking for? "This is that real spotlight moment," explained Sam Champion. "This is elegance, poise, grace and that ability to grab every bit of attention and focus it on her. This is her moment." Moving more gracefully and slower, the 12 worked the stage. Five wore white, three wore black, one blue, one red, one silver, one gray. Shameless plug time: Burke-Charvet touted her new fitness DVD and the contestants did a few moves, even though most of them were wearing high heels. Talent time for the Top 10 finalists: Miss Texas Danae Couch twirled batons to Donna Summer's Last Dance. Oops! One small drop. But she finished big - juggling three at once. Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson sang Adele's Turning Tables. Miss Illinois Megan Ervin danced to Journey's Faithfully. Taking a break from the action, Harrison then noted the pageant contestants probably "haven't eaten carbs in about six years!" so he and Burke-Charvet passed out donuts to those who were no longer in the running. "You have no idea how deprived these ladies have been," said Burke-Charvet. Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton tap-danced to Michael Buble's version of Can't Buy Me Love. Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden played an original composition on the piano. Nice. Impressive. Miss Maryland Joanna Guy belted out the showy I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. Miss New York Mallory Hagan tap-danced to James Brown's Get Up Offa That Thing. And she rocked it. Pro Cheryl Burke said, "It's all about the passion. You don't have to be technically perfect." Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers played The Jackson Five's I Want You Back on piano. She must be fun at a party and she pounded it out, filling it with flashy runs. Miss Iowa Mariah Cary tap-danced to Scatman John's Scatman. She started with a flip, and included splits. Tough competition in the tap department for the night. Miss Washington Mandy Schendel sang (mangled, according to most on Twitter) Rascal Flatt's My Wish. Note: Two of the contestants who received a lot of attention before the pageant did not make it to the Top 10. Miss District of Columbia Allyn Rose will undergo a double mastectomy now that the competition is over as a preventive measure because cancer runs in her family. And Miss Montana Alexis Wineman was the Miss America organization's first autistic competitor. Now, for the all-important question time! First up: Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton. She drew judge Cheryl Burke, who asked, "What are you thoughts on how sensational reality shows like Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers and Tiaras portray their mothers, young girls and the world of pageants?" Her answer: "Even though we do think they live an outrageous lifestyle, at the end of the day you have to admit that mother loves her daughter ...You have to remember these are reality shows and we just have to take them with a grain of salt." Next: Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers. Judge Katie Stam Irk brought up Brent Musberger's comments about quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, asking if they "objectify women." Her response: "As a football fan and as someone who would like to be featured.. at a football game, I think he has every right to point out her beauty. She is, in fact, gorgeous. I think this is something we can display not only on the Miss America stage, but hey, at a football game, too." Next: Miss New York Mallory Hagan. Sam Champion asked about gun control and a proposal to have an armed guard in every school. "Do you think that would make our schools safer?" "I actually don't," she said. "I don't think the proper way to fight violence is with violence." She urged education about guns. Fourth: Miss Iowa Mariah Cary. Bradley Bayou asked about marijuana legalization and whether it's the right direction for our country. "I think that depends on the situation. I personally know people who have had to go to medical marijuana for their last resort for their health care and I support that. However, I do not think it should be used for anything but recreational use and health care." Oops! Final question went to Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden. She was asked by McKayla Maroney if parents are being too quick to medicate for attention deficit disorder. Her answer: "It comes down to a parent's choice. but ultimately if they want to medicate their child they also need to look for alternative options to truly fix the problem and not just cover it up with medication."