Miss Hawaii advances in Miss America pageant

Miss Hawaii used a jump-rope to top contestants in the third round of the Miss America talent competition in Las Vegas, while a swimsuit-clad Miss New York scored honors in the lifestyle and fitness category.

Miss Hawaii Lauren Kealohilani Cheape won a $2,000 scholarship for her routine to the "Hawaii Five-0" theme song at Thursday night’s preliminary. The talent portion is 35 percent of a contestant’s score.

Cheape bested 16 contestants in the "Mu Group," one of three subgroupings of contestants. In a competition heavy on music and dance numbers, Cheape’s jump-rope performance was unique.

As Cheape said in an interview with OnTheRedCarpet.com, "The crowd-pleaser trick is the ‘butt bounce.’"

Running as Miss East Oahu, Cheape beat 11 other contestants in the 65th annual Miss Hawaii Pageant in June. In the Hawaii competition, Cheape did a jump-rope routine to Jerry Lee Lewis’ rock ‘n’ roll classic "Great Balls of Fire."

She is a University of Hawaii graduate, having earned a bachelor’s degree in film, and has received an Academy for Creative Media Film Award. She wrote and directed a film, "Li Hing Mui, Lilikoi, Lychee," that was shown at international film festivals in Hawaii, Los Angeles and Shanghai.

While at UH, the scholar-athlete was on the water polo and swim teams. Cheape has also started a charity called C.A.R.E.: Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone. The program encourages children to stay in school, stay active and live healthy lives with the help and support of college athletes. Cheape is also credited with raising more than $40,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network, the official charity of the Miss America program.

She is working toward her master’s degree in business administration and also wants to become a film director.

The most recent Hawaii resident to be named Miss America was Angela Perez Baraquio in 2001.

In Las Vegas, Miss New York Kaitlin Monte earned a $1,000 scholarship after appearing in a Monte Carlo Komplique swimsuit. The fitness category is 15 percent of a contestant’s score.

The two join Miss Wisconsin and Miss Oklahoma, who won for talent in preliminaries earlier this week. Miss Utah and Miss Texas won swimsuit in rounds one and two.

This year’s field includes representatives from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The finals are today at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.