Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell of Warner Robins wins talent preliminary in Miss America pageant

Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell of Warner Robins has won the talent portion of the Miss America competition for her classical vocal performance of “Tu Tu Piccolo Iddio” from Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly.

She will receive a $2,000 scholarship for winning Thursday’s preliminary contest. The pageant continues, and the “2016 Miss America Competition” will be live on TV at 9 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell of Warner Robins wins talent preliminary in Miss America pageant."