Miss America 2010: Nation's Top Beauty Pageant Date & Start Time

*Please, note the correction in the article below*

Miss America 2010, the nation's top beauty pageant is set for January 30, 2010 and will be broadcast by TLC at 8 PM EST. The show will be held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, California and will be hosted by actor Mario Lopez. Last year's winner Katie Stam of Indiana will crown the winner that the judges will have to pick out of the 53 contestants.

One of the celebrity judges this year is the controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh. Actress Vivica Fox, gymnast Shawn Johnson, ex-Miss America Katie Harman and musician Dave Koz will also be on the judging panel. As per usual, entrants will compete in swimsuit, evening gown and talent categories followed by the final interview.

Beauty pageants have involved quite a number of scandals and controversies in recent years. This year's Miss America contest has many fans wondering what the scandal is going to be this time around.

In 1984, first African-American winner Vanessa Williams has resigned as Miss America amidst scandal involving her nude photos.

However, the most publicized beauty pageant scandal to date happened at the Miss USA beauty pageant in 2009. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton who was one of the judges sparked lot of controversy when he posed a question to contestant Carrie Prejean about the legalization of same sex marriage. Prejean said she believed that the marriage should be between a man and a woman based on her religious believes. Prejan went on to lose the competition. However, Hilton admitted that Prejean lost the title because of her answer to his question. The incident generated a lot of media hype, resulting in Prejean's eventual deposition as Miss USA 2009 runner-up for the continued breach of contract. Prejean said she was discriminated against for speaking truth about her religious views.

Here is a full list of Miss America contestants for 2010.