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The Miss USA pageant is a beauty contest that has been held every year since 1952, with winners competing in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA.

The reigning Miss USA is Rachel Smith, formerly Miss Tennessee USA, who was crowned on March 23, 2007, in Los Angeles by Tara Elizabeth Conner, Miss USA 2006.

History

Jackie Loughery of New York was the first Miss USA. In the mid-1960s, it was established when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe pageant, the first runner-up becomes the new Miss USA. 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 Patton. The only instance where a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957 when Mary Leona Gage stripped of her crown when it was discovered she was married, and Charlotte Sheffield being the new queen. In 2006, Tara Conner came close to losing her title for issues relating to alcoholism and substance abuse.

The pageant, which aired on CBS from 1963 until 2002, was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host. John Charles Daly hosted the show from 1963-1966. Bob Barker hosted the show from the mid-1960s until 1987, Dick Clark hosted the show from 1990-1993 and Bob Goen from 1994-1996.

Like in the Miss America Pageant, the contestants representing the Southern states have tended to dominate the competition. Since 1980, 15 of the winners of Miss USA have been Southern delegates. Five winners were from the Midwest. Three winners were from the west (one Pacific West). Three winners were from the Northeast.

Competition

Unlike the Miss America pageant, there is no talent section at Miss USA. Delegates are required to compete in Evening Gown, Swimsuit and Interview.

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 and leaving only the "final question" for the top five delegates to answer. The finals judges thus only hear the final candidates speak.

Delegates compete in the Preliminary Competition, and a group of semi-finalists are chosen and announced during the (televised) final competition. These semi-finalists then compete in swimsuit and evening gown, from which competitions the winner and runners-up are chosen. In some years, there has been a second cut before the announcement of the final group. The judges for the finals are usually different from those who judged the Preliminary competition.

In the first year of competition there were five finalists (winner and four runners-up) and five semi-finalists. The number of semi-finalists expanded to fifteen the following year (making the number of placed delegates twenty, the most in any year of competition). From 1954 to 1969, there was generally four runners-up and between ten and twelve semi-finalists. This was reduced to seven semi-finalists in 1970, with the number of delegates making the cut being twelve. This pattern held until 1984, when the number of delegates advancing was set at ten (i.e. five runners-up and five semi-finalists). That remained for the rest of the 1980s, until the previous pattern of seven semi-finalists resumed from 1990 to 2003, with only two exceptions. From 1990 to 2001, there was a second cut after the final five finalists were cut, which led to their being five semi-finalists (on average), two finalists, two runners-up and one winner.

In 2004, a new pattern was established whereby fifteen delegates make the first cut, are cut down to 10 after the evening gown competition, cut again to five after the swimsuit competition and then the final five compete in the "final question" interview portion. This has been repeated in all competitions since then.

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" make the cut. This was the same system that was used prior to the "computer" scoring system implemented in 1979.

State Competitions

Every year, each state holds a preliminary competition to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant. In some states (such as Texas and Florida), local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition.

Invariably some states have performed better at Miss USA than others. 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 states that have had strong records in the early twenty-first century are California, New York, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. There are also states that have performed such as Montana, which has not placed since the 1950s, and Wyoming, which has had only one placement, in the 1980s. The only state which has produced more than one Miss Universe is South Carolina.

The Miss Universe Organization 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 (Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina), and Vanbros (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma), both of which have been in existence since the early 1990s. As of 2007, Future Productions will be the first state to produce five pageants.

History

Winners

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 about 1970 however, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year. Alaska first competed in 1959 and Hawaii in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.

More Miss USA titleholders won their crown at age twenty-one. Whilst many winners in the 1950s and 1960s were eighteen, the minimum age to compete, no eighteen-year-old has won since 1971 and very few have competed in recent years. Until 1956, contestants were allowed to be married, but this changed in 1957. The winner from that year, Mary Leona Gage, was disqualified when she went to compete for Miss Universe and it was discovered she was married.

Seven Miss USAs have gone on to win the Miss Universe crown, in 1954, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1980, 1995 and 1997.

The first Eurasian woman to win Miss USA was Mai Shanley in 1984, and the first African-American to win was Carole Gist in 1990. She was followed by Kenya Moore in 1993, Chelsi Smith in 1995 (who went on to win Miss Universe), Shauntay Hinton in 2002 and Rachel Smith in 2007. The first Hispanic was Laura Martinez Herring of Texas in 1985, followed by Susie Castillo in 2003. The last Asian Miss USA (and later Miss Universe) was Brook Mahealani Lee of Hawaii in 1997 (who also went on to win Miss Universe).

Only one Miss Teen USA has ever won Miss USA title. She was Brandi Sherwood, who was Miss Idaho Teen USA and Miss Teen USA 1989. Sherwood won the Miss Idaho USA 1997 title, placed first runner-up at Miss USA 1997 and was crowned Miss USA after Brook Lee won the Miss Universe pageant. Eight other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at Miss Teen USA. These include:

Shanna Moakler (1995), (Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 1992), Ali Landry (1996), (Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1990), Kimberly Pressler (1999) (Miss New York Teen USA 1994), Lynnette Cole (2000) (Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1994), Susie Castillo (2003) (Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1998), Chelsea Cooley (2005) (Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2000), Tara Conner (2006) (Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002) and Rachel Smith (2007) (Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2002).

Five have also competed at Miss America. These included Miss USAs 1954-1956 (Miriam Stevenson, Carlene King Johnson, Carol Morris), Mai Shanley (1984) and Shandi Finnessey (2004).

Regardless of their professed career ambitions at the time of competing, many Miss USA winners have gone to careers in the entertainment industry. Those who have been successful in the industry include Laura Martinez Harring, Shanna Moakler, Ali Landry, Brandi Sherwood, Susie Castillo and Shandi Finnessey.

Awards

See Miss USA Special Awards

The Miss Congeniality Award is chosen by the delegates, and recognises those who are the most friendly 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. Vermont has won five Congeniality awards, three more than any other state.

The other major award is Miss Photogenic, which was first awarded in 1965. This was chosen by journalists until 1996, when it was opened up to 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 Ford of Arizona and Elizabeth Kim Thomas of Ohio. Ford later won the Miss USA crown. The state that has won the most Photogenic awards is Virginia, also by a clear margin.

Other awards that have been presented include Best State Costume (1962-1993), Style (1995-2001) and Most Beautiful Eyes (1995). In 1998, a special Distinguished Achievement award was given to Halle Berry. Berry was Miss Ohio USA 1986 and placed 1st runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas. She later went on to become an acclaimed actress and Oscar winner.

Texas has won the most awards.

Locations

In the first eight years of competition (1952-1959) the Miss USA pageant was held in Long Beach, California. The competition moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960 and stayed there until 1971. In 1972 the pageant was held in Puerto Rico, the only time the pageant has been held outside the continental United States.

From 1972 onwards the pageant has been held in various locations, generally being held in each location for two to three years. Periods where the pageant was moved around more frequently were 1983-1989, where the pageant was held in different locations in all but two years, and 2003-2004 where the pageant was held in two different venues subsequently, each for only one year.

As of 2003 the pageant has been held in the following states:

Alabama (Mobile 1989), California, (Long Beach 1952-1959, Los Angeles 2004, 2007), Florida (Miami Beach 1960-1971,1997 Lakeland 1984-1985, Miami 1986), Indiana (Gary 2001-2002), Kansas (Wichita 1990-1993), Louisiana (Shreveport 1997-1998), Maryland (Baltimore 2005-2006), Missouri (Branson 1999-2000), Mississippi (Biloxi 1979-1982), New Mexico (Albuquerque 1987), New York (New York City 1973, Niagara Falls 1974-1975), South Carolina (Charleston 1977-1978), Tennessee (Knoxville 1983), Texas (El Paso 1988, South Padre Island 1994-1996, San Antonio 2003).

Coverage

From 1963 until 2002 the pageant was televised on CBS, and until 1987, was known for its host, Bob Barker. Barker stepped down in 1987 because the producers refused to remove the fur coats from the prize packages.

New ownership (the Trump Organization) moved the pageant to NBC in 2003, and NBC has taken advantage of the new broadcast home with cross-promotions with Endemol. It was recently announced that co-owners NBC and Trump Organization have extended the contract to televised the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants through 2010. No news yet on whether or not Miss Teen USA will continue to be televised on NBC.

Special Feature Episodes

Since 2003, a number of delegates have been involved in special episodes of regular programmes broadcast by NBC. From 2003-2005, six delegates each year were chosen to participate in a special Miss USA edition of Fear Factor, with the victorious contestant taking the title 'Miss Fear Factor USA' and a prize of $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 Cooley and twenty-six delegates participated as suitcase models in a Miss USA special of Deal or No Deal.

Titleholders

Miss USA 2007

Miss USA 2007, the fifty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 23, 2007. At the conclusion of the live competition, outgoing titleholder Tara Conner crowned her successor, Rachel Smith, who competed as Miss Tennessee USA.

This was the second time the pageant was held at this venue, as it was staged there in 2004.

Reality television

Many Miss USA and Miss Teen USA delegates have participated in reality television shows and other television game shows. Well known delegates who later competed in reality shows are Danni Boatwright, winner of Survivor: Guatemala, Nicole O'Brian and Christie Lee Woods of The Amazing Race 5 and Jennifer Murphy of The Apprentice 4.

Miss USA delegates (or state competitors) who have competed on other television shows are:

Survivor

• Guatemala: Danni Boatwright, Miss Kansas Teen USA 1992 (second runner-up at Miss Teen USA) and Miss Kansas USA 1996 (first runner-up at Miss USA)
• Palau: Janu Tornell, Miss Nevada USA 1989; Kim Mullen, Miss Ohio USA 2002
• Panama: Misty Giles, Miss Texas Teen USA 1999 (semifinalist) and a contestant for Miss Texas USA 2002

The Amazing Race

• Season 5: Nicole O'Brian (with partner Brandon), Miss Texas Teen USA 2000 (first runner-up) and Miss Texas USA 2003 (second runner-up); Christie Lee Woods (with partner Colin), Miss Teen USA 1996 (Miss Texas Teen USA 1996) and a contestant for Miss Texas USA in the early 2000s; Erika Shay (with former fiancee Dennis), Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA 1995
• Season 8: Brittney Rogers (with father Denny, mother Renee and younger brother Brock), Miss Louisiana USA 2003

Big Brother

• Season 1: Jamie Kern, Miss Washington USA 2000

The Bachelor

• Season 5: Mandy Jeffreys, Miss Texas Teen USA 1995 and a contestant at Miss Texas USA
• Season 7: Krisily Kennedy, Miss Rhode Island USA 2003
• Season 8: Lisa Forbes, Miss Kansas USA 2004
• Season 10: Catherine Warren, Miss Illinois USA 2006 (top 15)

Dancing with the Stars

• Season 4: Shandi Finnessey, Miss Missouri USA 2004, Miss USA 2004

American Idol

• Season 3: Lisa Wilson, Miss Georgia USA 2006 (second runner-up)
• Season 3: Erin Abrahamson, Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2001 & Miss New Jersey USA 2007

The Apprentice

• Season 4: Jennifer Murphy, Miss Oregon USA 2004 (semi-finalist)

Treasure Hunters

• Season 1: Melissa Witek, Miss Florida USA 2004 (fourth runner-up), Kaitlyn Christopher Miss Indiana USA 2005; Kristen Johnson, Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2000 (second runner-up) and Miss Kentucky USA 2005 (second runner-up)

See also

• Miss USA delegates

References

1. http://www.pageant-almanac.com/miss-usa/who-has-the-most.php

External links

• Miss USA official website
• Pageant Almanac: Miss USA
• Missosology's Miss USA Feature
• Jimmy's Pageant Page - Miss USA results
• GlobalBeauties

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• Miss USA
• Lists of women
• 1952 establishments