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MICHAEL URIE ''I told Vanessa hello from all the Miss America girls, and she said to give them hell. So I told them that, then they laughed and looked confused''
Stephanie Diani

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You know and love him as bitchy assistant Marc St. James — the gay boyfriend of receptionist Amanda (Becki Newton) and manservant of diva editrix Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) on Ugly Betty. But now, prepare to see Michael Urie as Michael Urie, hosting Miss America: Reality Check, a reality series launching Jan. 4 at 10 p.m. on TLC. Don't groan! It's not another reality show pitting prissy queens against each other. Instead, it's a new take on the traditional Miss America pageant. Over four episodes, Urie leads the girls through challenges that teach them about runway walking, intelligent question-answering, and nurturing their personal style. The test? The revamped main event, Miss America LIVE!, which airs Jan. 26. EW checked in with Urie for his musings about the new series, working with Betty White on Ugly Betty, and what he's doing to fill his strike-induced free time.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So the Miss America: Reality Check series you're hosting...
MICHAEL URIE: Just thinking about it makes me laugh!

What's funny about it? What made you want to do this?
I never really watched Miss America, I never really aspired to be a host of reality shows. I actually prefer hosting live things because it's fun to be in front of an audience. At first I was like, ''Oh, uhhh, I don't know.'' Then I met with them, and I found out what it was all about: The girls had no idea what they were getting themselves into and everything was changing. So I thought, ''Well, they're going to be like 52 fish out of water, why shouldn't I be a fish out of water, too? It sounds like fun!''

Do you find it hard for people to separate you from Marc?
It's actually a really nice compliment. It means that I'm doing something right. People often assume that I'm mean and they want me to be mean, like him. Usually women want me to be their friend. They want to be my Amanda. That's fun. But generally, I'm not like him in those ways. I'm not mean, and I'm not at all fashionable. Everything I've learned about fashion, I've learned from Marc.

So the reality show leads up to the live Miss America pageant. What will you actually be doing in your role as host?
I'm kinda like Seacrest: I present the challenges and I announce who's doing well and who's not doing well. I hang out with them. I don't stay with them. I don't sleep in the house with them! I offered, but there's some kind of rule. [Laughs] Fifty-two girls and one guy...

What kind of challenges will the girls face? Does this prep them for the big night?
I can't tell you what the challenges are, but every challenge has something to do with what's going to be expected of them at the live Miss America pageant. They learn about the new style of Miss America. This year, instead of just parading across the stage, it's all runway. When they come out in evening gowns, they're runway models. And in their bathing suits, they're runway models. There's a big less-is-more feeling this year. We kept saying ''make-under'' instead of ''makeover.'' The advisory board stresses bringing down the hair and doing less.

So we're saying goodbye to sequins and feathers?
Less sequins, less hairspray, less eye shadow and rouge. There'll be less of everything to bring out their own natural beauty and their natural style. It's very much about the inside-out now, as opposed to the outside-in. We have a packet of their headshots from when they started. You wouldn't recognize them now because they originally looked like 40-year-old women. They're actually gorgeous young women! These girls looked like senators and librarians and teachers and moms, and none of them are any of those things. They're all young, hot girls. There's no reason for them not to look the way they want to look and still be able to compete in a pageant like this. It never really made sense, why they would age up. Who does that? Who tries to make themselves look older?

NEXT PAGE: How Urie crashed a scene with Betty White


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