Miss USA 2018


Miss USA 2018 was the 67th Miss USA pageant. It was held on May 21, 2018 at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana. Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey hosted for the first time, while Carson Kressley and Lu Sierra served as commentators. Additionally, it featured performances by 98 Degrees and Lee Brice. Kára McCullough of District of Columbia crowned her successor Sarah Rose Summers of Nebraska at the end of the event, becoming the first woman from her state to win the title. Summers represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2018 pageant on December 17, 2018 in Bangkok, and placed in the top 20.
The pageant was held at the same venue that was used for Miss USA 1997.
For the first time, the Miss Teen USA 2018 pageant was held concurrently, with the finals of the Teen competition being held just prior to the Miss USA competition.

Background

Location

On March 19, 2018, the Miss Universe Organization confirmed that the pageant would be held on May 21 at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana, this was the fifth time Louisiana hosting the pageant, and Shreveport was hosted twice, in 1997 and 1998. At the same time, it was announced Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey would be hosting the event.

Selection of participants

Delegates from 50 states and the District of Columbia were selected in state pageants held between September 2017 and January 2018. Texas was initially to be the first pageant that was originally scheduled on September 3, 2017, but was pushed to January 6, 2018 due to Hurricane Harvey hit that pageant's host city, Houston. However, Illinois was actually the first pageant of the 2018 edition held on September 4, 2017. The final pageants were Kentucky and New Mexico, held on January 28, 2018. Ten of them were former Miss Teen USA state winners, three of them were former Miss America state winners and one was former Miss World Puerto Rico who competed in Miss World 2014.

Results

§ – Winner of the fan vote

Special award

Historical significance

Preliminary round

Prior to the final competition, the delegates competed in the preliminary competition, which involves private interviews with the judges and a presentation show where they compete in swim wear and evening gown and was held on May 17, hosted by Erin Lim and Kára McCullough.

Finals

Much like in recent years, the contestants were increased back to 15 semifinalists, from 2016. In the final competition, the top 15 competed in swim wear, while the top 10 also competed in evening gown. The top five also competed in a question round against current affairs, while the final three also competed in the final question round and a final runway, and the winner was decided by a panel of judges alongside the two runners-up.

Judges

Contestant stats provided via the Miss Universe Organization.
StateContestantAgeHeightHometownPlacementNotes
AlabamaHannah Brown23TuscaloosaContestant on season 23 of The Bachelor, star of season 15 of The Bachelorette, and winner of season 28 of Dancing with the Stars
AlaskaBrooke Johnson25Anchorage
ArizonaNicole Smith24Phoenix
ArkansasLauren Weaver21GreenwoodPreviously Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2014
CaliforniaKelley Johnson25Los AngelesTop 10Previously Miss Colorado 2015
ColoradoChloe Brown22Grand JunctionPreviously Miss Colorado Teen USA 2013
ConnecticutJamie Hughes27Stamford
DelawareSierra Wright20WilmingtonPreviously Miss Delaware Teen USA 2015
Bryce Armstrong21
FloridaGénesis Dávila27MiamiTop 5Previously Miss World Puerto Rico 2014. Originally crowned Miss Florida USA 2017, but was later dethroned
GeorgiaMarianny Egurrola25BufordTop 10
HawaiiJulianne Chu26HonoluluPreviously Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2010
IdahoTéa Draganović21Boise
IllinoisKarolina Jasko20Franklin Park
IndianaDarrian Arch23ChestertonPreviously Miss Indiana Teen USA 2013
IowaJenny Valliere27Cedar Rapids
KansasMelanie Shaner20Overland ParkPreviously Miss Kansas Teen USA 2015
KentuckyBraea Tilford25Louisville
LouisianaLauren Vizza28ShreveportPreviously Miss Louisiana 2012
MaineMarina Gray22Top 10
MarylandBrittinay Nicolette26FallstonTop 15
MassachusettsAllissa Latham27LowellTop 15
MichiganElizabeth Johnson25DetroitTop 15
MinnesotaKalie Wright25Eagle BendPreviously National Sweetheart 2014 and Miss Idaho 2015
MississippiLaine Mansour21Tupelo
MissouriTori Kruse27Camdenton
MontanaDani Walker28BillingsPreviously National American Miss California Jr. Teen 2006 & National American Miss California Teen 2009. Competed in Miss California USA several times.
Nebraska23OmahaMiss USA 2018Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2012
NevadaCarolina Urrea23 Sunrise Manor2nd runner-upContestant in Nuestra Belleza Latina 2013 and 2015
New HampshireMichelle McEwan25Harrisville
New JerseyAlexa Noone23BayonneTop 10
New MexicoKristen Leyva23Las Cruces
New YorkGenesis Suero26Brooklyn
North CarolinaCaelynn Miller-Keyes22Asheville1st runner-upPreviously Miss Virginia Teen USA 2013. Contestant on season 23 of The Bachelor and season six of Bachelor in Paradise
North DakotaAbigail Pogatshnik20Bismarck
OhioDeneen Penn20Cortland
OklahomaCheyene Darling20Edmond
OregonToneata Morgan21CoquilleTop 15
PennsylvaniaOlivia Suchko22Belle Vernon
Rhode Island22Johnston
South CarolinaTori Sizemore22AndersonPreviously
South DakotaMadison Nipe21MadisonTop 5
TennesseeAlexandra Harper25NashvilleTop 10Daughter of Miss Tennessee USA 1981, Sharon Kay Steakly
TexasLogan Lester23HoustonTop 15
UtahNarine Ishhanov24Salt Lake CityOriginally from Turkmenistan
VermontMaia-Jena Allo20Colchester
VirginiaAshley Vollrath22Blacksburg
WashingtonAbigail Hill20Enumclaw
West VirginiaCasey Lassiter21Spencer
WisconsinRegina Gray27MilwaukeeLater Miss Surpanational USA 2019
WyomingCallie Bishop28LaramiePreviously Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2008

International broadcasters

Television