Miss USA 2019


Miss USA 2019 was the 68th Miss USA pageant. It was held at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada on May 2, 2019. Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey served as hosts, while Lu Sierra served as commentator, all for the second consecutive time. Additionally, it featured performances from T-Pain and Nick Lachey.
Sarah Rose Summers of Nebraska crowned her successor Cheslie Kryst of North Carolina at the end of the event. Kryst represented the United States at Miss Universe 2019 and placed in the Top 10.
The 2019 competition served as the second consecutive time that the pageant has been held concurrently with the Miss Teen USA competition.

Background

Location

On March 28, 2019, the Miss Universe Organization confirmed that the pageant would be held on May 2 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, this was the ninth time Nevada hosting the pageant rather than Las Vegas, which was hosted before. Shortly afterwards, it was confirmed that Miss USA 2018 hosts Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey would be returning to host the 2019 competition.
Following the announcement of Reno being selected as the competition's host city, it emerged that the MUO were originally planning on holding the competition in Honolulu, Hawaii. The plan was rejected by Hawaiian officials and relocated to Reno by the MUO after the Hawaii Tourism Authority reported that they would be unable to secure the funds to host the competition that the MUO had requested, adding that they would be interested in hosting the 2020 competition.

Selection of participants

Delegates from 50 states and the District of Columbia were selected in state pageants began in August 2018 and ended in January 2019. The first state pageant was Alaska, held on August 4, 2018, and the final pageants were California, Kentucky and New Mexico, both held on January 27, 2019. Seven of them were former Miss Teen USA state winners, three of them were former Miss America state winners and two of them were former Miss America's Outstanding Teen state winners.

Results

Final ResultsContestant
Miss USA 2019
  • North Carolina – Cheslie Kryst
1st Runner-Up
  • New Mexico – Alejandra Gonzalez
    • 2nd Runner-Up
  • Oklahoma – Triana Browne
    • Top 5
  • Arkansas – Savannah Skidmore
  • Nevada – Tianna Tuamoheloa
    • Top 10
  • District of Columbia – Cordelia Cranshaw
  • Florida – Nicolette Jennings
  • Kansas – Alyssa Klinzing
  • Maryland – Mariela Pepin
  • Ohio – Alice Magoto
    • Top 15
  • Hawaii – Lacie Choy
  • Iowa – Baylee Drezek
  • Louisiana – Victoria Paul
  • Minnesota – Catherine Stanley
  • Pennsylvania – Kailyn Perez

    • Special award

    Pageant

    Preliminary round

    Prior to the final competition, the delegates competed the preliminary competition, which involved private interviews with the judges and a presentation show where they competed in swim wear and evening gown. It was held on April 29 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno-Tahoe hosted by Jeff Thompson and Sarah Rose Summers.

    Finals

    The format remained the same as the previous year, during 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 from the contestants who are outside of top 15, 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.
    StateContestantAgeHometownPlacementNotes
    AlabamaHannah McMurphy21Tuscaloosa
    AlaskaJoEllen Walters25Eagle River
    ArizonaSavannah Wix23Paradise ValleyPreviously Miss Arizona Teen USA 2014
    ArkansasSavannah Skidmore24Calico RockTop 5Previously Miss Arkansas 2016 after Savvy Shields was crowned Miss America 2017
    CaliforniaErica Dann27San Francisco
    ColoradoMadison Dorenkamp26Lamar
    ConnecticutAcacia Courtney26HamdenPreviously Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen 2009 and Miss Connecticut 2014
    DelawareJolisa Copeman24Middletown
    District of ColumbiaCordelia Cranshaw26Washington, D.C.Top 10
    FloridaNicolette Jennings22ClearwaterTop 10
    GeorgiaKaterina Rozmajzl21Atlanta
    HawaiiLacie Choy20HonoluluTop 15
    IdahoShelby Brown25Boise
    IllinoisAlexandra Plotz24GenevaPreviously Miss Illinois Teen USA 2012
    Later Miss Illinois World 2019
    IndianaTate Fritchley21Evansville
    IowaBaylee Drezek21DavenportTop 15
    KansasAlyssa Klinzing21OlatheTop 10Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013
    KentuckyJordan Weiter22Louisville
    LouisianaVictoria Paul26AlexandriaTop 15Contestant on season 24 of The Bachelor
    MaineLexie Elston23Windham
    MarylandMariela Pepin23SevernTop 10Previously Miss Maryland Teen USA 2014
    Top 10 finalist at Miss World America 2017
    MassachusettsKelly O'Grady28Boston
    MichiganAlyse Madej26Garden City
    MinnesotaCat Stanley23BloomingtonTop 15Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2014
    MississippiMadeleine Overby21ColumbusFormer New Orleans Saintsation cheerleader
    MissouriMiriah Jo Ludtke25St. Louis
    MontanaGrace Zitzer27Dillon
    NebraskaLex Najarian25Lincoln
    NevadaTianna Tuamoheloa26Las VegasTop 5
    New HampshireAlexis Chinn22Manchester
    New JerseyManya Saaraswat21Marlboro
    New MexicoAlejandra Gonzalez26Las Cruces1st Runner-up
    New YorkFlorinda Kajtazi27Yonkers
    North CarolinaCheslie Kryst28CharlotteMiss USA 2019
    North DakotaSamantha Redding22Burlington
    OhioAlice Magoto21CincinnatiTop 10Previously Miss Ohio 2016
    OklahomaTriana Browne26Tulsa2nd Runner-upPreviously Miss Oklahoma 2017
    OregonNatalie Tonneson28Portland
    PennsylvaniaKailyn Marie Perez27Camp HillTop 15Previously Miss Florida World 2015
    Rhode IslandNicole Pallozzi23Providence
    South CarolinaMaKenzie Divina21Clemson
    South DakotaAbigail Merschman22Sioux Falls
    TennesseeSavana Hodge25Nashville
    TexasAlayah Benavidez23San AntonioPreviously Miss United States 2016
    Contestant on season 24 of The Bachelor
    UtahAmanda Renée Giroux23Salt Lake City
    VermontBethany Garrow20Rutland
    VirginiaCourtney Lynne Smits22WoodbridgePreviously Miss Georgia Teen USA 2012
    WashingtonEvelyn Clark27Cathlamet
    West VirginiaHaley Holloway24MorgantownPreviously Miss West Virginia Teen USA 2013
    WisconsinDanika Tramburg22Hubertus
    WyomingAddison Treesh19GillettePreviously Miss Wyoming's Outstanding Teen 2014