Miss Louisiana USA explained

Miss Louisiana USA
Formation:1952
Type:Beauty pageant
Headquarters:Aiken
Location:South Carolina
Membership:Miss USA
Language:English
Key People:Janice McDonald
Paula Miles
Website:Official website

The Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.

Miss Louisiana USA is produced by RPM Productions since 1990, which also produces the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA state pageants for Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. RPM Productions' headquarters is in Aiken, South Carolina.

Sydney Taylor of Livingston was crowned Miss Louisiana USA 2024 on March 30, 2024, at Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie. She will represent Louisiana at Miss USA 2024.

History

Louisiana is one of only seven states to have three or more Miss USA winners (in 1958, 1961, and 1996).

Four Miss Louisiana USA titleholders previously held the Miss Louisiana Teen USA title, including Ali Landry, who became the third woman from Louisiana to be crowned Miss USA.

Jennifer Dupont, Miss Louisiana USA 2000, is one of only seven women who have competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America pageants.

Louisiana's future success at Miss USA would be evident in the state's first contestant, Jeanne Vaughn Thompson, Miss Louisiana USA 1952 and 1953. She is the only woman to ever compete twice in the history of Miss USA, and to outright win a Miss USA state title twice.

Thompson was also the only two-time state titleholder in Miss USA history, a record she held for 44 years until Shanna Lyn Searles became the second and only other double state titleholder. Searles won the Miss California USA title outright in 1996 after inheriting the state's 1992 title due to the original winner, Shannon Marketic, being crowned Miss USA 1992.

Thompson's overall pageant success includes winning the Miss Louisiana state title and competing at Miss America in 1951, winning the first two Miss Louisiana USA state titles and competing in the first and second Miss USA pageants, becoming the first-ever 1st runner-up in 1952 and a semi-finalist and Miss Congeniality (Amity) winner in 1953. Her two consecutive participations in Miss USA and subsequent final placements prompted organizers to create a rule allowing a person to compete for the title only once.

Miss Louisiana USA contestants accomplished another feat first, winning both the Miss Congeniality (Amity) and Miss Photogenic awards ever given to a Miss USA state delegate. Thompson was the winner of the Miss Congeniality award given to the first Miss USA state contestant in 1953.

The second Miss Congeniality award given also went to another contestant from Louisiana, Judy Fletcher in 1960. That year, during the era when both Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held at the same time, Fletcher tied with a Miss Universe contestant from Myanmar (known at the time as Burma) for the award.

Sharon Brown, who represented Louisiana in 1961, won the first Miss Photogenic award given to a Miss USA state delegate. She also won the Miss USA title, the first Miss Photogenic winner to obtain that feat.

Louisiana is one of only two states (California the other) to have won both the Miss USA title and the Miss Photogenic award in the same year on two separate occasions (Brown in 1961 and Landry in 1996).

Results summary

Placements

Louisiana holds a record of 29 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

Winners

Color key
  • Declared as Winner
  • Ended as runner-up or finalist
  • Ended as one of the semifinalists
width=5% Yearwidth=20%Namewidth=10%Hometownwidth=3%Age1width=12%Local titlewidth=14%Placement at Miss USAwidth=17%Special awards at Miss USAwidth=31%Notes
2024Sydney TaylorLivingston23Miss LafayettePreviously Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2020
2023Sylvia MastersHouma27Miss Sportsman's Paradise
2022Katelyn "KT" ScannellDenham Springs22Miss Lafayette
2021Tanya CroweAmite City28Miss New OrleansTop 16Professional cheerleader for the New Orleans Saintsations
2020Mariah Clayton[1] Zachary23Miss Greater Baton Rouge Top 16
Victoria Paul[2] [3] Alexandria26Miss LafayetteTop 15Later a contestant on season 24 of The Bachelor and season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise
2018Lauren Vizza[4] Shreveport27Miss ShreveportPreviously Miss Louisiana 2012[5]
2017Bethany TrahanLake Charles21Miss Calcasieu
2016Maaliyah PapillionLake Charles21Miss Lake Charles
2015Candice BennattNew Orleans26Miss Ville PlatteTop 11Previously Miss New Mexico 2012. Former Houston Texans Cheerleader.
2014Brittany GuidryHouma21Miss Florida Parishes3rd Runner-upPreviously Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2009 and 4th runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2009; one of few women to place in the top 5 at both Miss Teen USA and Miss USACousin of Michelle Berthelot, Miss Louisiana USA 2008
2013Kristen Girault21Miss Florida Parish Top 10New Orleans Saints cheerleader
2012Erin EdmistonLafayette22Miss Camellia CityTop 16
2011Page PennockShreveport21
2010Sara BrooksNew Orleans22
2009Lacey MinchewBaton Rouge24Previously Miss Teen America 2002, representing Georgia. Originally from Marietta.
2008Michelle BerthelotHammond26Cousin of Brittany Guidry, Miss Louisiana USA 2014
2007Elizabeth McNultyLafayette25Top 15
2006Christina CuencaChalmette26
2005Candice StewartMetairie21Previously Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2002. Contestant on Big Brother 15.
2004Melissa McConnellRuston27
2003Brittney RogersShreveport20Contestant on The Amazing Race 8. Winner of Fear Factor Miss USA episode
2002Anne-Katherine LeneAbbevilleTop 12
2001Heather HaydenAmite
2000Jennifer DupontPlaqueminePreviously Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1998, Miss Louisiana 2004 and 1st runner up at Miss America 2005
1999Melissa BongiovanniBaton Rouge
1998Debbie DelhommeLafayetteTop 10
1997Nikole ViolaWalker
1996Ali LandryBreaux Bridge26Miss USA 1996Miss PhotogenicPreviously Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1990 (Top 12 at Miss Teen USA 1990), Top 6 finalist at Miss Universe 1996
1995Elizabeth CoxeSpringfield24Top 6
1994Shirelle HebertArabiTop 6
1993Jennifer MitchellLeesville
1992Christy SaylorBaton RougeTop 11
1991Melinda MurphyWest Monroe
1990Jeanne BurnsBaton RougeCurrently evening news anchor for NBC affiliate WVLA in Baton Rouge.
1989Elizabeth PrimmHouma3rd Runner-upMiss Photogenic, 2nd Place Best CostumeMiss USA at Miss Asia Pacific 1989, did not place; Star Search 1990 Spokesmodel contestant.
1988Rhonda VinsonShreveport
1987Carol CarterShreveportPreviously Miss Louisiana 1985
1986Cecelia BradyOllaNow Cecelia Gonzalez of San Diego, California. Her father was Louisiana State Representative Thomas "Bud" Brady.
1985Sarie JoubertShreveport3rd Runner-up1st runner up at Miss International 1985 as Miss USA.
1984Rusanne Jourdan
1983Pamela ForrestBaton Rouge3rd Runner-upMrs. America 1987 and Mrs. World 1988
1982Lisa MichaelBaton Rouge
1981Lisa Lynn MossShreveport2nd Runner-upLater Miss World USA 1981 and Top 5 finalist at Miss World 1981
1980Kelly BoninBaton Rouge
1979Lisa AndersonGretna19
1978Tauny HanesBaton Rouge
1977Patti RosenbalmBossier City
1976Robyn SandersWinnfield4th Runner-up
1975Rhonda ShearNew OrleansTelevision program host and actor, best known for her role as host of the USA Network's weekend movie show, USA Up All Night
1974Karen HoffBossier CityTop 12
1973Storm HensleyBossier CityTop 12Was a sergeant in the Air Force stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City
1972Bonnie MartinAshland21Top 12
1971Diana RisensteinBossier City
1970Nadine RobertsonBossier City
1969Patricia DupreWashington
1968Kathy Hebert3rd Runner-upMiss Photogenic
1967Dianne MaderHouma21
1966Tanya BecnelAma
1965Terri SommersShreveport19
1964Linda GravesShreveport
1963Peggy RomeroKaplan
1962Diana Jane SmithOak RidgeSemifinalist in Miss World USA 1962
1961Sharon BrownMindenMiss USA 1961Miss Photogenic4th runner up at Miss Universe 1961
1960Judy FletcherAlexandriaTop 15Miss Congeniality
1959Mary Margaret LobiancoTop 15
1958Eurlyne HowellBossier CityMiss USA 19583rd runner up at Miss Universe 1958
1957Earlyn RegouffreNew Orleans
1956Cecile MorrisBaton Rouge19
1955Merlin GarciaGretna19
1954Sadie VinsonNew OrleansFinalist in the 1955 Miss Dixie Pageant
1953Jeanne ThompsonBaton RougeTop 20Miss CongenialityOnly woman ever to compete in Miss USA pageant twice. Previously Miss Louisiana 1951. Also competed in the 1952 Maid of Cotton Pageant
19521st Runner-up
1 Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

  1. Web site: Zachary native, Southern University alumna crowned Miss Louisiana USA 2020. WVUE-DT. Foster. Kent. October 20, 2019. October 21, 2019.
  2. Web site: Miss Louisiana heads off to compete in Miss USA 2019 pageant. King. Faith. KALB-TV. en. April 10, 2019. June 9, 2019.
  3. Web site: Miss USA 2019 Contestants: Winner & Top Finalists Revealed Live. Weigle. Lauren. May 3, 2019. Heavy.com. en. June 9, 2019.
  4. Web site: Erin . McCarty . Shreveport's Lauren Vizza Wins Miss Louisiana USA . News Radio 710 KEEL . October 22, 2017.
  5. Web site: Elaine . Etheridge . The New Miss Louisiana is From Shreveport . News Radio 710 KEEL . June 25, 2012.

External links