Beauty left her Brain in the box-'Can I phone a friend?': Miss USA contestants struggle to name the Vice President

For women battling each other to claim the coveted crown of Miss USA, you would think they'd care to know the basics of their country.
But a hilarious quiz has revealed nearly half of the contestants quizzed on the nation's vice president could not name him.
And most did not know the colour of the waves of grain mentioned in the song America the Beautiful - a mainstay of classrooms across the country.

Miss-informed: One of the Miss USA contestants, Michelle Leonardo of New Jersey, is unable to name the vice president while on a Bravo quiz show

Seeing the funny side: Five out of 11 girls from the Eastern states, including Miss Vermont, left, and Miss Maine, right, were unable to correctly name Joe Biden

On his Bravo show Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen asked a selection of the women to answer questions about the United States.
Cohen is hosting the contest Miss USA 2012 this weekend in Las Vegas.

 

He asked 11 contestants representing Eastern states to name the vice president - but only five could correctly name Joe Biden.
The women from Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia and Maine fell short, as they giggled helplessly at the camera or clutched their hair.

No idea: Autumn Muller from Montana did not know that the waves of grain in the song America the Beautiful are amber

Miss Mississippi and Miss Arkansas were not asked the name of the Vice President, but they both DID know what FBI stands for when asked

Tough questions: Andy Cohen posed the questions to the girls on his show Watch What Happens Live. Do you know who the mystery man on the right is?

'I don't know anything about politics,' Miss Massachusetts wailed, while Virginia opted for the safest answer to any pageant question: 'World peace.'
Others, from Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia, confidently named Joe Biden.
Cohen, who will host the competition with Giuliana Rancic, then turned to the Western states to ask, 'In America the Beautiful, what colour are the waves of grain?'
Of the seven women, three correctly guessed 'amber' - with suggestions ranging from 'tan' to grey'.

The contestants, including Biden-knowledgeable Miss West Virginia, center, already competed in a preliminary swimsuit round, seen here, ahead of this Sunday's competition

Miss North Carolina was one of seven women asked what FBI stood for. All seven contestants got that question correct

Failing to reach the right answer along with girls from California, New Mexico and Arizona, Montana asked if she could 'phone a friend'.
Finally, Cohen quizzed seven women from the South to prove they knew FBI stood for Federal Bureau of Investigation.
All of the women, from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Arkansas, answered correctly.

Unfortunately for viewers of WWHL, not every contestant was featured in the abbreviated quiz show. Here Miss Oklahoma, Miss Ohio, Miss Minnesota and Miss Michigan compete in their swimsuit preliminary. They looked much more confident on stage than many of their competitors did when being quizzed

On Sunday one of the 2012 contestants will take the crown from reigning Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella, pictured center

Cohen guessed it was because the contestants had all seen the Sandra Bullock movie Miss Congeniality, in which she plays an FBI agent infiltrating the pageant world.

Miss USA 2012 will be broadcast from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The competition features 51 women from across the United States.
Last year's victor was Aylssa Campanella, who was representing California.