THOUGHTS OF MISS USA
2016
G.I. Deshauna, a real American hero, reporting for duty as Miss USA 2016!
Knowing is half the battle and who knew this was coming? The Miss USA pageant took a very different direction in 2016, which is the first Miss USA pageant to air on the FOX network and is also the first Miss USA pageant since 1996 that did not have the now Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump involved as an owner. Of course, we all remember the turmoil that suddenly almost derailed the seemingly on-track Miss USA pageant last year seeing multiple performers, host, judges, sponsors and even the NBC network withdrawing involvement with the pageant due to Donald Trump’s comments about Mexicans during his speech a few months earlier when he announced his bid to run to become the Republican candidate for U.S. President. This caused a last minute scramble but thankfully, new people stepped in who saw that the Miss USA delegates last year shouldn’t have been punished for what happened and there were new hosts, performers and former Miss Universe Organization titleholders served as judges and a smaller network called Reelz aired the pageant at the last minute and there was also an online webcast for those who didn’t get the Reelz network. Since then, Donald Trump who started a joint ownership with NBC of the pageants in 2003 bought back his share and sold it all to WME/IMG which has been involved in production for past pageants and the FOX network took over from NBC as the network to air the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants starting with the 2015 Miss Universe pageant which aired last December. The U.S. presidential race has also since been narrowed down to Donald Trump as the Republican candidate and former first lady, Hillary Clinton as the first female Democratic candidate and we shall learn the results of this different type of competition after Election Day, November 8, 2016.
A groundbreaking win came from the District of Columbia’s Deshauna Barber. Coming from a military family and being an army reserve commander herself, Deshauna is not your typical beauty queen. The definition of Miss USA has entered a very new territory that this time around sought an American hero or a super woman. As Janine Tugonon, Miss Philippines 2012 and 1st runner-up to Miss Universe 2012 said, "As long as your heart is to serve..." and indeed the new Miss USA, Deshauna Barber's heart is indeed to serve. This is the third Miss USA win for the nation's capital succeeding those of Bobbi Johnson in 1964 and Shauntay Hinton in 2002. Interestingly enough, the last Miss USA pageant that Ali Landry (Miss USA 1996) was seen at was the 2002 Miss USA pageant which was also won by the District of Columbia and also the last to air on CBS. Ali returned this year after a long absence serving as a judge this time around and was not seen during the NBC era from 2003-2015 so in a way, we have come full circle. Deshauna Barber joined the United States Army reserve at the age of 17 following in her family’s footsteps as her parents and siblings also serve. Also at age 17, Deshauna worked at Target and told the story during media week that a former Miss Texas USA contestant, Leslie Morton-Schober (who tragically passed away last year in June 2015) saw potential in Deshauna and encouraged her to enter pageants. Deshauna was a semifinalist at Miss Virginia USA 2010 and Miss District of Columbia USA 2015 before coming back hard in her last year of eligibility taking the 2016 Miss District of Columbia USA title so her determination paid off ‘bigly.’ Deshauna works as a Logistics commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment unit at Fort Meade, Maryland and recently earned a Master’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems and Services from University of Maryland University College.
After a two-year stint in Baton Rouge, Louisiana who thankfully did not bail on last year’s chaotic pageant, Miss USA returned to Las Vegas which also hosted Miss USA 2008 to 2013 but this time, it was held in the brand new T-Mobile arena. Miss USA 2016 began with a video segment of Steve Harvey (who hosted Miss Universe 2015) jokingly coaching this year’s host Terrence Jenkins to not say the word ‘Colombia’ or any variations of it, referring to Harvey’s gaffe were he mistakenly announced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner of Miss Universe 2015 only to come back on stage to correct his mistake after she had been sashed and crowned to announced that Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines actually won making for one uncomfortable ending to the pageant and it became one of the most talked about events ever in pageantry. In a bout of foreshadowing, Terrence asked, ‘What if she’s from the District of Columbia?’ To which, Steve Harvey warned to just say “D.C.” but Terrence didn’t heed his advice and the District of Columbia did indeed win and didn’t have her crown taken away. Australian twin DJ sisters going by the name of Nervo, who were involved as co-writers for the 2009 Miss Universe evening gown song “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland, spun the tunes as this year’s Miss USA delegates introduced themselves on stage succeeded by interesting factoids about each one as was done during Miss Universe 2015 which I appreciated. These factoids were uttered by backstage commentator, Ashley Graham.
ACTUAL TOP 15: |
MY PREDICTIONS: |
Winner=District of Columbia-Deshauna Barber |
Winner=Virginia-Desiree Williams* |
1st Runner Up=Hawaii-Chelsea Hardin |
1st Runner Up=Maryland-Christina Denny |
2nd Runner Up=Georgia-Emanii Davis |
2nd Runner Up=Texas-Daniella Rodriguez |
FINALISTS (alpha'l): |
FINALISTS: |
Alabama-Peyton Brown |
Hawaii-Chelsea Hardin* |
California-Nadia Mejia |
Nevada-Emelina Adams |
SEMIFINALISTS (alpha'l): |
SEMIFINALISTS: |
Arkansas-Abby Floyd |
Missouri-Sydnee Stottlemyre* |
Connecticut-Tiffany Teixeira |
California-Nadia Mejia* |
Missouri-Sydnee Stottlemyre |
Florida-Brie Gabrielle |
South Dakota-Madison McKeown |
52-Alexandra Miller |
Virginia-Desiree Williams |
Illinois-Zena Malak |
QUARTERFINALISTS (alpha'l): |
QUARTERFINALISTS: |
Arizona-Chelsea Myers |
Michigan-Susie Leica |
Ohio-Megan Wise |
Georgia-Emanii Davis* |
Oklahoma-Taylor Gorton |
South Carolina-Leah Lawson* |
South Carolina-Leah Lawson |
Colorado-Caley Rae Pavillard |
West Virginia-Nichole Greene |
Wisconsin-Kate Redeker |
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ALTERNATES: Tennessee, West Virginia*, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maine |
|
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Massachusetts, Minnesota, Connecticut*, Idaho, Ohio* |
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* = made actual top 15 |
In terms of my predictions, I tried to take a different, more conformist approach this year but...it made no difference!!! I picked 6 of the 15 semifinalists (Virginia, Hawaii, Missouri, California, Georgia and South Carolina) plus 1 alternate (West Virginia) and 2 honorable mentions (Connecticut and Ohio). Surprisingly 4 of the semifinalists were in my tier below my honorable mentions (South Dakota, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Alabama) and the 2 semifinalists that missed my list entirely were Arizona and the winner herself, District of Columbia (facepalm). When the semifinalists were being announced, I felt like it was almost like we had gone back to 1999 when it felt like the semifinalists' names were being picked out of a hat! This year also saw the debut of a new title called Miss 52 USA where an at-large contestant selected through social media was allowed to compete but similarly to Miss Teen USA contestants that competed in the 1984 and 1987 Miss USA pageants, Miss 52 USA did not place among the semifinalists. But now that this concept has been formed, it is likely to continue. Who knows? Will there be a Miss 52 Teen USA also?? Or how about a Miss Social Media Universe?? Alexandra Miller won the first Miss 52 USA title and she also happened to be the 1st runner up to Olivia Jordan (Miss USA 2015) at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015. Alex inherited the Oklahoma crown after Olivia won Miss USA and gave up her opportunity to compete for Miss Oklahoma USA 2016 on her last year of eligibility which was won by Taylor Gorton was interestingly enough the 2nd runner up at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 so Alex at the last moment was given the opportunity to compete at Miss USA that she thought had eluded her. So what happened to my other 9 picks that didn’t place? First up was Maryland who previously competed at Miss America 2014 placing in the top 10. Virginia and Maryland both competed for Miss America 2014 so I purposely placed these two as my top two but the tables turned at Miss USA where Maryland didn’t place but Virginia did as opposed to Miss America where Virginia didn’t place but Maryland did. I thought Christina Denny was an all-around complete delegate who is talented and I’m sure does well in interviews. I was hoping she would have worn a different gown for preliminaries as my guess is that this may have taken her out of the running as it was somewhat risky. Next was Texas who was a former Teen delegate in 2013 who did not place at either Miss Teen USA or Miss USA like Lauren Guzman (Miss Texas USA 2014 and Miss Texas Teen USA 2008) even though many people thought Daniella was a major contender with her shining personality and fresh look. Daniella did tweak her appearance and her exclusion was very surprising as she was practically on everyone’s list. The 2010s haven’t been good to the once-successful Lonestar state since they have missed the semifinals 3 times at Miss USA (2010, 2014 and now 2016). My friend Lex pointed out to me that this is the first time since 1991 that neither ‘T’ state (Tennessee or Texas) placed and Tennessee also hasn’t missed the semifinals two years in a row since 1992. Tennessee and Texas are both powerhouse states at Miss USA so this was definitely a departure year. Lex also pointed that the 6 Miss Texas Teen USAs that became Miss Texas USA replicated placements at both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA - i.e. Carissa Blair, Lauren Guzman and Daniella Rodriguez did not place at either Miss Teen USA or Miss USA whereas Kara Williams, Nicole O'Brian and Magen Ellis placed at both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA! Nevada’s 4 year streak was broken this year as the host delegate who did have a stellar gown and great body was shockingly omitted even though her state is directed by former Miss USA, Shanna Moakler, who has been behind many recent success stories. She also had a very tragic story about losing her sister to drug abuse shortly after she won her state title. There were a lot of stories this year like that of Nevada and even that of Pennsylvania going deaf at age 4 to which I drew attention in my first round prethoughts but the one they went with this year was that of District of Columbia being in the army. Next was Florida’s Brie Gabrielle who was also mentioned in my first round prethoughts who had a pretty significant factoid working in her favor. A lot of recent Miss USA titleholders in this decade like: Alyssa Campanella, Nana Meriwether, Nia Sanchez and Olivia Jordan have all competed for Miss California USA but found success by statehopping and winning another state title. Brie was the latest to add to this list. In fact, she was 2nd runner up at Miss California USA 2013 finishing one spot below Olivia Jordan (Miss USA 2015) but Brie didn’t place in spite of her other state pageant successes and my friend Dave pointed out that those around her alphabetically (District of Columbia, Georgia and Hawaii) coincidentally were the top 3 so perhaps her Brie’s California powers shifted to those around her alphabetically and I can’t help but wonder if by pointing out the whole California thing that it may have jinxed it. Miss 52 USA, the new title was the next in my list as Alex Miller (who was also 1st runner up to Olivia Jordan at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015) performed phenomenally in swimsuit and a breathtaking flowy red gown that just floated on stage sponsored by Sherri Hill since Alex had little time to prepare being selected only weeks before the pageant. Like the Miss Teen USA delegates that competed in 1984 and 1987, this 52nd delegate also didn’t make the semifinals but it seems like this title will likely continue in this social media age even if Miss Teen USA stopped competing under her Teen title at Miss USA after 1987. Other Miss Teen USA winners like Kelly Hu, Brandi Sherwood, Jamie Solinger and Shauna Gambill all had to win their state’s Miss USA titles to get to Miss USA. Illinois sent an exotic delegate of Lebanese descent with a great body and I thought she would get a spot but it didn’t work out for her. Following in my list were delegates that others had in their lists to whom I was somewhat indifferent and they were: Michigan, Colorado and Wisconsin. Michigan had nice hair and I understood her more after seeing her during a Facebook live session at the same time, there were some facial flaws. Colorado and Wisconsin were former Teen delegates that placed at Miss Teen USA that were also favored by others so I reluctantly put them in my list. I thought Colorado was just okay and I felt Wisconsin didn’t have the body for this competition but she did win the Photogenic Award and Alabama won the Congeniality Award, even though these awards were not announced during the 3 hour telecast… California’s win of the online fan vote was announced during the pageant though.
After the 15 semifinalists were announced with each one having their get-to-know-you video packages shown after each one was announced as has been done since 2014, it was on to the swimsuit competition. Up first was South Carolina’s Leah Lawson who also competed for another FOX show, American Idol which aired its last season earlier this year. Leah competed for American Idol 2015 making it to Hollywood but getting eliminated and therefore not reaching the final 24 contestants. Leah was a more unconventional pick for the successful state in pageantry of South Carolina but she had a fresh look and was quite busty but being up first seemed to be an unlucky position throughout this pageant as the delegate that went first in each round was eliminated in the next. Ohio followed finally winning her state title on her 8th try on her final year of eligibility. Megan had a Marcia Cross look to her with the red hair and she had a decent figure. Her preliminary gown which, to me, resembled a feather duster had an interesting look to it but looks like she changed to a blue gown during finals. Georgia was a favorite in this pageant with her exotic look and a lot of people were drawn to her and she seemed to have that mesmerizing effect throughout the night. It’s interesting to note that Emanii was a runner-up to Tiana Griggs (Miss Georgia USA 2014 and my prediction to win that year) and both of these ladies finished as 2nd runner up in their respective Miss USA pageants! Talk about a match! Arizona followed and was very much a surprise making few lists but what wasn’t a surprise was that she was eliminated in the first round. Alabama, the congeniality winner, was a fun tomboy and there normally is a tomboy in the mix and she ended up being it. She looked a bit heavier set but her style seemed to be similar to that of Michelle Arnette who represented Alabama in 2003 finishing as 1st runner up that year in spite of a wider frame. West Virginia, the child of a Teen mom, followed and I did have my suspicions about after preliminaries which is why I placed her as an alternate but she did stand out in a good way. I really loved her red liquid-beaded Jessica Rabbit gown but she didn’t advance and it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to see it showcased during finals. It’s interesting to note that California’s delegate is the daughter of a former Miss West Virginia USA so it seemed fitting that both of them placed this year. Next up was the winner herself, District of Columbia who was actually quite low on my predictions list and I must admit that I immediately wrote her off after seeing her body especially how bone-thin her legs are but I guess her army story overrode all that and she just kept going and going to become the favored story of this pageant. California followed with her distinct style with the bedhead hair and was a standout in every sense being the daughter of Rico Suavé himself, Ecuadorian rapper Gerardo and Kathy Eicher, Miss West Virginia USA 1989 (unplaced that year) and she is a worship leader at her church and is also a model who talked about her fight with anorexia from which she has since recovered and talks to others about loving who they are and her body looked natural. Missouri followed and looked great and was expected to place as I’m sure she did well in interview being well-rounded, athletic and smart. She was 4th runner up at Miss Teen USA 2011 and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen but it wasn’t a 4th runner up placement this time around and she had to settle for a top 10 position which was respectable. Connecticut surprised by placing as she also had to fight for her state title after multiple attempts even placing as 1st runner up at Miss Connecticut USA 2013 to eventual Miss USA 2013, Erin Brady. Unlike Alex Miller (Miss 52 USA), who took over the Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 title giving up her opportunity to compete for Miss Oklahoma USA 2016, Tiffany did compete in Miss Connecticut USA 2014 similarly to Brooke Daniels (Miss Texas USA 2009) who was 1st runner up to Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart at the state level and Mandy Jeffries who was 1st runner up to Miss USA 2001, Kandace Krueger but she was unable to win the Miss Texas USA title but she was however Miss Texas Teen USA 1995. Like Alex Miller, Shauna Searles (Miss California USA 1996) who was 1st runner up to Miss USA 1992, Shannon Marketic at the state level took over the Miss California USA title and did not compete for the 1993 crown as a result but would get her chance to compete at Miss USA in 1996. Back to Connecticut’s Tiffany Teixeria, I had my eye on her and she made some of my earlier lists and although I thought her petite but fit frame would hurt her, it looks like she managed to pull off a respectable top 10 finish. Hawaii followed with her amazing body and she is very athletic being a volleyball player and she is tall so she was expected to do well. Then came South Dakota who placed only for the third time in history following placements in 1958 and 1974 and is a state that is often written off for those who read my Miss USA 2012 commentary will know where I picked South Dakota to win that year. Madison had that indented waist but I thought her narrower frame would hold her back so she barely missed my list because of that and also she didn’t place when she competed at Miss Teen USA 2014 but it was her statement-making, work-of-art gown that got her through and they obviously wanted to showcase it during the pageant so she did get that top 10 spot after all. Arkansas was very much the country girl and I wasn’t surprised to see her place but she wasn’t making many lists for some reason but she has a great body with her toned abs and long legs and she did place at Miss Teen USA 2013. Next up was my winner, Virginia’s Dr. Desiree Williams who was an all-around impressive delegate who was gorgeous and just had that glow about her and a muscular physique which I admired since it shows discipline. I was very happy to see her do so well here. The final spot went to Oklahoma’s delegate Taylor Gorton who had a nice overall look and was in some of my earlier lists but fell out later. Oklahoma was well represented in this pageant. The top 3 of Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 were Olivia Jordan (Miss USA 2015), Alex Miller (Miss 52 USA 2016 and unplaced at Miss USA 2016) and Taylor Gorton (top 15 at both Miss USA 2016 and Miss Teen USA 2008). It almost didn’t feel right though that Taylor placed but Alex didn’t since she finished one spot above her at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 but that’s the randomness of pageantry for you. The whole Miss 52 thing relating to Oklahoma was another full-circle aspect of this pageant as the last Miss USA pageant to have 52 delegates was the 1987 pageant and that 52nd delegate was Miss Teen USA 1986, Allison Brown who also represented Oklahoma and oddly enough bares a resemblance to Olivia Jordan, Miss USA 2015 so there were technically two Oklahoma delegates in 1987 just like in 2016.
After a cute segment with some of the dads of the contestants in time for Father’s Day, it was on to the top 10 and then to the evening gown competition seeing my girl up first, Virginia’s Desi Williams who looked stunning in her classic red silk, jersey gown with silver trim and she was sensational but of course, since she was my winner, I was disappointed that she didn’t advance past this round. Alabama followed in a white gown with gold trim similar to those Grecian goddess inspired gowns from Miss USA 2012. I didn’t think this gown did anything to narrow her frame but it looked decent. California followed in a unique tangerine flowy gown that just floated on stage and looked so elegant yet simple. Georgia’s revealing white gown with the cape attached to flowered shoulder pads was elegant but I didn’t really like the shoulders but overall it was a classy look that seemed to have been inspired by Olivia Jordan’s gown at Miss Universe 2015. Connecticut walked into the room ‘nurse first!’ (She is a nurse who can work on cars and comes from an immigrant family so she had an interesting background and this red gown with a large overskirt was nice and regal and Tiffany carried it well. District of Columbia followed in a gold long-sleeved gown with a silver fringe skirt that took me right back to the 80s. It was a change from her preliminary gown which was also intricately designed. Missouri followed in the same gown that she won her state title in and she wore a light blue version of it during preliminaries with the same peekaboo cutouts adding to the sex appeal of this gown and she looked fantastic. Arkansas also changed from her confusing preliminary gown to another silvery choir girl gown. This girl does have very different tastes in gowns and even her gown at Miss Teen USA was a two-piece gown which is a style I’m not particularly fond of. South Dakota came out and wowed the crowd with this work-of-art white gown with blue feathery printed designs at the bottom and this gown definitely made a statement so at least they pulled her into the top 10 to show it off. Caped gowns seem to be a recent trend and it’s a style I admire. Finally, Hawaii followed in a heavenly white gown with floral designs over a nude illusion long-sleeved gown with a white overskirt and it was simply divine. For a girl that was new to pageants, Chelsea sure looked the part and absolutely did everything right.
The top 5 were then announced but were called to answer their judge’s questions in yet another random order. Why?? The delegates were also assigned a judge rather than picking from a bowl so a lot of people weren’t so sure about how truly random this order or the judges chosen to ask the question to whom was. Anyway, Alabama was selected first and she was assigned Ali Landry’s question and after giving the girls a bit of advice as only a seasoned pageant girl like she can, Ali asked, “Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali passed away Friday night at the age of 74. What should be remembered most about his legacy?” It was interesting that Ali Landry posed a question about Muhammad Ali given the spelling of her name. Alabama answered, “I think that Muhammad Ali was obviously amazing at what he did. Um. I just think that we should remember, you know, to… to go for success and do, you know, what you can to be on top. I think he lived by that and he was so successful in his sport and yeah, never give up. Reach your dreams!” Alabama handled this well and gave a decent answer. District of Columbia followed and Joe Zee asked her a question he said he thought might be personal and close to her heart, “The Pentagon recently made the decision to open up all combat jobs to women. Some have questioned whether this has put political correctness over our military’s ability to perform at the highest level. What are your thoughts?” It was the perfect question to allow DC to clinch that crown and here we are with the political correctness question again! DC’s answer was, “As a woman in the United States army… (holds for audience to erupt in applause), I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military. We are just as tough as men. As a commander… as a commander of my unit, I am powerful. I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army.” The audience erupted in applause at this speech to empower women and it suddenly became very clear where this pageant was going. Georgia followed and was asked by Crystle Stewart, “Over the last four years, 17 states have passed stringent voting laws. Many civil rights leaders believe we are making it too difficult for people to vote. What do you think?” Georgia responded, “Um. I think it goes back to education. I think that we need to start with the youth and teach them how important voting is. I think that if we, um, teach them how important it is that we put that in our school systems then it will be a lot easier for people to understand how difficult voting can be and then we can educate everybody on that. Thank you.” This answer seemed to say the same thing several times so it was kind of a circular answer but she got through it well enough to advance. California was next and Nigel Barker asked, “One of the biggest challenges facing the United States is social and economic inequality. How do we narrow the gap between the rich and the poor?” A challenging question even for any politician, California answered after a long, prayerful pause, “When it comes to social and economic equality, I think that the rich and the poor need to stop being so segregated. I think there is a middle class. I think that the rich need to… (pauses, takes deep breath with Jesus-help-me look on her face) I think that the rich need to be able to be giving and I think the poor need to work hard and I think the middle class need to come together and find an in-between. Thank you.” Finally, Hawaii got Laura Brown’s question, “With Hillary Clinton expected to surpass the delegate count needed to win the Democratic Party nomination, the question to you is: If the election were held tomorrow, would you vote Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump for President, and why would you choose one over the other.” The audience erupted in boos at this question which many deemed inappropriate and even in everyday life, it isn’t really common protocol to ask for whom someone is voting. In pageants though, it isn’t necessarily about the question or answer but how they handle themselves under pressure. This question put her to test and Hawaii answered, “I would get that. Right?? All I have to say, it doesn’t matter what gender. What we need in the United States is someone who represents who… those of us who don’t feel like we have a voice! Those of us who want our voices heard. We need a president to push for what is right and push for what America really needs. Thank you.” I actually really liked how Hawaii handled this question and that she didn’t choose one over the other. Her delivery was very natural and casual and even though I ranked her 4th in my predictions, I regretted not placing her even higher because she was even better prepared than I thought she was.
Then the field was narrowed down to the final 3: Georgia, Hawaii and District of Columbia who were each asked to answer the final question, “Define ‘Confidently Beautiful’,” which is the slogan of the Miss Universe Organization. Georgia answered, “I know that very well. I use that on Instagram all the time. But Confidently Beautiful means knowing who you are, loving yourself for who you are, loving yourself no matter what your flaws are because your flaws are what make you beautiful. Thank you.” This answer had a nice message but was the weaker answer compared to the other two. Hawaii answered, “Great question. Thank you. Confidently Beautiful is someone who’s not just beautiful on the outside. It’s someone who serves, someone who helps and someone who cares for everybody, whether they’re homeless, they’re helpless, making other people feel loved and feel important. Humbling yourself is what’s important, and I think that is the type of beauty that will last a lifetime.” I almost wanted to tell Hawaii to not say ‘serve’ as that seemed to point approval in DC’s direction but it was a great answer. DC was the final contestant who answered, “To me, Confidently Beautiful means understanding that it’s not always about your appearance, it’s not always about who you’re around, and how they feel you look, where they feel you come from or your economic background. Serving in the military has taught me that being confidently beautiful is about being able to earn respect from people regardless of what you look like. As a woman in the military, people associate beauty with weakness and they learn very quickly that I’m extremely strong and although I’m small, I’m powerful and confidently beautiful is being myself and being very happy with who I have become.” This answer pretty much knocked it out of the ballpark so the final rankings were no surprise. Georgia was 2nd runner up, Hawaii was 1st runner up and the nation’s capital, District of Columbia won its third Miss USA crown in this very political year that impacted the pageant directly last year leading in to this year. The Backstreet Boys’ performances of “As Long As You Love Me” and “I Want It That Way” were a highlight of this pageant as these are songs that all the girls knew growing up in the 90s. Other pageants have had other boy bands involved but BSB’s turn added that special something to this year so they were a nice surprise. The delegates got to vote for one of the top 3 by putting poker chips in a box and whoever had the most chips won the delegate vote. Deshauna Barber’s win was also a sight to behold as very few saw this coming and her knees buckled in a moment of disbelief when it was officially announced that she was Miss USA 2016 and will go on to represent her country at Miss Universe 2016.
The rumor mill has it that it looks like the days of the Miss Universe pageant travelling the world may be over (or at least for the time being) and that all 3 Miss Universe Organization pageants (Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe) will take up residency in Las Vegas but we’ll see if that changes in the future but Miss Teen USA is up next and it is back on U.S. soil in Las Vegas to be held on July 30 with preliminaries on July 29. Miss Teen USA will remain a webcast and is not being shown on television. The last Miss Teen USA pageant to air on television (on NBC) was the 2007 pageant. Miss Teen USA 2008 to 2015 were held at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. The most recent countries outside of the U.S. to host the Miss Universe pageant were: Russia (2013), Brazil (2011), Bahamas (2009), Vietnam (2008) and Mexico (2007). Miss Universe is likely to be held again in December also in Las Vegas like last year but an official announcement on the exact date hasn’t been made yet.
Caitlyn Jenner with Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2016
The Prethoughts - Miss USA 2016
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Some photos courtesy Miss Universe L.P., LLLP