Baciliky "Betty" Cantrell (born September 1, 1994) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Warner Robins, Georgia, who was crowned Miss Georgia 2015. On September 13, 2015, she was crowned Miss America 2016 by Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev.Cantrell was born on September 1, 1994, to physical therapists, Mike and Tassie Cantrell. Cantrell is of Greek and German descent and was named after her Greek grandmother, with the name "Baciliky" meaning "royalty." She grew up on 700 acres of land and is able to drive a full-sized John Deere tractor, plow and seed fields, and handle a shotgun. In Macon, Georgia, Cantrell attended Wesleyan College and is currently a student at Mercer University, where she studies vocal performance.
Miss America 2016, the 89th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday, September 13, 2015. It was broadcast on ABC and streamed to mobile devices and Xbox 360 consoles via the WatchABC app. Tickets for the 2016 Miss America competition went on sale June 5, 2015. Kira Kazantsev (Miss New York 2014) crowned her successor, Miss Georgia 2015, Betty Cantrell at the end of the two-hour nationally televised event.Cantrell was Georgia's representative at the Miss America 2016 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2015. She won the talent portion and a $2,000 scholarship during Thursday night's preliminary competition for again singing the aria "Tu, tu piccolo Iddio" from Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly. She won the national crown and a $50,000 scholarship on September 13, 2015. Cantrell is the second Miss Georgia to win the Miss America title.
In the final round of the competition, Cantrell was asked a question by judge Brett Eldredge: "New England quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for his part in the so-called 'Deflategate' scandal. Legalities aside, did Tom Brady cheat?" Cantrell, who was given 20 seconds to reply, said: "Did he cheat? That's a really good question. I'm not sure. I think I'd have to be there and see the ball and feel it and make sure it was deflated or not deflated. If there was a question there, then yes, I think he cheated." Asked later by a reporter about her response, Cantrell said "It was kind of a funky question ... I'm not a football player and I really wasn't there to feel that ball."
