With a declining viewership for the Miss America pageant over the last few years consistently, it is no surprise that this year‘s contest had some of the worst ratings ever. But add to that the fact that the swimsuit competition was eliminated and the whole thing might as well just close up shop.

Think about it. The few people that were left watching Miss America could see a parade of beautiful girls anywhere, it’s not like any of them really stood out from the pack or are much different from each other, so the only people who would have a real vested interest in the contest are friends and family of the individual girls. Other than that, we see them as 51 of the same.

Fifty one of the prototypical American woman trying to look hot but at the same time seem intelligent, with the same bubbly smiles and cheerleading personalities. One modicum of talent here and there and the glossiest teeth and hair ever. That part of the contest is boring. And maybe it’s because we all know a lot of people who possess many of those same characteristics. If you really want to separate the wheat from the chaff, the body is the final test. It shows that some people really can be bestowed just about every gift there is.

Just about anyone who still watches the Miss America contest wants to see their bodies. Not necessarily in a lascivious way – but for many of us, here is where the real contest begins. The tough part. The part that most of us could never achieve no matter how hard we tried. How impossibly toned they are, or if there’s an actual jiggling of the thigh. Does the spray tan look authentic or is it too orange? If their breasts are perky enough and whether or not they’ve been augmented and will they move too much or slip out of that top? Not to mention: Will that bathing suit bottom creep up despite the adhesives placed there to try to keep the contestant wedgy-free? That is the part of the contest we all waited for, and without it, they can eke out a few years on life support. But unless they reinstate the swimsuit competition, the Miss America contest is basically over.

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