Miss USA 1990
Miss USA 1990, the 39th Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on March 2, 1990. At the conclusion of the final competition, Carole Gist of Michigan was crowned by outgoing titleholder Gretchen Polhemus of Texas. Carole became the first African American winner ever and the first woman from Michigan to be crowned as Miss USA, ending the streak of "Texas Aces" from 1985.
For the first time, each judge's score was displayed to every audience, adding transparency to the process.
A major format change in 1990 transformed the Miss USA competition for the next decade: the delegates would face an extra round of elimination on finals night: the top six judges' questions.
Instead of reducing the top twelve to the usual final five, the judges would pick an intermediate top six. Those six finalists would answer questions from the judges and the field was reduced to a final three, who would face the traditional final question, adding unpredictability to the competition after five Texan Miss USA winners from GuyRex Associates, which would lose its Miss Texas USA franchise the next year.
The pageant was hosted by Dick Clark for the second of five times, with color commentary by Leeza Gibbons and Laura Harring, Miss USA 1985.
This was the first time the pageant was held in Wichita, where it would be staged for the next three years.
Results
Placements
| Final Results | Contestant |
| Miss USA 1990 |
|
| 1st Runner-UpMiss World USA 1990 | |
| 2nd Runner-Up |  New Jersey – Karin Hartz |
| Top 6 |  Alaska – Karin Meyer Georgia – Brenda Leithleiter Kentucky – Tiffany Tenfelde |
| Top 12 |  District of Columbia – Catherine Staples Illinois – Karla Myers Mississippi – Stephanie Teneyck Ohio – Melissa Proctor Tennessee – Charita Moses Texas – Stephanie Kuehne |
Michigan – Carole Gist
Final Competition
Special awards
Historical significance
- Michigan wins competition for the first time and surpasses its previous highest placement in 1976. Also becoming in the 23rd state who does it for the first time.
- South Carolina earns the 1st runner-up position for the fourth time. The last time it placed this was in 1970.
- New Jersey earns the 2nd runner-up position for the second time and repeats the same position as the past year 1989.
- Alaska finishes as Top 6 for the first time and reaches its highest placement since 1964.
- Georgia finishes as Top 6 for the first time.
- Kentucky finishes as Top 6 for the first time and reaches its highest placement since 1982.
- States that placed in semifinals the previous year were Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.
- Texas placed for the sixteenth consecutive year.
- Illinois placed for the seventh consecutive year.
- Georgia placed for the fifth consecutive year.
- New Jersey made its second consecutive placement.
- Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee last placed in 1988.
- Ohio last placed in 1986.
- District of Columbia last placed in 1984.
- Michigan last placed in 1983.
- Kentucky last placed in 1982.
- Alaska last placed in 1978.
- California and Oklahoma break an ongoing streak of placements since 1988.
- Gina Tolleson would represent the USA at Miss World, where she took the title. Carole Gist represented USA at Miss Universe 1990 where she finished runner-up to Norway's Mona Grudt. If Carole had won Miss Universe, Miss South Carolina, Gina Tolleson, would have become Miss USA and Miss New Jersey, Karin Hartz, would have represented the USA at the 1990 Miss World Pageant. It has been the closest that USA has been of winning both major Big 4 pageants.
Scores
Preliminary competition
The following are the contestants' scores in the preliminary competition.| State | Interview | Swimsuit | Evening gown | Average |
| Alabama | 7.633 | 7.639 | 8.148 | 7.807 |
| Alaska | 8.939 | 8.022 | 8.021 | 8.327 |
| Arizona | 7.956 | 7.547 | 7.698 | 7.734 |
| Arkansas | 7.482 | 7.241 | 7.992 | 7.572 |
| California | 8.372 | 7.709 | 8.378 | 8.153 |
| Colorado | 8.311 | 7.778 | 7.888 | 7.992 |
| Connecticut | 7.406 | 7.427 | 7.577 | 7.470 |
| Delaware | 8.128 | 7.584 | 8.411 | 8.041 |
| District of Columbia | 8.187 | 8.358 | 8.088 | 8.211 |
| Florida | 7.967 | 8.220 | 8.088 | 8.092 |
| Georgia | 8.944 | 8.217 | 8.329 | 8.497 |
| Hawaii | 6.994 | 7.673 | 7.672 | 7.446 |
| Idaho | 7.561 | 7.036 | 7.239 | 7.279 |
| Illinois | 8.317 | 8.294 | 8.372 | 8.328 |
| Indiana | 8.717 | 7.438 | 7.644 | 7.933 |
| Iowa | 7.600 | 7.700 | 7.327 | 7.542 |
| Kansas | 8.078 | 8.167 | 8.350 | 8.198 |
| Kentucky | 8.733 | 8.383 | 8.338 | 8.485 |
| Louisiana | 8.044 | 8.094 | 7.848 | 7.995 |
| Maine | 7.678 | 7.620 | 7.322 | 7.540 |
| Maryland | 8.121 | 7.868 | 7.872 | 7.954 |
| Massachusetts | 7.638 | 7.180 | 7.287 | 7.368 |
| Michigan | 8.481 | 8.303 | 8.649 | 8.478 |
| Minnesota | 7.971 | 7.948 | 7.783 | 7.901 |
| Mississippi | 8.316 | 8.271 | 8.161 | 8.249 |
| Missouri | 8.449 | 8.009 | 7.861 | 8.106 |
| Montana | 7.250 | 7.004 | 6.987 | 7.080 |
| Nebraska | 8.394 | 7.123 | 7.326 | 7.614 |
| Nevada | 8.000 | 7.861 | 7.947 | 7.936 |
| New Hampshire | 7.744 | 7.411 | 7.423 | 7.526 |
| New Jersey | 8.711 | 7.753 | 8.306 | 8.257 |
| New Mexico | 7.472 | 7.367 | 7.437 | 7.425 |
| New York | 8.444 | 8.140 | 7.928 | 8.171 |
| North Carolina | 7.561 | 7.556 | 7.546 | 7.554 |
| North Dakota | 8.139 | 7.444 | 7.809 | 7.797 |
| Ohio | 8.244 | 8.294 | 8.544 | 8.361 |
| Oklahoma | 8.144 | 8.150 | 7.989 | 8.094 |
| Oregon | 8.128 | 7.290 | 6.833 | 7.417 |
| Pennsylvania | 7.944 | 7.552 | 7.806 | 7.767 |
| Rhode Island | 7.089 | 7.543 | 7.428 | 7.353 |
| South Carolina | 8.589 | 8.314 | 8.641 | 8.515 |
| South Dakota | 7.233 | 7.604 | 7.249 | 7.362 |
| Tennessee | 8.526 | 8.186 | 8.614 | 8.442 |
| Texas | 8.156 | 8.310 | 8.279 | 8.248 |
| Utah | 8.722 | 7.838 | 7.606 | 8.055 |
| Vermont | 7.267 | 7.256 | 6.983 | 7.169 |
| Virginia | 8.310 | 8.189 | 7.622 | 8.040 |
| Washington | 7.817 | 7.960 | 7.700 | 7.826 |
| West Virginia | 7.894 | 7.706 | 8.022 | 7.874 |
| Wisconsin | 8.028 | 7.670 | 7.589 | 7.762 |
| Wyoming | 7.650 | 8.012 | 8.128 | 7.930 |
Final competition
| State | Interview | Swimsuit | Evening Gown | Average |
| Michigan | 9.261 | 9.364 | 9.489 | 9.371 |
| New Jersey | 9.344 | 9.206 | 9.414 | 9.321 |
| Alaska | 9.111 | 9.322 | 9.218 | 9.217 |
| Kentucky | 8.981 | 9.100 | 9.289 | 9.123 |
| South Carolina | 8.848 | 9.139 | 9.259 | 9.082 |
| Georgia | 8.683 | 9.325 | 9.100 | 9.036 |
| District of Columbia | 8.577 | 9.078 | 9.157 | 8.937 |
| Tennessee | 8.739 | 8.903 | 9.023 | 8.888 |
| Texas | 8.922 | 8.839 | 8.869 | 8.876 |
| Illinois | 8.622 | 8.772 | 9.176 | 8.856 |
| Mississippi | 8.574 | 8.694 | 8.792 | 8.686 |
| Ohio | 8.481 | 8.370 | 8.746 | 8.532 |
Delegates
The Miss USA 1990 delegates were:- Alabama - Natalie Moore
- Alaska - Karin Meyer
- Arizona - Lezlie Leonard
- Arkansas - Kathryn Harris
- California - Cynthia Nelson
- Colorado - Michelle Harrison
- Connecticut - Allison Barbeau-Diorio
- Delaware - Nicci Dent
- District of Columbia - Catherine Staples
- Florida - Tricia Hahn
- Georgia - Brenda Leithleiter
- Hawaii - Leimomi Bacalso
- Idaho - Cindy Estey
- Illinois - Karla Myers
- Indiana - Meri Lyn Buker
- Iowa - Elizabeth Muelhaupt
- Kansas - Rebecca Porter
- Kentucky - Tiffany Tenfelde
- Louisiana - Jeanne Burns
- Maine - Leigh Bubar
- Maryland - Julie Stanford
- Massachusetts - Laureen Murphy
- Michigan - Carole Gist
- Minnesota - Janet Tveita
- Mississippi - Stephanie Teneyck
- Missouri - Lori Suschnick
- Montana - Kimberlee Burger
- Nebraska - Angela Humphrey
- Nevada - Michelle Yegee
- New Hampshire - Lisa Parnpichate
- New Jersey - Karin Hartz
- New Mexico - Larissa Canaday
- New York - Patricia Murphy
- North Carolina - Altman Allen
- North Dakota - Kari Larson
- Ohio - Melissa Proctor
- Oklahoma - Lauralynn Norton
- Oregon - Elizabeth Michaud
- Pennsylvania - Elizabeth Cebak
- Rhode Island - Susan Lima
- South Carolina - Gina Tolleson
- South Dakota - Valerie Sejnoha
- Tennessee - Charita Moses
- Texas - Stephanie Kuehne
- Utah - Debra Linn
- Vermont - Stephanie Bessey
- Virginia - Evelyn Green
- Washington - Melissa Dickson
- West Virginia - Sabrina Anderson
- Wisconsin - Lynn Mulcahy
- Wyoming - Cheryl James
Crossovers
- Only three delegates had previously competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant:
- *Julie Stanford - Miss Maryland Teen USA 1986
- *Kari Larson - Miss North Dakota Teen USA 1984
- *Allison Barbeau-Diorio - Miss Connecticut Teen USA 1987
- No former Miss America delegates competed for the second year in a row.
- Gina Tolleson was later appointed as Miss World America 1990 by the Miss USA pageant and won Miss World 1990.
Judges
- Eileen Fulton
- Kerry Gordy
- Rebecca Brandewyne
- Robin Cousins
- Barbara Peterson
- Dan Isaacson
- Dr. Irene Kassorla
- Jackie Joyner Kersee
- Randy Stone
- Judi Sheppard Missett
- Gordon Cooper