Miss USA 2018 explained

Date:	May 21, 2018
Venue:	Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, Shreveport, Louisiana
Entrants:	51
Placements:	15
Winner:	Sarah Rose Summers
Represented:	Nebraska
Congeniality:	Callie Bishop Wyoming
Before:	2017
Next:	2019

Miss USA 2018 was the 67th Miss USA pageant. It was held on May 21, 2018 at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana. The pageant was held at the same venue that was used for Miss USA 1997.^[1]

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.^[2] Summers represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2018 pageant on December 17, 2018 in Bangkok, and placed in the Top 20.

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey hosted for the first time, while Carson Kressley and Lu Sierra served as commentators and was broadcast on Fox for the third consecutive year.^[3] Additionally, it featured performances by 98 Degrees and Lee Brice.^[4]

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.^[5]

Background

Location

On March 19, 2018, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) 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.^[3]

Hosts and performer

On March 19, 2018, it was announced husband and wife duo Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey would be hosting the event, while Carson Kressley and Lu Sierra would serve as backstage commentators. Nick Lachey is one of the members of boy band 98 Degrees, while Vanessa Lachey formerly was crowned Miss Teen USA 1998 as Vanessa Minnillo, and has worked as a presenter in Total Request Live and a correspondent in Entertainment Tonight.

On May 17, 2018, the aforementioned 98 Degrees and country singer Lee Brice were announced as musical guests.^[3]

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

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss USA 2018	– Sarah Rose Summers^[6]
1st runner-up	– Caelynn Miller-Keyes
2nd runner-up	– Carolina Urrea
Top 5	– Génesis Dávila – Madison Nipe §
Top 10	– Kelley Johnson – Marianny Egurrola – Marina Gray – Alexa Noone – Alexandra Harper
Top 15	– Brittinay Nicolette – Allissa Latham – Elizabeth Johnson – Toneata Morgan – Logan Lester

§ – Voted into Top 15 by viewers

Special award

Pageant

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

• Natasha Curry – television host, news anchor and Miss Washington USA 1998^{[8] [9]}
• Jamie Kern Lima – businesswoman, reality television personality and Miss Washington USA 2000^{[8] [9]}
• Crystle Stewart – Miss USA 2008 from Texas^{[8] [9]}
• Liliana Vasquez – host and producer^{[8] [9]}
• Denise White – businesswoman and Miss Oregon USA 1994^{[8] [9]}
• Paula Shugart – Chairman of the Miss Universe Organization

Contestants

Contestant stats provided via the Miss Universe Organization.^[10]

State/district	Contestant	Age	Hometown	Notes
Alabama	Hannah Brown^[11]	23	Tuscaloosa	Contestant on season 23 of The Bachelor Star of season 15 of The Bachelorette Winner of season 28 of Dancing with the Stars
Alaska	Brooke Johnson^[12]	25	Anchorage
Arizona	Nicole Smith	24	Phoenix
Arkansas	Lauren Weaver^[13]	21	Greenwood	Previously Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2014
California	Kelley Johnson^[14]	25	Los Angeles	Previously Miss Colorado 2015
Colorado	Chloe Brown^[15]	22	Grand Junction	Previously Miss Colorado Teen USA 2013
Connecticut	Jamie Hughes^[16]	27	Stamford
Delaware	Sierra Wright	20	Wilmington	Previously Miss Delaware Teen USA 2015
District of Columbia	Bryce Armstrong	21	Washington, D.C.
Florida	Génesis Dávila^[17]	27	Miami	Previously Miss World Puerto Rico 2014 Originally crowned Miss Florida USA 2017, but was later dethroned^[18]
Georgia	Marianny Egurrola^[19]	25	Buford
Hawaii	Julianne Chu^[20]	26	Honolulu	Previously Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2010 Sister of Allison Chu, Miss Hawaii USA 2021
Idaho	Téa Draganović^[21]	21	Boise
Illinois	Karolina Jasko^[22]	20	Franklin Park
Indiana	Darrian Arch^[23]	23	Chesterton	Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 2013
Iowa	Jenny Valliere^[24]	27	Cedar Rapids
Kansas	Melanie Shaner^[25]	20	Overland Park	Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA 2015
Kentucky	Braea Tilford	25	Louisville
Louisiana	Lauren Vizza^[26]	28	Shreveport	Previously Miss Louisiana 2012
Maine	Marina Gray^[27]	22	Mount Desert Island
Maryland	Brittinay Nicolette^[28]	26	Fallston
Massachusetts	Allissa Latham^[29]	27	Lowell
Michigan	Elizabeth Johnson^[30]	25	Detroit
Minnesota	Kalie Wright^[31]	25	Eagle Bend	Previously National Sweetheart 2014 Previously Miss Idaho 2015^[32]
Mississippi	Laine Mansour	21	Tupelo
Missouri	Tori Kruse^[33]	27	Camdenton
Montana	Dani Walker^[34]	28	Billings	Previously National American Miss California Jr. Teen 2006 Previously National American Miss California Teen 2009 Competed in Miss California USA several times.^[35]
Nebraska	Sarah Rose Summers^[36]	23	Omaha	Previously National American Miss Junior Teen 2009–10 Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2012
Nevada	Carolina Urrea^[37]	23	Sunrise Manor	Contestant in Nuestra Belleza Latina 2013 and 2015
New Hampshire	Michelle McEwan^[38]	25	Harrisville
New Jersey	Alexa Noone^[39]	23	Bayonne
New Mexico	Kristen Leyva^[40]	23	Las Cruces
New York	Genesis Suero	26	Brooklyn
North Carolina	Caelynn Miller-Keyes^[41]	22	Asheville	Previously Miss Virginia Teen USA 2013 Contestant on season 23 of The Bachelor Contestant on season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise
North Dakota	Abigail Pogatshnik^[42]	20	Bismarck
Ohio	Deneen Penn^[43]	20	Cortland
Oklahoma	Cheyene Darling	20	Edmond
Oregon	Toneata Morgan^[44]	21	Coquille
Pennsylvania	Olivia Suchko^[45]	22	Belle Vernon
Rhode Island	Daescia DeMoranville^[46]	22	Johnston
South Carolina	Tori Sizemore^[47]	22	Anderson	Previously Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2013^[48]
South Dakota	Madison Nipe^[49]	21	Madison
Tennessee	Alexandra Harper^[50]	25	Brentwood	Daughter of Miss Tennessee USA 1981, Sharon Kay Steakly
Texas	Logan Lester^[51]	23	Houston
Utah	Narine Ishhanov	24	Salt Lake City	Originally from Turkmenistan^[52]
Vermont	Maia-Jena Allo^[53]	20	Colchester
Virginia	Ashley Vollrath^[54]	22	Blacksburg
Washington	Abigail Hill^[55]	20	Enumclaw
West Virginia	Casey Lassiter^[56]	21	Spencer
Wisconsin	Regina Gray^[57]	27	Milwaukee	Later Miss Supranational USA 2019
Wyoming	Callie Bishop^[58]	28	Laramie	Previously Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2008

International broadcasters

Television

• United States: Fox
• Africa: DSTV Mzansi Magic (delayed broadcast)
• Asia-Pacific: Fox Life (delayed broadcast)
• Venezuela: Venevisión

External links

• Miss USA official website

Notes and References

1. News: March 19, 2018 . It's official: Miss USA 2018 pageant coming to Shreveport . March 20, 2018 . . en.
2. Web site: Kennell . Tiana . May 21, 2018 . Miss Nebraska is crowned the 2018 Miss USA in Shreveport . December 13, 2021 . The Times.
3. News: Shreveport will host 2018 Miss USA pageant. The Times. March 19, 2018. March 20, 2018. en.
4. Web site: Hosts and Performers. May 17, 2018. Miss Universe Organization. February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020042/https://www.missuniverse.com/missusa/competition#event.hosts. dead.
5. News: Miss USA, Miss Teen USA pageants coming to Shreveport-Bossier City. WBTV. Pointer. Eric. March 19, 2018. March 20, 2018. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180320110059/http://www.wbtv.com/story/37757532/miss-usa-miss-teen-usa-pageants-coming-to-shreveport-bossier-city. March 20, 2018. dead.
6. Web site: Results Miss USA 2018: Highlights from the competition. 21 May 2018 . usatoday.com.
7. Web site: 25 May 2018 . Miss Wyoming Wins Miss Congeniality at 2018 Miss USA Pageant . Mycountry955.
8. Web site: Meet the 2018 #MissUSA Selection Committee!. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/Bi4cnjTnDJt . 2021-12-24 . limited. Miss USA. 17 May 2018.
9. Web site: 2018 Miss USA Selection Committee. 17 May 2018. Miss Universe Organization. 20 May 2018. 31 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181031005225/https://www.missuniverse.com/missusa/post/2495. dead.
10. Web site: Miss USA 2018 Contestants. 22 March 2018. MUO. 28 April 2019. 22 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190622123249/https://www.missuniverse.com/missusa/contestants/2018. dead.
11. Web site: New Miss Alabama USA wants to talk about mental health. November 8, 2017. WBRC. Sison. Bree.
12. Web site: Miss Alaska USA and Miss Alaska Teen USA crowned. KTVA. October 2, 2017. July 26, 2020.
13. Web site: Newly Crowned 2018 Miss Arkansas USA Has Local Ties. Monticello Live. November 14, 2017.
14. Web site: Todd . Harding . Former Miss Colorado Wins Miss California USA Pageant . K99 News . December 4, 2017.
15. Web site: Local women win Miss USA Colorado and Miss USA Teen Colorado. October 29, 2017. KJCT. Havener. Crispin.
16. Web site: Miss Connecticut Jamie Hughes and Miss Connecticut Teen Elle Sauli talk about their wins. January 8, 2018. WTNH. Ogirri. Joyce.
17. Web site: Génesis Dávila vuelve a ganar Miss Florida USA. Génesis Dávila wins Miss Florida USA again. December 18, 2017. Metro. es. Rodríguez Caraballo. Harry.
18. News: Florida Beauty Queen Loses Crown as It's Revealed She Had Face Professionally Done. 27 July 2016. Inside Edition. 8 February 2017.
19. Web site: Una guajira es la Miss Georgia USA 2018. Guajira is Miss Georgia USA 2018. November 19, 2017. El Heraldo. Solano Naizzir. Lorayne. es.
20. Web site: Julianne Chu crowned Miss Hawaii USA 2018. November 20, 2017. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Berger. John.
21. Web site: Bio. Miss Idaho USA. October 15, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171110101656/http://missidahousa.com/biomiss.php. November 10, 2017. dead.
22. Web site: Meet Miss Illinois USA. September 25, 2017. Miss Illinois USA.
23. Web site: 2018 Miss Indiana USA And Miss Indiana Teen USA Crowned. October 23, 2017. WBIW. November 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20181215121217/http://www.wbiw.com/state/archive/2017/10/2018-miss-indiana-usa-and-miss-indiana-teen-usa-crowned.php. December 15, 2018. dead.
24. Web site: Jenny Valliere of Cedar Rapids crowned Miss Iowa USA. The Gazette. October 9, 2017.
25. Web site: Wichita teen wins right to represent Kansas in Miss Teen USA pageant. November 27, 2017. The Wichita Eagle. Neil. Denise.
26. Web site: Shreveport’s Lauren Vizza Wins Miss Louisiana USA. McCarty. Erin. October 22, 2017. KEEL.
27. Web site: Trenton native named Miss Maine 2018. November 27, 2017. Mount Desert Islander. Graves. Liz.
28. Web site: Brittinay Nicolette of Fallston named Miss Maryland USA. November 2, 2017. Anderson. David. The Baltimore Sun.
29. Web site: Mill City pageant pride. November 19, 2017. The Sun. Curtis. Aaron.
30. Web site: Miss Wayne County wins Miss Michigan USA title. The Times Herald. October 1, 2017. Gross. Bob.
31. Web site: Standing ovations as woman with Down syndrome becomes first to compete in Miss Minnesota USA. November 26, 2017. St. Paul Pioneer Press. Divine. Mary.
32. News: Tetona . Dunlap . . . . Your Neighbor: The Kimberly Woman Crowned Miss National Sweetheart . September 7, 2014.
33. Web site: Miss Missouri USA 2018. Miss Missouri USA. October 15, 2017.
34. Web site: Transgender competes in Miss Montana USA 2018, fails to win the crown. 12 September 2017. Dela Cruz. Lito. Blasting News.
35. Web site: Dani Walker, Miss Montana USA Contestant. WELCOME TO THE PAGEANT BUZZ. en. 2020-04-17.
36. Web site: Sarah Rose Summers crowned Miss Nebraska USA. January 9, 2018. Peters. Chris. Omaha World-Herald.
37. Web site: Miss Nevada USA Organization Crowns Miss Nevada USA 2018 and Miss Nevada Teen USA 2018. January 9, 2018. Vegas News.
38. Web site: Miss New Hampshire USA Bio. November 1, 2017. Miss New Hampshire USA. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319145541/http://www.missnewhampshireusa.com/missnhusa/. March 19, 2018. dead.
39. Web site: About Miss New Jersey USA. November 6, 2017. Miss New Jersey USA. https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010411/http://www.missnewjerseyteenusa.com/njusa_bio.html. July 10, 2018. dead.
40. Web site: Kristen Leyva Crowned Miss New Mexico USA 2018. The Kaleidoscope of Pageantry. 29 January 2018.
41. Web site: Miss Asheville USA crowned Miss N.C. USA 2018. North State Journal. October 4, 2017.
42. Web site: Two North Dakota pageant winners crowned in Fargo. November 5, 2017. Grand Forks Herald.
43. Web site: United grad finishes as semifinalist in Miss Ohio USA. November 26, 2017. The Salem News.
44. Web site: Coquille resident crowned Miss Oregon USA. October 10, 2017. Bandon Western World. Moss Strong. Amy.
45. Web site: Pittsburgh-Area Natives Named Miss Pa. USA, Miss Pa. Teen USA. December 3, 2017. KDKA.
46. Web site: About Miss Rhode Island USA. November 6, 2017. Miss Rhode Island USA. https://web.archive.org/web/20120130081925/http://www.missrhodeislandusa.com/riusa_bio.html. January 30, 2012. dead.
47. Web site: The new Miss SC USA and Miss SC Teen USA have been crowned. November 18, 2017. The Post and Courier. Oyer. Kalyn.
48. News: Miss Clemson crowned Miss South Carolina 2019 . WYFF News . June 29, 2019.
49. Web site: Madison Nipe of Madison is Crowned Miss South Dakota. October 2, 2017. KSOO. Roberts. Dave.
50. News: Alexandra Harper, Miss Williamson Co., wins Miss Tennessee USA. Brechtelsbauer. Erica. October 14, 2017. The Leaf-Chronicle. October 15, 2017.
51. Web site: Popular real estate agent Logan Lester wins the 2018 Miss Texas USA pageant. Houston Chronicle. Elliott. Amber. January 9, 2018.
52. https://turkmenportal.com/blog/14657/urozhenka-ashhabada-budet-predstavlyat-shtat-yutu-na-konkurse-miss-ssha Уроженка Ашхабада будет представлять штат Юту на конкурсе Мисс США
53. Web site: Miss Vermont 2018 crowned. November 12, 2017. My Champlain Valley. Bouley. Haley.
54. Web site: Historic night as Virginia crowns a new Miss Virginia USA and Miss Virginia Teen USA. October 22, 2017. WTKR. Boykin. Nick.
55. Web site: Local Miss Washington prepares for national stage. November 16, 2017. Still. Ray. Enumclaw Courier-Herald.
56. Web site: Huntington's Trinity Tiffany Named Miss WV Teen; Casey Lassiter, 2018 Miss WV. Huntington News. October 9, 2017.
57. Web site: Results. Miss Wisconsin USA. September 25, 2017.
58. Web site: CASPER AND LARAMIE RESIDENTS WIN HONORS AT MISS WYOMING USA AND MISS WYOMING TEEN USA PAGEANTS. Oil City News. September 21, 2017.