Miss USA Pageant
The two-hour event includes swimsuit and evening gown rounds, as well as interviews. The winner will receive a prestigious title and substantial scholarship money.
While it’s considered sacrilege to say “I’m in it for the rhinestones,” many winners have used their titles to jumpstart their careers. They’ve appeared on TV, authored books and started modeling agencies.
Miss USA Pageant 2023
The Miss USA Pageant returned to broadcast television Friday night at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. Hosted by Keltie Knight and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, the competition featured 51 women who competed in several different rounds including swimsuits, evening gowns, and interviews. In the end, Utah’s Noelia Voigt was crowned as Morgan Romano’s successor at Miss USA. Voigt beat out runner-up Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz and second runner-up Miss Wisconsin Alexis Loomans to claim the crown. Voigt celebrated her Venezuelan-American identity during the question portion of the competition and is now on her way to represent America in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant.
The contestants included a NASA candidate, a police officer, a US Army musician, Wall Street finance gurus, and teachers among many others. They were from all over the country and were crowned by their respective state titles to compete at the national pageant. During the two-hour event, these remarkable women showcased their talents in a series of different segments to win over judges’ hearts and earn the coveted title.
To qualify for the Miss USA Pageant, a woman must be at least 18 years old and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. She also has to live in the state she represents permanently and attend a college or university full time or work there for at least three months. The only exception is if she is a survivor of sexual assault.
During the competition, the women are judged in several different categories including swimsuits, evening gowns, interviews, and other talent segments. Unlike some beauty pageants, there are no height or weight requirements for the participants, but the contestants are evaluated on their personality, confidence, and overall appearance as well.
This year’s pageant was the 72nd annual and saw 51 state title holders compete for the coveted crown. The judging panel featured fashion designer Nicole Miller, actress and model Vivica A. Fox, makeup entrepreneur Patrick Starrr, and model Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian.
The winner of this year’s pageant will advance to the Miss Universe 2023 pageant which will take place in November. She will join the likes of Miss Ohio Christy Fichtner who became the first Hispanic woman to win the competition in 1986, and actress Halle Berry who won it in 1996.
The CW will air the next episode of Miss USA 2023 on Sunday, September 30 at 9 ET/8 CT. Check your local listings for more information. You can also watch the show on FuboTV, which offers a free 7-day trial. Click here to sign up. If you can’t make it to the pageant live, a replay will be available on The CW website and app starting at 8 PM ET/PT.
History
Miss USA is one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the United States. Its winners compete at the Miss Universe pageant. The pageant was founded in the late 1940s. Its early years were marred by controversy and sexual scandal.
To qualify for the pageant, contestants must be a citizen of the United States. In addition, they must be between the ages of 18 and 28. They must also be a resident of the state in which they will compete. In some states, there are local pageants that determine delegates for the national competition.
The first Miss USA was Jackie Loughery. Then came Myrna Hansen, Miriam Stevenson, and Charlotte Sheffield. But in 1957, Mary Leona Gage was disqualified after being crowned because she had lied about her age and marital status.
Many of the pageant’s most famous winners have gone on to successful careers in the entertainment industry. Several of them have even become reality television stars. For example, former Miss USA Kelli McCarty went on to become a famous adult film star and received an AVN Award, the Oscars of the industry.
Other pageant winners have used their titles to advocate for social causes. One of them, Noelia Voigt, is an interior design student with dreams of opening her own firm and hosting a home makeover show. She is also committed to helping disadvantaged families.
Although the pageant’s scholarship program is a much-needed gender equalizer, it has its limits. It applies to only a few hundred American women a year, and it costs money to participate. Young mothers, who tend to need financial aid more than other young women, are often unable to take part in the competition because of the cost.
Despite the pageant’s controversial history, it is still a popular event. It is an opportunity for women to showcase their talent, beauty, and intelligence. It is also a chance to win big prizes. But it is important to remember that the pageant is not for everyone. Some women feel that the pageant fetishizes success and objectifies them. For every Yolande Betbeze subverting pageant culture from the inside, there are scores of women who find that the Miss America experience is not for them.
Contestants
The Miss USA pageant has been held since 1952 and has selected the entrant for the Miss Universe competition each year. Nine of the pageant’s winners have gone on to win Miss Universe, with the most recent being Olivia Culpo in 2022. In the event a winner cannot fulfill her duties as Miss USA, a first runner-up takes over the title.
Contestants are whittled down to 16 semifinalists and then 10 before the top five is named. The winner of Miss USA will spend her year in the spotlight attending red carpet events, getting involved with networking opportunities and doing professional photo shoots. The winner also promotes her platform and projects that she supports through partnerships with the Miss USA organization.
Women who compete in Miss USA are often savvy, goal-oriented and aware of what’s going on around them. They are self-confident and know how to advocate for themselves. The pageant aims to empower its contestants and encourage them to strive to be the best they can be.
In addition to being able to walk the catwalk with confidence, contestants must be knowledgeable about current events and issues. This is because the contestants are judged on their ability to answer questions in the swimsuit competition and the final question round of the competition.
As of 2023, there have been 51 different Miss USA winners, and each has made her mark in the world. Some, like Miss Oregon Kaitlyn Bates, have become a public advocate for suicide awareness. Other pageant winners, such as Miss Arizona Kimberly Greene, have made waves in the fashion industry. And still others, such as Miss Texas R’Bonney Gabriel, have taken up a cause such as criminal justice reform.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Miss USA pageant is that it focuses too much on looks and not enough on intellect. However, in recent years the pageant has started to shift its focus toward more intellectual topics such as political polarization and gun safety.
To be a Miss USA, you must be at least 18 years old and no older than 28 by January of the year in which you want to compete. In addition, you must be a US citizen or have permanent residency in the United States.
Formats
The Miss USA pageant is a national competition that pits fifty-one gorgeous young women against each other for the ultimate crown. Contestants compete in a variety of categories, including swimsuits, evening gowns, and interviews. The winner is then crowned the next Miss USA.
The pageant’s history dates back to the 1950s, when Yolanda Betbeze was crowned in 1951. The pageant was initially called the National American Girl Advisory Board and was renamed in 1955. The Miss America pageant was reformed in the 1990s into the Miss USA Organization, a not-for-profit corporation that awards state franchises to “responsible organizations” in each state.
Today, the competition includes a number of different rounds, including the swimsuit or athletic wear portion, an evening gown presentation, and a final question round for the top six competitors. Each of these rounds is designed to showcase the contestant’s abilities and personality. The contestants are also asked to answer a question about their personal goals and accomplishments, and how they will use their platform as a means to further social change.
In addition to the interview portion, each contestant is required to choose a social cause that is important to her and spends her year as a pageant winner advocating for that issue. This can include raising awareness and/or funds for charities such as the Race for the Cure, DARE (to keep kids off drugs), Best Buddies (for people with intellectual disabilities), Girl Talk (a mentoring program for middle school girls), and Sparrow Clubs (people helping children in medical crises).
The 2023 Miss USA pageant will take place on Sept. 28, and will be hosted by Keltie Knight and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton from E! News. The judges will include actress Vivica A. Fox, fashion designer Nicole Miller, model Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian, and beauty entrepreneur and influencer Patrick Starr.
Many critics have criticized the pageant for promoting unrealistic beauty standards and sexualizing women. The New York Times recently published an article that stated “pageants sexualize women’s bodies and encourage them to conform to ludicrous beauty standards.” However, there are a number of things that the Miss USA pageant does to promote healthy body image, such as taking out the swimsuit portion for teen contestants and replacing it with activewear. The judging panels for the competition are also composed of women who have worked to improve the lives of women in the United States.
Judges
Miss USA contestants are judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. The judges are looking for women with character, poise and confidence. The competition is televised, and the top six finalists compete in a question-and-answer segment. The winner is crowned on the night of the pageant. Contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 28. Contestants participate in a state competition to determine their representatives for the national pageant. The winners of the state competition are known as “Miss (State) USA.”
There are several rules that delegates must follow to avoid disqualification. For example, delegates may not approach judges before or during the competition, and their immediate family members and trainers are prohibited from talking to the judges. Delegates who violate these rules are subject to immediate disqualification. Contestants must also be US citizens to participate in the Miss USA pageant.
Contestants who have a naturalized status can compete once they are able to prove that they are eligible. In addition, the judging panel for the pageant is composed of professional women who have significant experience in their respective fields. The judging panel is chosen by the pageant management.
The contestant with the most points from each category wins the competition. The winner is crowned at the end of the two-hour event. The 2023 Miss USA competition saw Noelia Voigt, who represented Utah, win the title. Savannah Gankiewicz, who represented Hawaii, placed first runner-up. Alexis Loomans, who represented Wisconsin, and Lluvia Alzate, who was born from an American-Venezuelan marriage, rounded out the top five.
The Miss USA pageant has been a staple of the entertainment industry since its inception. Initially, it was a corporately-sponsored event, but in the early 1990s it was acquired by Hollywood mega-talent agency WME/IMG and became an independent pageant. Throughout its history, the pageant has been hosted by a number of famous personalities, including John Charles Daly, Bob Barker, and Dick Clark. Today, the competition is co-hosted by E! News hosts Keltie Knight and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton. This year’s judges include fashion designer Nicole Miller, actress Vivica A. Fox, makeup artist Patrick Starr, and model Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian. In addition, former “Bachelor in Paradise” star Jordan Kimball and current Miss USA Morgan Romano provide backstage commentary.