The
Miss USA beauty contestA beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
has been held annually since 1952 to select the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrant in the
Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant. The
Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
operates both pageants, as well as
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
.
Miss USA 2011 is
Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
, the current titleholder, who competed as
Miss California USAMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
History
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when
Yolande BetbezeYolande Betbeze Fox was Miss America in 1951.Fox entered Miss Alabama for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented...
, winner of the rival
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor
CatalinaCatalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by...
decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant, and create their own competition. Other owners have included a subsidiary of
Gulf+WesternGulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
Industries,
ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, and billionaire
Donald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, the current owner who bought the pageant in 1996.
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in
Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was
Miss New York USAThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
Jackie LougheryJacqueline "Jackie" Loughery is best known as the first Miss New York USA and winner of the first Miss USA beauty pageant, in Long Beach, California. In 1952, she won the title only after a second ballot broke a first-place tie...
. There were thirty delegates in the first year of competition, and many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. From the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year.
AlaskaThe Miss Alaska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Alaska in the Miss USA pageant.Alaska's highest placement was in 1964, with Patricia Marlin as the second runner up. Alaska's most recent placement was in 1990 when Karin Meyer placed in the top 6...
first competed in 1959 and
HawaiiThe Miss Hawaii USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.Hawaii is the most recent state to start competing at Miss USA, as it first competed in 1962. Prior to this delegates were sent to Miss Universe...
in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from
1963The year 1963 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.-Events:*January 13 – BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand...
until
2002The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host.
John Charles DalyJohn Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
hosted the show from 1963–1966,
Bob BarkerRobert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
from 1967 until 1987 (at which point he quit in a dispute over fur coats),
Alan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989–1993, and
Bob GoenRobert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
from 1994–1996. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s, when it regularly topped the Neilsen ratings. Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000–2001. In 2002, owner Donald Trump brokered a new deal with
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, giving them half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA and moving them to NBC on an initial five year contract. The pageants were first shown on NBC in 2003.
Historically, the winner of the Miss USA title has represented the United States in its sister Miss Universe pageant. Since its inception, seven Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, it was established when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This has happened in 1980, 1995 and 1997. In 1967, the first runner-up declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up
Cheryl PattonCheryl Patton is a pageant titleholder from North Miami Beach, Florida who has held the Miss USA title.In 1966 Patton was a runner-up in the Miss Florida World pageant. The following year she won the Miss Florida USA 1967 title and represented Florida in the Miss USA 1967 pageant held in Miami...
. The only instance where a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957 when
Mary Leona GageMary Leona Gage was a beauty queen from Maryland who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first, and so far, only woman from that state to capture the Miss USA crown...
resigned when it was discovered she was married.
Competition
The modern pageant consists of a preliminary competition, held in the week before the pageant where all contestants are judged in swimsuit, gown, and interview. From this, semifinalists are chosen, and they are announced during the live broadcast of the final competition. These semifinalists then compete in swimsuit and evening gown, and the finalists are chosen. This is when the interview competition is held. The runners-up and winner are announced at the end of the telecast. Since 1997, the judges for the finals have been different from those who judged the Preliminary competition.
From 1975–2000, all delegates who made the initial cut competed in an interview competition in some format, often involving all semi-finalists. As of 2001, this interview portion was taken away, leaving only the final question for the top five delegates to answer.
From 1979–2002, the average scores of each delegate were shown on the television broadcast and thus the semi-finalists could be ranked. This was changed in 2003 to a "circle" system where judges choose a certain number of delegates to "circle", and those with the most "circles" made the cut. This was the same system that was used prior to the computer scoring system implemented in 1979. In 2007, this system came back and contestants' composite scores are shown live.
State competitions
Every year, each state holds a preliminary competition to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant. In some states (such as
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
and
FloridaThe Miss Florida USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Florida in the Miss USA pageant.While Florida has been successful in terms of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, the state has never won the Miss USA pageant, although Cheryl Patton became Miss USA...
), local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition. The state winners hold the title "Miss State USA" for the year of their reign.
The most successful state is Texas, which has had the most semi-finalists and winners, including five consecutive Miss USA titleholders during the 1980s. Other successful states include
CaliforniaMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
,
New YorkThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
,
AlabamaThe Miss Alabama USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss USA pageant.Alabama is one of the more successful and consistent states at Miss USA. Although they have had a number of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, they have only...
,
TennesseeThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
and
GeorgiaThe Miss Georgia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Georgia in the Miss USA pageant.Historically, Georgia has been the eleventh most successful state at Miss USA and has performed in more recent years, placing eighth on the table of most successful states...
. The least successful states are
DelawareThe Miss Delaware USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Delaware in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Investments....
, the only state that has never placed;
MontanaThe Miss Montana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Montana in the Miss USA pageant.Montana is one of the least successful states in Miss USA history, but there has been success in other pageants. Miss Montana USA 2005 Amanda Kimmel was chosen to...
, which has not placed since the 1950s;
South DakotaThe Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. This state pageant is currently directed by Future Productions....
, which has only placed twice (the last time in 1974), and
Wyoming, Miss Wyoming USA 2012]]The Miss Wyoming USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Wyoming in the Miss USA pageant. The Miss Wyoming USA pageant is currently produced by Future Productions....
, which gained only its second placement in 2010. The only state which has produced more than one Miss Universe is
South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been produced by RPM Productions since 1980....
.
The
Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
licenses out the state pageants to pageant directors, who in some cases are responsible for more than one state. The most well established directorial groups are RPM Productions, created in 1980 (
LouisianaThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
,
North CarolinaThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
, South Carolina), and Vanbros, created in the early 1990s (
ArkansasThe Miss Arkansas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant.The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization in 2007...
,
KansasThe Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant.Kansas did not place at Miss USA until 1973, the third-to-last state to make their first placement. From then, no delegate from Kansas made the cut until 1991, when Kelli...
,
MissouriThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
,
NebraskaThe Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant.In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
and
OklahomaFor the article about the Miss America state pageant, see Miss OklahomaThe Miss Oklahoma USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant....
). Future Productions direct the most states, six, across the Midwest and Rockies.
Winners
The first Asian American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson in 1962; the first Hispanic was Laura Martinez-Herring in 1985; the first African-American,
Carole GistCarole Anne-Marie Gist was the first African American woman to win the Miss USA title. Gist first won the title of Miss Michigan USA and went on to win the Miss USA crown on March 2, 1990 in Wichita, Kansas...
in 1990; and the first Miss USA of Middle-Eastern descent was
Rima FakihRima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
in 2010.
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
is the only woman to have held both the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles. She was
Miss Idaho Teen USAThe Miss Idaho Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Idaho has only placed twice and as such is one of the least successful states at Miss Teen USA...
,
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
1989,
Miss Idaho USAThe Miss Idaho USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss USA pageant.Idaho is one of the least successful states in the history of the competition, with only four placements in fifty-seven years...
1997, first runner-up at
Miss USA 1997Miss USA 1997, the forty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at Shreveport, Louisiana in January and February, 1997. Delegates arrived in the city on January 19, the preliminary competition was held on February 2, 1997 and the final competition on February 5, 1997...
and in May 1997 assumed the Miss USA title after Brook Lee won the Miss Universe pageant. Nine other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. These include:
- Shanna Moakler
Shanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
(1995), (Miss Rhode Island Teen USAThe Miss Rhode Island Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Rhode Island in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1992), Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
(1996), (Miss Louisiana Teen USAThe Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1990), Kimberly PresslerKimberly Pressler is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles.-Pageant career:...
(1999) (Miss New York Teen USAThe Miss New York Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Like the first Miss USA competition , the first Miss Teen USA competition was won by a Miss New York Teen USA. That winner was Ruth Zakarian, who went on to...
1994), Lynnette ColeLynnette Cole-O'Nan , won the title Miss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000....
(2000) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1995), Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
(2003) (Miss Massachusetts Teen USAThe Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1998), Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
(2005) (Miss North Carolina Teen USAThe Miss North Carolina Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of North Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant and is part of the RPM Productions group....
2000), Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
(2006) (Miss Kentucky Teen USAThe Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Kentucky is ranked eight in terms of place and value of placements across all twenty-three years of competition at Miss Teen USA. When this is broken down to...
2002), Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
(2007) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2002) and Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
(2011) (Miss New Jersey Teen USAThe Miss New Jersey Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2007).
Five Miss USA titleholders have also competed at
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. These included: (
Miriam StevensonMiriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown....
,
Carlene King JohnsonCarlene King Johnson Drake was Miss USA 1955.After winning the Miss Vermont USA crown, Johnson, from Rutland, Vermont went on to become Vermont's only representative to achieve the title of Miss USA. Previously, she was Miss Vermont 1953.Johnson was born to Dr. Norman & Katherine King Johnson....
and
Carol MorrisCarol Ann Laverne Morris , Miss Iowa USA, was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956....
) (1954–1956),
Mai ShanleyMai Therese Shanley , Miss New Mexico USA, Miss USA 1984, is a former beauty queen. Her mother is ethnically Taiwanese and is from Taiwan, while her father is Irish American....
(1984) and
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
(2004). Shandi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004 and
Miss MissouriThe Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.-History:From 1935 to 1970, the Miss Missouri pageant was held in a number of locations, including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.In 1970, the pageant was held...
2002 won a preliminary evening gown award at
Miss America 2003Miss America 2003, the 82nd Miss America, pageant, was televised live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 2002 on the ABC Network...
. Also, Miriam Stevenson placed in the top 10 at
Miss America 1954Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from the state had previously held the title , Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others had represented...
as
Miss South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 90s. Spartanburg has hosted the...
1953.
Many Miss USA winners have gone to pursue careers in the
entertainmentEntertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
industry. Those who have been successful in the industry include
Summer BartholomewSummer Robin Bartholomew is a model and actress who won the 1975 Miss USA pageant.Her first pageant experience came in 1973 when she won the Miss Oktoberfest title....
,
Deborah SheltonDeborah 'Debbie' Shelton is an American beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA title and appeared on Dallas for three seasons.-Pageants:In 1970 Shelton competed in the Miss Virginia USA pageant to spite her then boyfriend...
,
Laura Martinez-HerringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
,
Shanna MoaklerShanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
,
Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
,
Kenya MooreKenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, beauty queen, model and author.She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me...
,
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
,
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
and
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
.
Recent titleholders
| Year |
Miss USA |
State Represented |
Host City |
Placement at Miss Universe |
| 2011 Miss USA 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at the end...
|
Alyssa Campanella Alyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
|
 CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 16 Semi-finalist |
| 2010 Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...
|
Rima Fakih Rima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
|
 MichiganThe Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Non-Finalist |
| 2009 Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009...
|
Kristen DaltonKristen Jeannine Dalton , from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009.-Biography:Dalton is the daughter of Jeannine Dalton who was Miss North Carolina USA 1982...
|
 North CarolinaThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
| 2008 Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
|
Crystle StewartCrystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
|
 TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2007Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee....
|
Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
|
 TennesseeThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
4th runner-up |
2006Miss USA 2006, the 55th Miss USA pageant, was held at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky...
|
Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
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 KentuckyThe Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. The current director for the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA titles is Connie Clark Harrison. Mrs...
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Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
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4th runner-up |
2005Miss USA 2005, the 54th Miss USA pageant, was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 11, 2005. It was won by Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title of Miss USA in the Hippodrome Theatre on April 11, 2005...
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Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
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North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
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Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
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Top 10 Finalist |
2004The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...
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Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
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 MissouriThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
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Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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1st runner-up |
2003The Miss USA 2003 pageant was held in San Antonio, Texas March 24, 2003, the first time it had been held in this state since 1996 when the pageant was held in South Padre Island...
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Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
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 MassachusettsThe Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
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San AntonioSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
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Top 15 Semi-finalist |
2002The Miss USA 2002 pageant was held in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2002. The event was won by Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen Kandace Krueger of Texas....
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Shauntay HintonShauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
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 District of ColumbiaThe Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant....
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GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
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Non Finalist |
2001Miss USA 2001, the 50th edition of the Miss USA pageant was held at the Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Tennessee....
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Kandace KruegerKandace Gayle Krueger Matthews is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She was born to Larry & Barbara Johnson Krueger...
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TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
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GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
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2nd runner-up |
Winners gallery
The
Miss USA beauty contestA beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
has been held annually since 1952 to select the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrant in the
Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant. The
Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
operates both pageants, as well as
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
.
Miss USA 2011 is
Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
, the current titleholder, who competed as
Miss California USAMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
History
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when
Yolande BetbezeYolande Betbeze Fox was Miss America in 1951.Fox entered Miss Alabama for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented...
, winner of the rival
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor
CatalinaCatalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by...
decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant, and create their own competition. Other owners have included a subsidiary of
Gulf+WesternGulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
Industries,
ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, and billionaire
Donald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, the current owner who bought the pageant in 1996.
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in
Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was
Miss New York USAThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
Jackie LougheryJacqueline "Jackie" Loughery is best known as the first Miss New York USA and winner of the first Miss USA beauty pageant, in Long Beach, California. In 1952, she won the title only after a second ballot broke a first-place tie...
. There were thirty delegates in the first year of competition, and many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. From the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year.
AlaskaThe Miss Alaska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Alaska in the Miss USA pageant.Alaska's highest placement was in 1964, with Patricia Marlin as the second runner up. Alaska's most recent placement was in 1990 when Karin Meyer placed in the top 6...
first competed in 1959 and
HawaiiThe Miss Hawaii USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.Hawaii is the most recent state to start competing at Miss USA, as it first competed in 1962. Prior to this delegates were sent to Miss Universe...
in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from
1963The year 1963 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.-Events:*January 13 – BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand...
until
2002The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host.
John Charles DalyJohn Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
hosted the show from 1963–1966,
Bob BarkerRobert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
from 1967 until 1987 (at which point he quit in a dispute over fur coats),
Alan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989–1993, and
Bob GoenRobert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
from 1994–1996. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s, when it regularly topped the Neilsen ratings. Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000–2001. In 2002, owner Donald Trump brokered a new deal with
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, giving them half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA and moving them to NBC on an initial five year contract. The pageants were first shown on NBC in 2003.
Historically, the winner of the Miss USA title has represented the United States in its sister Miss Universe pageant. Since its inception, seven Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, it was established when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This has happened in 1980, 1995 and 1997. In 1967, the first runner-up declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up
Cheryl PattonCheryl Patton is a pageant titleholder from North Miami Beach, Florida who has held the Miss USA title.In 1966 Patton was a runner-up in the Miss Florida World pageant. The following year she won the Miss Florida USA 1967 title and represented Florida in the Miss USA 1967 pageant held in Miami...
. The only instance where a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957 when
Mary Leona GageMary Leona Gage was a beauty queen from Maryland who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first, and so far, only woman from that state to capture the Miss USA crown...
resigned when it was discovered she was married.
Competition
The modern pageant consists of a preliminary competition, held in the week before the pageant where all contestants are judged in swimsuit, gown, and interview. From this, semifinalists are chosen, and they are announced during the live broadcast of the final competition. These semifinalists then compete in swimsuit and evening gown, and the finalists are chosen. This is when the interview competition is held. The runners-up and winner are announced at the end of the telecast. Since 1997, the judges for the finals have been different from those who judged the Preliminary competition.
From 1975–2000, all delegates who made the initial cut competed in an interview competition in some format, often involving all semi-finalists. As of 2001, this interview portion was taken away, leaving only the final question for the top five delegates to answer.
From 1979–2002, the average scores of each delegate were shown on the television broadcast and thus the semi-finalists could be ranked. This was changed in 2003 to a "circle" system where judges choose a certain number of delegates to "circle", and those with the most "circles" made the cut. This was the same system that was used prior to the computer scoring system implemented in 1979. In 2007, this system came back and contestants' composite scores are shown live.
State competitions
Every year, each state holds a preliminary competition to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant. In some states (such as
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
and
FloridaThe Miss Florida USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Florida in the Miss USA pageant.While Florida has been successful in terms of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, the state has never won the Miss USA pageant, although Cheryl Patton became Miss USA...
), local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition. The state winners hold the title "Miss State USA" for the year of their reign.
The most successful state is Texas, which has had the most semi-finalists and winners, including five consecutive Miss USA titleholders during the 1980s. Other successful states include
CaliforniaMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
,
New YorkThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
,
AlabamaThe Miss Alabama USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss USA pageant.Alabama is one of the more successful and consistent states at Miss USA. Although they have had a number of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, they have only...
,
TennesseeThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
and
GeorgiaThe Miss Georgia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Georgia in the Miss USA pageant.Historically, Georgia has been the eleventh most successful state at Miss USA and has performed in more recent years, placing eighth on the table of most successful states...
. The least successful states are
DelawareThe Miss Delaware USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Delaware in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Investments....
, the only state that has never placed;
MontanaThe Miss Montana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Montana in the Miss USA pageant.Montana is one of the least successful states in Miss USA history, but there has been success in other pageants. Miss Montana USA 2005 Amanda Kimmel was chosen to...
, which has not placed since the 1950s;
South DakotaThe Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. This state pageant is currently directed by Future Productions....
, which has only placed twice (the last time in 1974), and
Wyoming, Miss Wyoming USA 2012]]The Miss Wyoming USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Wyoming in the Miss USA pageant. The Miss Wyoming USA pageant is currently produced by Future Productions....
, which gained only its second placement in 2010. The only state which has produced more than one Miss Universe is
South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been produced by RPM Productions since 1980....
.
The
Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
licenses out the state pageants to pageant directors, who in some cases are responsible for more than one state. The most well established directorial groups are RPM Productions, created in 1980 (
LouisianaThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
,
North CarolinaThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
, South Carolina), and Vanbros, created in the early 1990s (
ArkansasThe Miss Arkansas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant.The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization in 2007...
,
KansasThe Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant.Kansas did not place at Miss USA until 1973, the third-to-last state to make their first placement. From then, no delegate from Kansas made the cut until 1991, when Kelli...
,
MissouriThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
,
NebraskaThe Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant.In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
and
OklahomaFor the article about the Miss America state pageant, see Miss OklahomaThe Miss Oklahoma USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant....
). Future Productions direct the most states, six, across the Midwest and Rockies.
Winners
The first Asian American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson in 1962; the first Hispanic was Laura Martinez-Herring in 1985; the first African-American,
Carole GistCarole Anne-Marie Gist was the first African American woman to win the Miss USA title. Gist first won the title of Miss Michigan USA and went on to win the Miss USA crown on March 2, 1990 in Wichita, Kansas...
in 1990; and the first Miss USA of Middle-Eastern descent was
Rima FakihRima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
in 2010.
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
is the only woman to have held both the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles. She was
Miss Idaho Teen USAThe Miss Idaho Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Idaho has only placed twice and as such is one of the least successful states at Miss Teen USA...
,
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
1989,
Miss Idaho USAThe Miss Idaho USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss USA pageant.Idaho is one of the least successful states in the history of the competition, with only four placements in fifty-seven years...
1997, first runner-up at
Miss USA 1997Miss USA 1997, the forty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at Shreveport, Louisiana in January and February, 1997. Delegates arrived in the city on January 19, the preliminary competition was held on February 2, 1997 and the final competition on February 5, 1997...
and in May 1997 assumed the Miss USA title after Brook Lee won the Miss Universe pageant. Nine other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. These include:
- Shanna Moakler
Shanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
(1995), (Miss Rhode Island Teen USAThe Miss Rhode Island Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Rhode Island in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1992), Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
(1996), (Miss Louisiana Teen USAThe Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1990), Kimberly PresslerKimberly Pressler is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles.-Pageant career:...
(1999) (Miss New York Teen USAThe Miss New York Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Like the first Miss USA competition , the first Miss Teen USA competition was won by a Miss New York Teen USA. That winner was Ruth Zakarian, who went on to...
1994), Lynnette ColeLynnette Cole-O'Nan , won the title Miss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000....
(2000) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1995), Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
(2003) (Miss Massachusetts Teen USAThe Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1998), Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
(2005) (Miss North Carolina Teen USAThe Miss North Carolina Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of North Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant and is part of the RPM Productions group....
2000), Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
(2006) (Miss Kentucky Teen USAThe Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Kentucky is ranked eight in terms of place and value of placements across all twenty-three years of competition at Miss Teen USA. When this is broken down to...
2002), Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
(2007) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2002) and Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
(2011) (Miss New Jersey Teen USAThe Miss New Jersey Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2007).
Five Miss USA titleholders have also competed at
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. These included: (
Miriam StevensonMiriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown....
,
Carlene King JohnsonCarlene King Johnson Drake was Miss USA 1955.After winning the Miss Vermont USA crown, Johnson, from Rutland, Vermont went on to become Vermont's only representative to achieve the title of Miss USA. Previously, she was Miss Vermont 1953.Johnson was born to Dr. Norman & Katherine King Johnson....
and
Carol MorrisCarol Ann Laverne Morris , Miss Iowa USA, was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956....
) (1954–1956),
Mai ShanleyMai Therese Shanley , Miss New Mexico USA, Miss USA 1984, is a former beauty queen. Her mother is ethnically Taiwanese and is from Taiwan, while her father is Irish American....
(1984) and
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
(2004). Shandi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004 and
Miss MissouriThe Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.-History:From 1935 to 1970, the Miss Missouri pageant was held in a number of locations, including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.In 1970, the pageant was held...
2002 won a preliminary evening gown award at
Miss America 2003Miss America 2003, the 82nd Miss America, pageant, was televised live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 2002 on the ABC Network...
. Also, Miriam Stevenson placed in the top 10 at
Miss America 1954Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from the state had previously held the title , Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others had represented...
as
Miss South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 90s. Spartanburg has hosted the...
1953.
Many Miss USA winners have gone to pursue careers in the
entertainmentEntertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
industry. Those who have been successful in the industry include
Summer BartholomewSummer Robin Bartholomew is a model and actress who won the 1975 Miss USA pageant.Her first pageant experience came in 1973 when she won the Miss Oktoberfest title....
,
Deborah SheltonDeborah 'Debbie' Shelton is an American beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA title and appeared on Dallas for three seasons.-Pageants:In 1970 Shelton competed in the Miss Virginia USA pageant to spite her then boyfriend...
,
Laura Martinez-HerringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
,
Shanna MoaklerShanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
,
Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
,
Kenya MooreKenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, beauty queen, model and author.She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me...
,
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
,
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
and
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
.
Recent titleholders
| Year |
Miss USA |
State Represented |
Host City |
Placement at Miss Universe |
| 2011 Miss USA 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at the end...
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Alyssa Campanella Alyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
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CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
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Top 16 Semi-finalist |
| 2010 Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...
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Rima Fakih Rima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
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Michigan The Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
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Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
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Non-Finalist |
| 2009 Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009...
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Kristen DaltonKristen Jeannine Dalton , from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009.-Biography:Dalton is the daughter of Jeannine Dalton who was Miss North Carolina USA 1982...
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North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
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Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
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Top 10 Finalist |
| 2008 Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
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Crystle StewartCrystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
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TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
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Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
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Top 10 Finalist |
2007Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee....
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Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
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Tennessee The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
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Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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4th runner-up |
2006Miss USA 2006, the 55th Miss USA pageant, was held at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky...
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Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
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Kentucky The Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. The current director for the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA titles is Connie Clark Harrison. Mrs...
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Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
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4th runner-up |
2005Miss USA 2005, the 54th Miss USA pageant, was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 11, 2005. It was won by Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title of Miss USA in the Hippodrome Theatre on April 11, 2005...
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Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
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North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
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Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
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Top 10 Finalist |
2004The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...
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Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
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Missouri The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
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Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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1st runner-up |
2003The Miss USA 2003 pageant was held in San Antonio, Texas March 24, 2003, the first time it had been held in this state since 1996 when the pageant was held in South Padre Island...
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Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
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Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
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San AntonioSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
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Top 15 Semi-finalist |
2002The Miss USA 2002 pageant was held in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2002. The event was won by Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen Kandace Krueger of Texas....
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Shauntay HintonShauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
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District of Columbia The Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant....
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GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
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Non Finalist |
2001Miss USA 2001, the 50th edition of the Miss USA pageant was held at the Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Tennessee....
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Kandace KruegerKandace Gayle Krueger Matthews is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She was born to Larry & Barbara Johnson Krueger...
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TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
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GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
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2nd runner-up |
Winners gallery
The
Miss USA beauty contestA beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
has been held annually since 1952 to select the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrant in the
Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant. The
Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
operates both pageants, as well as
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
.
Miss USA 2011 is
Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
, the current titleholder, who competed as
Miss California USAMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
History
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when
Yolande BetbezeYolande Betbeze Fox was Miss America in 1951.Fox entered Miss Alabama for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented...
, winner of the rival
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor
CatalinaCatalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by...
decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant, and create their own competition. Other owners have included a subsidiary of
Gulf+WesternGulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
Industries,
ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, and billionaire
Donald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, the current owner who bought the pageant in 1996.
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in
Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was
Miss New York USAThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
Jackie LougheryJacqueline "Jackie" Loughery is best known as the first Miss New York USA and winner of the first Miss USA beauty pageant, in Long Beach, California. In 1952, she won the title only after a second ballot broke a first-place tie...
. There were thirty delegates in the first year of competition, and many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. From the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year.
AlaskaThe Miss Alaska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Alaska in the Miss USA pageant.Alaska's highest placement was in 1964, with Patricia Marlin as the second runner up. Alaska's most recent placement was in 1990 when Karin Meyer placed in the top 6...
first competed in 1959 and
HawaiiThe Miss Hawaii USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.Hawaii is the most recent state to start competing at Miss USA, as it first competed in 1962. Prior to this delegates were sent to Miss Universe...
in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from
1963The year 1963 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.-Events:*January 13 – BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand...
until
2002The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host.
John Charles DalyJohn Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
hosted the show from 1963–1966,
Bob BarkerRobert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
from 1967 until 1987 (at which point he quit in a dispute over fur coats),
Alan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989–1993, and
Bob GoenRobert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
from 1994–1996. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s, when it regularly topped the Neilsen ratings. Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000–2001. In 2002, owner Donald Trump brokered a new deal with
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, giving them half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA and moving them to NBC on an initial five year contract. The pageants were first shown on NBC in 2003.
Historically, the winner of the Miss USA title has represented the United States in its sister Miss Universe pageant. Since its inception, seven Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, it was established when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This has happened in 1980, 1995 and 1997. In 1967, the first runner-up declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up
Cheryl PattonCheryl Patton is a pageant titleholder from North Miami Beach, Florida who has held the Miss USA title.In 1966 Patton was a runner-up in the Miss Florida World pageant. The following year she won the Miss Florida USA 1967 title and represented Florida in the Miss USA 1967 pageant held in Miami...
. The only instance where a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957 when
Mary Leona GageMary Leona Gage was a beauty queen from Maryland who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first, and so far, only woman from that state to capture the Miss USA crown...
resigned when it was discovered she was married.
Competition
The modern pageant consists of a preliminary competition, held in the week before the pageant where all contestants are judged in swimsuit, gown, and interview. From this, semifinalists are chosen, and they are announced during the live broadcast of the final competition. These semifinalists then compete in swimsuit and evening gown, and the finalists are chosen. This is when the interview competition is held. The runners-up and winner are announced at the end of the telecast. Since 1997, the judges for the finals have been different from those who judged the Preliminary competition.
From 1975–2000, all delegates who made the initial cut competed in an interview competition in some format, often involving all semi-finalists. As of 2001, this interview portion was taken away, leaving only the final question for the top five delegates to answer.
From 1979–2002, the average scores of each delegate were shown on the television broadcast and thus the semi-finalists could be ranked. This was changed in 2003 to a "circle" system where judges choose a certain number of delegates to "circle", and those with the most "circles" made the cut. This was the same system that was used prior to the computer scoring system implemented in 1979. In 2007, this system came back and contestants' composite scores are shown live.
State competitions
Every year, each state holds a preliminary competition to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant. In some states (such as
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
and
FloridaThe Miss Florida USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Florida in the Miss USA pageant.While Florida has been successful in terms of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, the state has never won the Miss USA pageant, although Cheryl Patton became Miss USA...
), local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition. The state winners hold the title "Miss State USA" for the year of their reign.
The most successful state is Texas, which has had the most semi-finalists and winners, including five consecutive Miss USA titleholders during the 1980s. Other successful states include
CaliforniaMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
,
New YorkThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
,
AlabamaThe Miss Alabama USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss USA pageant.Alabama is one of the more successful and consistent states at Miss USA. Although they have had a number of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, they have only...
,
TennesseeThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
and
GeorgiaThe Miss Georgia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Georgia in the Miss USA pageant.Historically, Georgia has been the eleventh most successful state at Miss USA and has performed in more recent years, placing eighth on the table of most successful states...
. The least successful states are
DelawareThe Miss Delaware USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Delaware in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Investments....
, the only state that has never placed;
MontanaThe Miss Montana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Montana in the Miss USA pageant.Montana is one of the least successful states in Miss USA history, but there has been success in other pageants. Miss Montana USA 2005 Amanda Kimmel was chosen to...
, which has not placed since the 1950s;
South DakotaThe Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. This state pageant is currently directed by Future Productions....
, which has only placed twice (the last time in 1974), and
Wyoming, Miss Wyoming USA 2012]]The Miss Wyoming USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Wyoming in the Miss USA pageant. The Miss Wyoming USA pageant is currently produced by Future Productions....
, which gained only its second placement in 2010. The only state which has produced more than one Miss Universe is
South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been produced by RPM Productions since 1980....
.
The
Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
licenses out the state pageants to pageant directors, who in some cases are responsible for more than one state. The most well established directorial groups are RPM Productions, created in 1980 (
LouisianaThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
,
North CarolinaThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
, South Carolina), and Vanbros, created in the early 1990s (
ArkansasThe Miss Arkansas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant.The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization in 2007...
,
KansasThe Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant.Kansas did not place at Miss USA until 1973, the third-to-last state to make their first placement. From then, no delegate from Kansas made the cut until 1991, when Kelli...
,
MissouriThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
,
NebraskaThe Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant.In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
and
OklahomaFor the article about the Miss America state pageant, see Miss OklahomaThe Miss Oklahoma USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant....
). Future Productions direct the most states, six, across the Midwest and Rockies.
Winners
The first Asian American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson in 1962; the first Hispanic was Laura Martinez-Herring in 1985; the first African-American,
Carole GistCarole Anne-Marie Gist was the first African American woman to win the Miss USA title. Gist first won the title of Miss Michigan USA and went on to win the Miss USA crown on March 2, 1990 in Wichita, Kansas...
in 1990; and the first Miss USA of Middle-Eastern descent was
Rima FakihRima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
in 2010.
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
is the only woman to have held both the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles. She was
Miss Idaho Teen USAThe Miss Idaho Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Idaho has only placed twice and as such is one of the least successful states at Miss Teen USA...
,
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
1989,
Miss Idaho USAThe Miss Idaho USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss USA pageant.Idaho is one of the least successful states in the history of the competition, with only four placements in fifty-seven years...
1997, first runner-up at
Miss USA 1997Miss USA 1997, the forty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at Shreveport, Louisiana in January and February, 1997. Delegates arrived in the city on January 19, the preliminary competition was held on February 2, 1997 and the final competition on February 5, 1997...
and in May 1997 assumed the Miss USA title after Brook Lee won the Miss Universe pageant. Nine other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at
Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. These include:
- Shanna Moakler
Shanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
(1995), (Miss Rhode Island Teen USAThe Miss Rhode Island Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Rhode Island in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1992), Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
(1996), (Miss Louisiana Teen USAThe Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1990), Kimberly PresslerKimberly Pressler is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles.-Pageant career:...
(1999) (Miss New York Teen USAThe Miss New York Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Like the first Miss USA competition , the first Miss Teen USA competition was won by a Miss New York Teen USA. That winner was Ruth Zakarian, who went on to...
1994), Lynnette ColeLynnette Cole-O'Nan , won the title Miss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000....
(2000) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1995), Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
(2003) (Miss Massachusetts Teen USAThe Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1998), Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
(2005) (Miss North Carolina Teen USAThe Miss North Carolina Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of North Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant and is part of the RPM Productions group....
2000), Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
(2006) (Miss Kentucky Teen USAThe Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Kentucky is ranked eight in terms of place and value of placements across all twenty-three years of competition at Miss Teen USA. When this is broken down to...
2002), Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
(2007) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2002) and Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
(2011) (Miss New Jersey Teen USAThe Miss New Jersey Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2007).
Five Miss USA titleholders have also competed at
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. These included: (
Miriam StevensonMiriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown....
,
Carlene King JohnsonCarlene King Johnson Drake was Miss USA 1955.After winning the Miss Vermont USA crown, Johnson, from Rutland, Vermont went on to become Vermont's only representative to achieve the title of Miss USA. Previously, she was Miss Vermont 1953.Johnson was born to Dr. Norman & Katherine King Johnson....
and
Carol MorrisCarol Ann Laverne Morris , Miss Iowa USA, was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956....
) (1954–1956),
Mai ShanleyMai Therese Shanley , Miss New Mexico USA, Miss USA 1984, is a former beauty queen. Her mother is ethnically Taiwanese and is from Taiwan, while her father is Irish American....
(1984) and
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
(2004). Shandi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004 and
Miss MissouriThe Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.-History:From 1935 to 1970, the Miss Missouri pageant was held in a number of locations, including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.In 1970, the pageant was held...
2002 won a preliminary evening gown award at
Miss America 2003Miss America 2003, the 82nd Miss America, pageant, was televised live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 2002 on the ABC Network...
. Also, Miriam Stevenson placed in the top 10 at
Miss America 1954Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from the state had previously held the title , Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others had represented...
as
Miss South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 90s. Spartanburg has hosted the...
1953.
Many Miss USA winners have gone to pursue careers in the
entertainmentEntertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
industry. Those who have been successful in the industry include
Summer BartholomewSummer Robin Bartholomew is a model and actress who won the 1975 Miss USA pageant.Her first pageant experience came in 1973 when she won the Miss Oktoberfest title....
,
Deborah SheltonDeborah 'Debbie' Shelton is an American beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA title and appeared on Dallas for three seasons.-Pageants:In 1970 Shelton competed in the Miss Virginia USA pageant to spite her then boyfriend...
,
Laura Martinez-HerringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
,
Shanna MoaklerShanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
,
Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
,
Kenya MooreKenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, beauty queen, model and author.She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me...
,
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
,
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
and
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
.
Recent titleholders
| Year |
Miss USA |
State Represented |
Host City |
Placement at Miss Universe |
| 2011 Miss USA 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at the end...
|
Alyssa Campanella Alyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
|
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 16 Semi-finalist |
| 2010 Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...
|
Rima Fakih Rima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
|
Michigan The Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Non-Finalist |
| 2009 Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009...
|
Kristen DaltonKristen Jeannine Dalton , from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009.-Biography:Dalton is the daughter of Jeannine Dalton who was Miss North Carolina USA 1982...
|
North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
| 2008 Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
|
Crystle StewartCrystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
|
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2007Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee....
|
Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
|
Tennessee The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
4th runner-up |
2006Miss USA 2006, the 55th Miss USA pageant, was held at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky...
|
Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
|
Kentucky The Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. The current director for the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA titles is Connie Clark Harrison. Mrs...
|
Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
4th runner-up |
2005Miss USA 2005, the 54th Miss USA pageant, was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 11, 2005. It was won by Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title of Miss USA in the Hippodrome Theatre on April 11, 2005...
|
Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
|
North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2004The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...
|
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
|
Missouri The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
1st runner-up |
2003The Miss USA 2003 pageant was held in San Antonio, Texas March 24, 2003, the first time it had been held in this state since 1996 when the pageant was held in South Padre Island...
|
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
|
Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
|
San AntonioSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
Top 15 Semi-finalist |
2002The Miss USA 2002 pageant was held in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2002. The event was won by Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen Kandace Krueger of Texas....
|
Shauntay HintonShauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
|
District of Columbia The Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant....
|
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
|
Non Finalist |
2001Miss USA 2001, the 50th edition of the Miss USA pageant was held at the Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Tennessee....
|
Kandace KruegerKandace Gayle Krueger Matthews is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She was born to Larry & Barbara Johnson Krueger...
|
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
|
2nd runner-up |
Winners gallery
The Miss USA beauty contestA beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
has been held annually since 1952 to select the United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrant in the Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant. The Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. Miss USA 2011 is Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
, the current titleholder, who competed as Miss California USAMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
History
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when Yolande BetbezeYolande Betbeze Fox was Miss America in 1951.Fox entered Miss Alabama for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented...
, winner of the rival Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor CatalinaCatalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by...
decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant, and create their own competition. Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf+WesternGulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
Industries, ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, and billionaire Donald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, the current owner who bought the pageant in 1996.
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was Miss New York USAThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
Jackie LougheryJacqueline "Jackie" Loughery is best known as the first Miss New York USA and winner of the first Miss USA beauty pageant, in Long Beach, California. In 1952, she won the title only after a second ballot broke a first-place tie...
. There were thirty delegates in the first year of competition, and many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. From the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year. AlaskaThe Miss Alaska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Alaska in the Miss USA pageant.Alaska's highest placement was in 1964, with Patricia Marlin as the second runner up. Alaska's most recent placement was in 1990 when Karin Meyer placed in the top 6...
first competed in 1959 and HawaiiThe Miss Hawaii USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.Hawaii is the most recent state to start competing at Miss USA, as it first competed in 1962. Prior to this delegates were sent to Miss Universe...
in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1963The year 1963 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.-Events:*January 13 – BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand...
until 2002The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host. John Charles DalyJohn Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
hosted the show from 1963–1966, Bob BarkerRobert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
from 1967 until 1987 (at which point he quit in a dispute over fur coats), Alan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989–1993, and Bob GoenRobert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
from 1994–1996. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s, when it regularly topped the Neilsen ratings. Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000–2001. In 2002, owner Donald Trump brokered a new deal with NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, giving them half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA and moving them to NBC on an initial five year contract. The pageants were first shown on NBC in 2003.
Historically, the winner of the Miss USA title has represented the United States in its sister Miss Universe pageant. Since its inception, seven Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, it was established when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This has happened in 1980, 1995 and 1997. In 1967, the first runner-up declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up Cheryl PattonCheryl Patton is a pageant titleholder from North Miami Beach, Florida who has held the Miss USA title.In 1966 Patton was a runner-up in the Miss Florida World pageant. The following year she won the Miss Florida USA 1967 title and represented Florida in the Miss USA 1967 pageant held in Miami...
. The only instance where a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957 when Mary Leona GageMary Leona Gage was a beauty queen from Maryland who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first, and so far, only woman from that state to capture the Miss USA crown...
resigned when it was discovered she was married.
Competition
The modern pageant consists of a preliminary competition, held in the week before the pageant where all contestants are judged in swimsuit, gown, and interview. From this, semifinalists are chosen, and they are announced during the live broadcast of the final competition. These semifinalists then compete in swimsuit and evening gown, and the finalists are chosen. This is when the interview competition is held. The runners-up and winner are announced at the end of the telecast. Since 1997, the judges for the finals have been different from those who judged the Preliminary competition.
From 1975–2000, all delegates who made the initial cut competed in an interview competition in some format, often involving all semi-finalists. As of 2001, this interview portion was taken away, leaving only the final question for the top five delegates to answer.
From 1979–2002, the average scores of each delegate were shown on the television broadcast and thus the semi-finalists could be ranked. This was changed in 2003 to a "circle" system where judges choose a certain number of delegates to "circle", and those with the most "circles" made the cut. This was the same system that was used prior to the computer scoring system implemented in 1979. In 2007, this system came back and contestants' composite scores are shown live.
State competitions
Every year, each state holds a preliminary competition to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant. In some states (such as TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
and FloridaThe Miss Florida USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Florida in the Miss USA pageant.While Florida has been successful in terms of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, the state has never won the Miss USA pageant, although Cheryl Patton became Miss USA...
), local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition. The state winners hold the title "Miss State USA" for the year of their reign.
The most successful state is Texas, which has had the most semi-finalists and winners, including five consecutive Miss USA titleholders during the 1980s. Other successful states include CaliforniaMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
, New YorkThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
, AlabamaThe Miss Alabama USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss USA pageant.Alabama is one of the more successful and consistent states at Miss USA. Although they have had a number of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, they have only...
, TennesseeThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
and GeorgiaThe Miss Georgia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Georgia in the Miss USA pageant.Historically, Georgia has been the eleventh most successful state at Miss USA and has performed in more recent years, placing eighth on the table of most successful states...
. The least successful states are DelawareThe Miss Delaware USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Delaware in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Investments....
, the only state that has never placed; MontanaThe Miss Montana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Montana in the Miss USA pageant.Montana is one of the least successful states in Miss USA history, but there has been success in other pageants. Miss Montana USA 2005 Amanda Kimmel was chosen to...
, which has not placed since the 1950s; South DakotaThe Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. This state pageant is currently directed by Future Productions....
, which has only placed twice (the last time in 1974), and Wyoming, Miss Wyoming USA 2012]]The Miss Wyoming USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Wyoming in the Miss USA pageant. The Miss Wyoming USA pageant is currently produced by Future Productions....
, which gained only its second placement in 2010. The only state which has produced more than one Miss Universe is South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been produced by RPM Productions since 1980....
.
The Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
licenses out the state pageants to pageant directors, who in some cases are responsible for more than one state. The most well established directorial groups are RPM Productions, created in 1980 (LouisianaThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
, North CarolinaThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
, South Carolina), and Vanbros, created in the early 1990s (ArkansasThe Miss Arkansas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant.The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization in 2007...
, KansasThe Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant.Kansas did not place at Miss USA until 1973, the third-to-last state to make their first placement. From then, no delegate from Kansas made the cut until 1991, when Kelli...
, MissouriThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
, NebraskaThe Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant.In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
and OklahomaFor the article about the Miss America state pageant, see Miss OklahomaThe Miss Oklahoma USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant....
). Future Productions direct the most states, six, across the Midwest and Rockies.
Winners
The first Asian American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson in 1962; the first Hispanic was Laura Martinez-Herring in 1985; the first African-American, Carole GistCarole Anne-Marie Gist was the first African American woman to win the Miss USA title. Gist first won the title of Miss Michigan USA and went on to win the Miss USA crown on March 2, 1990 in Wichita, Kansas...
in 1990; and the first Miss USA of Middle-Eastern descent was Rima FakihRima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
in 2010.
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
is the only woman to have held both the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles. She was Miss Idaho Teen USAThe Miss Idaho Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Idaho has only placed twice and as such is one of the least successful states at Miss Teen USA...
, Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
1989, Miss Idaho USAThe Miss Idaho USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss USA pageant.Idaho is one of the least successful states in the history of the competition, with only four placements in fifty-seven years...
1997, first runner-up at Miss USA 1997Miss USA 1997, the forty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at Shreveport, Louisiana in January and February, 1997. Delegates arrived in the city on January 19, the preliminary competition was held on February 2, 1997 and the final competition on February 5, 1997...
and in May 1997 assumed the Miss USA title after Brook Lee won the Miss Universe pageant. Nine other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. These include:
- Shanna Moakler
Shanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
(1995), (Miss Rhode Island Teen USAThe Miss Rhode Island Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Rhode Island in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1992), Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
(1996), (Miss Louisiana Teen USAThe Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1990), Kimberly PresslerKimberly Pressler is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles.-Pageant career:...
(1999) (Miss New York Teen USAThe Miss New York Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Like the first Miss USA competition , the first Miss Teen USA competition was won by a Miss New York Teen USA. That winner was Ruth Zakarian, who went on to...
1994), Lynnette ColeLynnette Cole-O'Nan , won the title Miss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000....
(2000) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1995), Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
(2003) (Miss Massachusetts Teen USAThe Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1998), Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
(2005) (Miss North Carolina Teen USAThe Miss North Carolina Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of North Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant and is part of the RPM Productions group....
2000), Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
(2006) (Miss Kentucky Teen USAThe Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Kentucky is ranked eight in terms of place and value of placements across all twenty-three years of competition at Miss Teen USA. When this is broken down to...
2002), Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
(2007) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2002) and Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
(2011) (Miss New Jersey Teen USAThe Miss New Jersey Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2007).
Five Miss USA titleholders have also competed at Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. These included: (Miriam StevensonMiriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown....
, Carlene King JohnsonCarlene King Johnson Drake was Miss USA 1955.After winning the Miss Vermont USA crown, Johnson, from Rutland, Vermont went on to become Vermont's only representative to achieve the title of Miss USA. Previously, she was Miss Vermont 1953.Johnson was born to Dr. Norman & Katherine King Johnson....
and Carol MorrisCarol Ann Laverne Morris , Miss Iowa USA, was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956....
) (1954–1956), Mai ShanleyMai Therese Shanley , Miss New Mexico USA, Miss USA 1984, is a former beauty queen. Her mother is ethnically Taiwanese and is from Taiwan, while her father is Irish American....
(1984) and Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
(2004). Shandi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004 and Miss MissouriThe Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.-History:From 1935 to 1970, the Miss Missouri pageant was held in a number of locations, including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.In 1970, the pageant was held...
2002 won a preliminary evening gown award at Miss America 2003Miss America 2003, the 82nd Miss America, pageant, was televised live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 2002 on the ABC Network...
. Also, Miriam Stevenson placed in the top 10 at Miss America 1954Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from the state had previously held the title , Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others had represented...
as Miss South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 90s. Spartanburg has hosted the...
1953.
Many Miss USA winners have gone to pursue careers in the entertainmentEntertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
industry. Those who have been successful in the industry include Summer BartholomewSummer Robin Bartholomew is a model and actress who won the 1975 Miss USA pageant.Her first pageant experience came in 1973 when she won the Miss Oktoberfest title....
, Deborah SheltonDeborah 'Debbie' Shelton is an American beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA title and appeared on Dallas for three seasons.-Pageants:In 1970 Shelton competed in the Miss Virginia USA pageant to spite her then boyfriend...
, Laura Martinez-HerringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
, Shanna MoaklerShanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
, Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
, Kenya MooreKenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, beauty queen, model and author.She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me...
, Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
, Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
and Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
.
Recent titleholders
| Year |
Miss USA |
State Represented |
Host City |
Placement at Miss Universe |
| 2011 Miss USA 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at the end...
|
Alyssa Campanella Alyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
|
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 16 Semi-finalist |
| 2010 Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...
|
Rima Fakih Rima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
|
Michigan The Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Non-Finalist |
| 2009 Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009...
|
Kristen DaltonKristen Jeannine Dalton , from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009.-Biography:Dalton is the daughter of Jeannine Dalton who was Miss North Carolina USA 1982...
|
North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
| 2008 Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
|
Crystle StewartCrystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
|
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2007Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee....
|
Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
|
Tennessee The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
4th runner-up |
2006Miss USA 2006, the 55th Miss USA pageant, was held at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky...
|
Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
|
Kentucky The Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. The current director for the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA titles is Connie Clark Harrison. Mrs...
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Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
4th runner-up |
2005Miss USA 2005, the 54th Miss USA pageant, was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 11, 2005. It was won by Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title of Miss USA in the Hippodrome Theatre on April 11, 2005...
|
Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
|
North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2004The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...
|
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
|
Missouri The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
1st runner-up |
2003The Miss USA 2003 pageant was held in San Antonio, Texas March 24, 2003, the first time it had been held in this state since 1996 when the pageant was held in South Padre Island...
|
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
|
Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
|
San AntonioSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
Top 15 Semi-finalist |
2002The Miss USA 2002 pageant was held in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2002. The event was won by Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen Kandace Krueger of Texas....
|
Shauntay HintonShauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
|
District of Columbia The Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant....
|
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
|
Non Finalist |
2001Miss USA 2001, the 50th edition of the Miss USA pageant was held at the Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Tennessee....
|
Kandace KruegerKandace Gayle Krueger Matthews is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She was born to Larry & Barbara Johnson Krueger...
|
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
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2nd runner-up |
Winners gallery
The Miss USA beauty contestA beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
has been held annually since 1952 to select the United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrant in the Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant. The Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. Miss USA 2011 is Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
, the current titleholder, who competed as Miss California USAMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
History
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when Yolande BetbezeYolande Betbeze Fox was Miss America in 1951.Fox entered Miss Alabama for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented...
, winner of the rival Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor CatalinaCatalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by...
decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant, and create their own competition. Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf+WesternGulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
Industries, ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, and billionaire Donald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, the current owner who bought the pageant in 1996.
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was Miss New York USAThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
Jackie LougheryJacqueline "Jackie" Loughery is best known as the first Miss New York USA and winner of the first Miss USA beauty pageant, in Long Beach, California. In 1952, she won the title only after a second ballot broke a first-place tie...
. There were thirty delegates in the first year of competition, and many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. From the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year. AlaskaThe Miss Alaska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Alaska in the Miss USA pageant.Alaska's highest placement was in 1964, with Patricia Marlin as the second runner up. Alaska's most recent placement was in 1990 when Karin Meyer placed in the top 6...
first competed in 1959 and HawaiiThe Miss Hawaii USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.Hawaii is the most recent state to start competing at Miss USA, as it first competed in 1962. Prior to this delegates were sent to Miss Universe...
in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1963The year 1963 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.-Events:*January 13 – BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand...
until 2002The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host. John Charles DalyJohn Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
hosted the show from 1963–1966, Bob BarkerRobert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
from 1967 until 1987 (at which point he quit in a dispute over fur coats), Alan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989–1993, and Bob GoenRobert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
from 1994–1996. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s, when it regularly topped the Neilsen ratings. Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000–2001. In 2002, owner Donald Trump brokered a new deal with NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, giving them half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA and moving them to NBC on an initial five year contract. The pageants were first shown on NBC in 2003.
Historically, the winner of the Miss USA title has represented the United States in its sister Miss Universe pageant. Since its inception, seven Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, it was established when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This has happened in 1980, 1995 and 1997. In 1967, the first runner-up declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up Cheryl PattonCheryl Patton is a pageant titleholder from North Miami Beach, Florida who has held the Miss USA title.In 1966 Patton was a runner-up in the Miss Florida World pageant. The following year she won the Miss Florida USA 1967 title and represented Florida in the Miss USA 1967 pageant held in Miami...
. The only instance where a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957 when Mary Leona GageMary Leona Gage was a beauty queen from Maryland who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first, and so far, only woman from that state to capture the Miss USA crown...
resigned when it was discovered she was married.
Competition
The modern pageant consists of a preliminary competition, held in the week before the pageant where all contestants are judged in swimsuit, gown, and interview. From this, semifinalists are chosen, and they are announced during the live broadcast of the final competition. These semifinalists then compete in swimsuit and evening gown, and the finalists are chosen. This is when the interview competition is held. The runners-up and winner are announced at the end of the telecast. Since 1997, the judges for the finals have been different from those who judged the Preliminary competition.
From 1975–2000, all delegates who made the initial cut competed in an interview competition in some format, often involving all semi-finalists. As of 2001, this interview portion was taken away, leaving only the final question for the top five delegates to answer.
From 1979–2002, the average scores of each delegate were shown on the television broadcast and thus the semi-finalists could be ranked. This was changed in 2003 to a "circle" system where judges choose a certain number of delegates to "circle", and those with the most "circles" made the cut. This was the same system that was used prior to the computer scoring system implemented in 1979. In 2007, this system came back and contestants' composite scores are shown live.
State competitions
Every year, each state holds a preliminary competition to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant. In some states (such as TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
and FloridaThe Miss Florida USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Florida in the Miss USA pageant.While Florida has been successful in terms of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, the state has never won the Miss USA pageant, although Cheryl Patton became Miss USA...
), local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition. The state winners hold the title "Miss State USA" for the year of their reign.
The most successful state is Texas, which has had the most semi-finalists and winners, including five consecutive Miss USA titleholders during the 1980s. Other successful states include CaliforniaMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
, New YorkThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
, AlabamaThe Miss Alabama USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss USA pageant.Alabama is one of the more successful and consistent states at Miss USA. Although they have had a number of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, they have only...
, TennesseeThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
and GeorgiaThe Miss Georgia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Georgia in the Miss USA pageant.Historically, Georgia has been the eleventh most successful state at Miss USA and has performed in more recent years, placing eighth on the table of most successful states...
. The least successful states are DelawareThe Miss Delaware USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Delaware in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Investments....
, the only state that has never placed; MontanaThe Miss Montana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Montana in the Miss USA pageant.Montana is one of the least successful states in Miss USA history, but there has been success in other pageants. Miss Montana USA 2005 Amanda Kimmel was chosen to...
, which has not placed since the 1950s; South DakotaThe Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. This state pageant is currently directed by Future Productions....
, which has only placed twice (the last time in 1974), and Wyoming, Miss Wyoming USA 2012]]The Miss Wyoming USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Wyoming in the Miss USA pageant. The Miss Wyoming USA pageant is currently produced by Future Productions....
, which gained only its second placement in 2010. The only state which has produced more than one Miss Universe is South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been produced by RPM Productions since 1980....
.
The Miss Universe OrganizationThe Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
licenses out the state pageants to pageant directors, who in some cases are responsible for more than one state. The most well established directorial groups are RPM Productions, created in 1980 (LouisianaThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
, North CarolinaThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
, South Carolina), and Vanbros, created in the early 1990s (ArkansasThe Miss Arkansas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant.The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization in 2007...
, KansasThe Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss USA pageant.Kansas did not place at Miss USA until 1973, the third-to-last state to make their first placement. From then, no delegate from Kansas made the cut until 1991, when Kelli...
, MissouriThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
, NebraskaThe Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant.In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
and OklahomaFor the article about the Miss America state pageant, see Miss OklahomaThe Miss Oklahoma USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant....
). Future Productions direct the most states, six, across the Midwest and Rockies.
Winners
The first Asian American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson in 1962; the first Hispanic was Laura Martinez-Herring in 1985; the first African-American, Carole GistCarole Anne-Marie Gist was the first African American woman to win the Miss USA title. Gist first won the title of Miss Michigan USA and went on to win the Miss USA crown on March 2, 1990 in Wichita, Kansas...
in 1990; and the first Miss USA of Middle-Eastern descent was Rima FakihRima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
in 2010.
Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
is the only woman to have held both the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles. She was Miss Idaho Teen USAThe Miss Idaho Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Idaho has only placed twice and as such is one of the least successful states at Miss Teen USA...
, Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
1989, Miss Idaho USAThe Miss Idaho USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss USA pageant.Idaho is one of the least successful states in the history of the competition, with only four placements in fifty-seven years...
1997, first runner-up at Miss USA 1997Miss USA 1997, the forty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at Shreveport, Louisiana in January and February, 1997. Delegates arrived in the city on January 19, the preliminary competition was held on February 2, 1997 and the final competition on February 5, 1997...
and in May 1997 assumed the Miss USA title after Brook Lee won the Miss Universe pageant. Nine other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at Miss Teen USAMiss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
. These include:
- Shanna Moakler
Shanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
(1995), (Miss Rhode Island Teen USAThe Miss Rhode Island Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Rhode Island in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1992), Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
(1996), (Miss Louisiana Teen USAThe Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1990), Kimberly PresslerKimberly Pressler is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles.-Pageant career:...
(1999) (Miss New York Teen USAThe Miss New York Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Like the first Miss USA competition , the first Miss Teen USA competition was won by a Miss New York Teen USA. That winner was Ruth Zakarian, who went on to...
1994), Lynnette ColeLynnette Cole-O'Nan , won the title Miss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000....
(2000) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1995), Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
(2003) (Miss Massachusetts Teen USAThe Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
1998), Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
(2005) (Miss North Carolina Teen USAThe Miss North Carolina Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of North Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant and is part of the RPM Productions group....
2000), Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
(2006) (Miss Kentucky Teen USAThe Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Kentucky is ranked eight in terms of place and value of placements across all twenty-three years of competition at Miss Teen USA. When this is broken down to...
2002), Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
(2007) (Miss Tennessee Teen USAThe Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2002) and Alyssa CampanellaAlyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
(2011) (Miss New Jersey Teen USAThe Miss New Jersey Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2007).
Five Miss USA titleholders have also competed at Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. These included: (Miriam StevensonMiriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown....
, Carlene King JohnsonCarlene King Johnson Drake was Miss USA 1955.After winning the Miss Vermont USA crown, Johnson, from Rutland, Vermont went on to become Vermont's only representative to achieve the title of Miss USA. Previously, she was Miss Vermont 1953.Johnson was born to Dr. Norman & Katherine King Johnson....
and Carol MorrisCarol Ann Laverne Morris , Miss Iowa USA, was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956....
) (1954–1956), Mai ShanleyMai Therese Shanley , Miss New Mexico USA, Miss USA 1984, is a former beauty queen. Her mother is ethnically Taiwanese and is from Taiwan, while her father is Irish American....
(1984) and Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
(2004). Shandi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004 and Miss MissouriThe Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.-History:From 1935 to 1970, the Miss Missouri pageant was held in a number of locations, including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.In 1970, the pageant was held...
2002 won a preliminary evening gown award at Miss America 2003Miss America 2003, the 82nd Miss America, pageant, was televised live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 2002 on the ABC Network...
. Also, Miriam Stevenson placed in the top 10 at Miss America 1954Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from the state had previously held the title , Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others had represented...
as Miss South CarolinaThe Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 90s. Spartanburg has hosted the...
1953.
Many Miss USA winners have gone to pursue careers in the entertainmentEntertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
industry. Those who have been successful in the industry include Summer BartholomewSummer Robin Bartholomew is a model and actress who won the 1975 Miss USA pageant.Her first pageant experience came in 1973 when she won the Miss Oktoberfest title....
, Deborah SheltonDeborah 'Debbie' Shelton is an American beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA title and appeared on Dallas for three seasons.-Pageants:In 1970 Shelton competed in the Miss Virginia USA pageant to spite her then boyfriend...
, Laura Martinez-HerringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
, Shanna MoaklerShanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
, Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
, Kenya MooreKenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, beauty queen, model and author.She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me...
, Brandi SherwoodBrandi Sherwood is an American model and pageant winner. She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was Miss USA 1997 and Miss Teen USA 1989 and was a frequent rotating Barker's Beauty model on the US daytime television game show The Price Is Right from 2002-2009.-Pageant history:In 1997, she won...
, Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
and Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
.
Recent titleholders
| Year |
Miss USA |
State Represented |
Host City |
Placement at Miss Universe |
| 2011 Miss USA 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at the end...
|
Alyssa Campanella Alyssa Campanella is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States, who is the current titleholder and winner of the 2011 Miss USA pageant....
|
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 16 Semi-finalist |
| 2010 Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...
|
Rima Fakih Rima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
|
Michigan The Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Non-Finalist |
| 2009 Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009...
|
Kristen DaltonKristen Jeannine Dalton , from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009.-Biography:Dalton is the daughter of Jeannine Dalton who was Miss North Carolina USA 1982...
|
North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
| 2008 Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
|
Crystle StewartCrystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
|
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2007Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee....
|
Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
|
Tennessee The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
4th runner-up |
2006Miss USA 2006, the 55th Miss USA pageant, was held at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky...
|
Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
|
Kentucky The Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. The current director for the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA titles is Connie Clark Harrison. Mrs...
|
Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
4th runner-up |
2005Miss USA 2005, the 54th Miss USA pageant, was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 11, 2005. It was won by Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title of Miss USA in the Hippodrome Theatre on April 11, 2005...
|
Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
|
North Carolina The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
|
Baltimore, MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
Top 10 Finalist |
2004The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...
|
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
|
Missouri The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
|
Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
1st runner-up |
2003The Miss USA 2003 pageant was held in San Antonio, Texas March 24, 2003, the first time it had been held in this state since 1996 when the pageant was held in South Padre Island...
|
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
|
Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
|
San AntonioSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
Top 15 Semi-finalist |
2002The Miss USA 2002 pageant was held in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2002. The event was won by Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen Kandace Krueger of Texas....
|
Shauntay HintonShauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
|
District of Columbia The Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant....
|
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
|
Non Finalist |
2001Miss USA 2001, the 50th edition of the Miss USA pageant was held at the Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Tennessee....
|
Kandace KruegerKandace Gayle Krueger Matthews is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She was born to Larry & Barbara Johnson Krueger...
|
TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
|
GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
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2nd runner-up |
Winners gallery
File:Rima_Fakih.jpg|Miss USA 2010
Rima FakihRima Fakih is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title, and is also training to be a professional wrestler in WWE as a WWE Diva. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition...
, who competed as Miss Michigan USAThe Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
File:Kristen Dalton 2009.jpg|Miss USA 2009
Kristen DaltonKristen Jeannine Dalton , from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009.-Biography:Dalton is the daughter of Jeannine Dalton who was Miss North Carolina USA 1982...
, who competed as Miss North Carolina USAThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
File:Miss USA Crystle Stewart at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.jpg|Miss USA 2008
Crystle StewartCrystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
, who competed as Miss Texas USAThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
File:Rachel Smith headshot.png|Miss USA 2007
Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
, who competed as Miss Tennessee USAThe Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
File:TaraConneratWillowGrove3.jpg|Miss USA 2006
Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
, who competed as Miss Kentucky USAThe Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. The current director for the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA titles is Connie Clark Harrison. Mrs...
File:Chelsea Cooley 2.jpg|Miss USA 2005
Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
, who competed as Miss North Carolina USAThe Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group....
File:Shandi Finnessey.jpg|Miss USA 2004
Shandi FinnesseyShandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
, who competed as Miss Missouri USAThe Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
File:Susie Castillo headshot 2.png|Miss USA 2003
Susie CastilloSusie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...
, who competed as Miss Massachusetts USAThe Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
File:Shauntay Hinton.jpg|Miss USA 2002
Shauntay HintonShauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
, who competed as Miss District of Columbia USAThe Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant....
File:KandaceKrueger1cropped.jpg|Miss USA 2001
Kandace KruegerKandace Gayle Krueger Matthews is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She was born to Larry & Barbara Johnson Krueger...
, who competed as Miss Texas USAThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
File:Brook_Lee.JPG|Miss Universe 1997
Brook Lee, who competed as Miss Hawaii USAThe Miss Hawaii USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.Hawaii is the most recent state to start competing at Miss USA, as it first competed in 1962. Prior to this delegates were sent to Miss Universe...
File:Ali Landry 2.jpg|Miss USA 1996
Ali LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
, who competed as Miss Louisiana USAThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
File:Shanna Moakler 2010.jpg|Miss USA 1995
Shanna MoaklerShanna Lynn Moakler is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe...
, who competed as Miss New York USAThe Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss USA pageant. Amber Collins is the reigning Miss New York USA 2011...
File:Kenya moore sidesmilegoldLB1.JPG|Miss USA 1993
Kenya MooreKenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, beauty queen, model and author.She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me...
, who competed as Miss Michigan USAThe Miss Michigan USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss USA pageant.Michigan is recognized by as being within the top 15 states in terms of Miss USA success. Their first Miss USA victory was in 1990, and notable because Carole Gist...
File:MichelleRoyer.jpg|Miss USA 1987
Michelle RoyerMichelle Renee Royer-Jefferson is a former Miss USA and second runner-up to .-Early life:Prior to competing in Miss Texas USA, Jefferson was a student at Texas Wesleyan University...
, who competed as Miss Texas USAThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
File:ChristyFichtner.jpg|Miss USA 1986
Christy FichtnerChristiane Crane "Christy" Fichtner is a former Miss USA and first runner-up to . In 2003, she participated in Who Wants to Marry My Dad?.-Early life:...
, who competed as Miss Texas USAThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
File:Laura_Harring_2011.jpg|Miss USA 1985
Laura HarringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
, who competed as Miss Texas USAThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
File:Julie Hayek Miss USA 1983.png|Miss USA 1983
Julie HayekJulie Lynne Hayek is an American beauty queen and actress who was Miss USA 1983.-Early life:Hayek is of Czech and German descent on her father's side and Norwegian, Scottish, Irish, and English on her mother's side. Her father was an airline pilot and her mother, a high school guidance counselor...
, who competed as Miss California USAMiss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
By number of wins
} 2001 2008
|-
|
California
|6
|1959 1966 1975 1983 1992 2011
|-
|
New York
|4
|1952 1979 1995 1999
|-
|
Hawaii
|4
|1962 1972 1978 1997
|-
|
Illinois
|4
|1953 1963 1973 1974
|-
|
Michigan
|3
|1990 1993 2010
|-
|
Louisiana
|3
|1958 1961 1996
|-
|
South Carolina
|3
|1954 1980 1994
|-
|
North Carolina
|2
|2005 2009
|-
|
Tennessee
|2
|2000 2007
|-
|
Massachusetts
|2
|1998 2003
|-
|
Washington, D.C.
|2
|1964 2002
|-
|
Ohio
|2
|1965 1981
|-
|
Virginia
|2
|1969 1970
|-
|
Utah
|2
|1957 1960
|-
|
Kentucky
|1
|2006
|-
|
Missouri
|1
|2004
|-
|
Idaho
|1
|1997
|-
|
Kansas
|1
|1991
|-
|
New Mexico
|1
|1984
|-
|
Arkansas
|1
|1982
|-
|
Arizona
|1
|1980
|-
|
Minnesota
|1
|1976
|-
|
Pennsylvania
|1
|1971
|-
|
Washington
|1
|1968
|-
|
Alabama
|1
|1967
|-
|
Florida
|1
|1967
|-
|
Maryland
|1
|1957 (Dethroned)
|-
|
Iowa
|1
|1956
|-
|
Vermont
|1
|1955
|-
|}
Won the Miss Universe Title
Since 1961, the first runner-up takes over the Miss USA title if the reigning Miss USA wins Miss Universe. There was an exception in 1967, when the first-runner up refused the crown and the second runner-up became Miss USA.
Replaced the dethroned Miss USA
Awards
- See Miss USA Special Awards
The following tables list the winners of the special awards given to candidates at the Miss USA pageant.-Miss Congeniality:The first Miss Congeniality award specific to the Miss USA pageant was given out in 1965. Prior to this year, the award could be won by either a Miss USA or Miss Universe...
The awards most frequently presented at Miss USA are Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic.
The Miss Congeniality Award is chosen by the delegates, and recognises those who are the friendliest and make the pageant experience the most enjoyable. In 1952 to 1964, when the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were concurrent events, the Miss Congeniality Award could be won by a contestant competing either for Miss USA or Miss Universe. In fact, in 1960, there was a tie, with the award going to Miss Burma Myint Myint May and Miss Louisiana USA Rebecca Fletcher. VermontThe Miss Vermont USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Vermont in the Miss USA pageant.Vermont is one of the least successful states, but they have produced a Miss USA - Carlene King Johnson in 1955...
has won five Miss Amity awards, two more than any other state.
The Miss Photogenic prize was first awarded 1965 and was chosen by journalists until 1996, when it was chosen by an internet vote for the first time. There has been only one tie in this award's history, in 1980 when it was shared between Jineane FordJineane Ford is an American beauty queen and television personality from Arizona who held the title Miss USA 1980.- Career :Ford, who hails from Gilbert, Arizona won the Miss Arizona USA contest in 1979...
of ArizonaThe Miss Arizona USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Arizona in the Miss USA pageant.In 2005 the rights to produce the Miss Arizona USA pageant were given to Casting Crown productions...
and Elizabeth Kim Thomas of OhioThe Miss Ohio USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Ohio in the Miss USA pageant.Ohio achieved success in the first decades of the Miss USA competition but has not done as well in recent years...
. The state that has won the most Photogenic awards is VirginiaThe Miss Virginia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Virginia in the Miss USA pageant.Virginia has been only moderately successful in terms of number of semi-finalists, they have had two Miss USAs. They are one of only three states to have had two Miss...
.
Other awards that have been presented include Best State Costume (1962–1993), Style (1995–2001) and Most Beautiful Eyes (1993). In 1998, a special Distinguished Achievement award was given to Halle BerryHalle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
. Berry was Miss Ohio USAThe Miss Ohio USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Ohio in the Miss USA pageant.Ohio achieved success in the first decades of the Miss USA competition but has not done as well in recent years...
1986 and placed 1st runner-up to Christy FichtnerChristiane Crane "Christy" Fichtner is a former Miss USA and first runner-up to . In 2003, she participated in Who Wants to Marry My Dad?.-Early life:...
of TexasThe Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
. She later went on to become an acclaimed actress and OscarAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
winner.
Locations
In the first eight years of competition (1952–1959) the Miss USA pageant was held in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. The competition moved to Miami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
in 1960 and stayed there until 1971. In 1972 the pageant was held in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the only time the pageant has been held outside the continental United States. That pageant was rocked by an explosion at the host hotel.
From 1972 onwards the pageant has been held in various locations, generally being held in each location for two to three years.
As of 2010 the pageant has been held in the following states:
- Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
(MobileMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
1989), CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, (Long BeachLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
1952–1959, Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
2004, 2007), FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(Miami BeachMiami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
1960–1971,1997 LakelandLakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
1984–1985, MiamiMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
1986), IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
(GaryGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
2001–2002), KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
(Wichita 1990–1993), LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
1997–1998), MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(Baltimore 2005–2006), MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
(Branson 1999–2000), MississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
(Biloxi 1979–1982), NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
(Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
2008-2011), New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
(AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
1987), New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
1973, Niagara FallsNiagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
1974–1976), South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
(Charleston 1977–1978), TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(Knoxville 1983), TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(El PasoEl Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
1988, South Padre Island 1994–1996, San Antonio 2003).
Special Feature Episodes
Since 2003, a number of delegates have been involved in special episodes of regular programs broadcast by NBC. From 2003–2005, six delegates each year were chosen to participate in a special Miss USA edition of Fear FactorFear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
, with the victorious contestant taking the title 'Miss Fear Factor USA' and a prize of $The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50,000 ($25,000 of which was to be donated to a charity of the winners choice). These were broadcast immediately prior to the live pageant broadcast.
In 2006, Chelsea CooleyChelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....
and twenty-six delegates participated as briefcase models in a Miss USA special of Deal or No DealDeal or No Deal is the American version of the international game show of Dutch origin of the same name. The show was hosted by Howie Mandel, and premiered on December 19, 2005, on National Broadcasting Company . The hour-long show typically aired at least twice a week during its run, and included...
.
In 2010, 10 Miss USA and Miss Universe winners will compete for charity on a special "Last Beauty Standing" edition of Minute to Win ItMinute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
.
Reality television
Many Miss USA and Miss Teen USA delegates have participated in reality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
shows and other television game shows. Well known delegates who later competed in reality shows are Danni BoatwrightDanni Boatwright , a beauty queen and model from Kansas, won $1,000,000 on Survivor: Guatemala, the eleventh season of the reality television show Survivor...
, winner of Survivor: GuatemalaSurvivor: Guatemala — The Maya Empire, commonly referred to as Survivor: Guatemala, is the eleventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the Yaxhá-Nakúm-Naranjo National Park near the more popular Tikal National Park, located in...
, Nicole O'BrianClaudia Nicole O'Brian is a former beauty queen and Reality TV show contestant from Friendswood, Texas who has competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants....
and Christie Lee WoodsChristie Lee Woods is an American model, actress and the first woman from Texas to capture the Miss Teen USA crown ....
of The Amazing Race 5The Amazing Race 5 is the fifth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 5 featured 11 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, Jennifer MurphyJennifer Murphy is an actress,beauty queen, reality television contestant and business woman.Murphy grew up in Medford, southern Oregon, with her eleven siblings...
of The Apprentice 4 and Tori Fiorenza of The Challenge: CutthroatThe Challenge: Cutthroat is the twentieth season of the MTV reality television game show, The Challenge, and follows Fresh Meat II. Filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, Cutthroat features a first-ever three-team format, with cast members from The Real World, Road Rules, Fresh Meat, Fresh Meat II and...
.
In 2007 Pageant Place, a reality television show featuring Rachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
, Riyo Moriis a Japanese dance instructor and model who won the Miss Universe 2007 title in May 2007.-Early life:...
, Hilary CruzHilary Cruz is a beauty queen from Louisville, Colorado who won Miss Teen USA in August of 2007.In 2007, Cruz represented Colorado in the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant held in Pasadena, California in August 2007. During the live television broadcast on August 24, 2007, Cruz was crowned Miss Teen USA...
, Katie BlairKatherine Amanda Blair is an American model, beauty queen, and television personality from Billings, Montana, who held the Miss Teen USA 2006 and Miss California USA 2011 title. She was the first person from Montana to win a major pageant title...
and Tara ConnerTara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
aired on MTV.
On June 19th, 2011, Bravo Television's Andy Cohen co-hosted the event's 60th anniversary live in Las Vegas with E! News and Fashion Police's Giuliana Rancic.
See also
External links