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THE PREDICTIONS (June 4, 2016)




The big night is Sunday, June 5 on FOX who is broadcasting Miss USA for the first time.
Before we get on to the predictions, here is some pageant news. A last minute addition to the hosts for Miss USA is Julianne Hough of 'Dancing With the Stars' fame who will be co-hosting along with Terrence J. and Ashley Graham will actually serve as backstage commentator.
Miss Teen USA is also back on U.S. soil since it was held in the Bahamas from 2008 to 2015 but Miss Teen USA will not be back on television still unfortunately. FOX will only be broadcasting Miss USA and Miss Universe just like NBC did. The last time Miss Teen USA was broadcast on television was back in 2007 on NBC. Since then, the Miss Teen USA pageant has only been webcast online. This year, Miss Teen USA will be held on July 30 and the preliminary presentation show will be held the day before on July 29 and it will also be held in Las Vegas. The rumor mill has it that all 3 Miss Universe organization pageants (Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe) will take up permanent residency in Las Vegas instead of travelling to other venues. Miss Universe 2016 is likely to be held in December in Las Vegas again like last year.

This year, I decided to take a different approach to my predictions and we shall soon see if it pays off. I have been observing comments and other lists online and decided to formulate more of a conformist list in hopes of doing better than last year where I picked 8 of the top 15 with 3 alternates and 1 honorable mention. 2 of my alternates last year were the winner and the 1st runner-up. There are a mix of girls in my top 15 that I actually like and many that others like that I don't necessarily care for. Like everyone, I've come up with multiple lists before settling on one. This year, I tried hard to come up with a list of delegates that I think will place versus who I want to place and it really was painful for me to leave off a lot of the girls that I actually like.

After reviewing the preliminaries and close up videos, it is now time for me to post my final predictions for Miss USA 2016 so here we go!



TOM’S FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR MISS USA 2016

Winner=Virginia-Desiree Williams

Desi has been a favorite of mine since she was crowned so of course, I'm going to give my winner spot to a delegate I actually like. I'm really impressed with her overall. This woman is a Doctor of Physical Therapy. She is also the Interim Director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute at Hampton University in addition to being an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. She is a certified yoga instructor and in late 2014, she published a book she co-authored entitled, “Love Affair with my Hair: Why Black Women Cheat on Health.” Her knock-out body is amazing and she is probably the most fit delegate this year. In gown, her presence was powerful and she just glowed. Even if she didn't place at Miss America 2014 when she competed (similarly to Shandi "Perfection" Finnessey - Miss USA 2004 who also went unplaced at Miss America 2002), Desi won the National Sweetheart pageant in 2012 and is just a very impressive delegate and an all-around super woman who would be a very worthy Miss USA. Go Desi!

1st Runner Up=Maryland-Christina Denny

My top 2 ladies are also former Miss America contestants. Christina Denny placed in the top 10 at Miss America 2014. Christina was my winner at one point and her Road to Vegas video really impressed me as she comes across as very complete meaning that she is a perfect combination of beauty, fitness, talent and intelligence. I think Christina will do extremely well in interviews and she is very polished and refined. The gown was a bit confusing but gowns can be changed as they often are and I'm hoping will be done in her case. I am looking for Christina to have a strong showing during the final night.

2nd Runner Up=Texas-Daniella Rodriguez

Daniella has come a long way from not placing at Miss Teen USA 2013 to becoming a top contender for Miss USA 2016. One of the freshest looking delegates this year who prides herself in her Mexican heritage, Daniella also has a strong presence about her and a great appearance with a shining personality that will likely take her far in the competition. Texas is the most successful state at Miss USA winning 9 crowns so could Daniella be their 10th?

FINALISTS:

Hawaii-Chelsea Hardin

Chelsea showed up very well styled and I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the top 5 as she has a great body and height combined with a sexy standout see-through gown but I'm thinking she may lose out on interview so I'm placing her here. Hawaii hasn't won the crown since 1997 so can Chelsea do it for the Aloha state?

Nevada-Emelina Adams

The host delegate is yet another strong one under the directorship of former Miss USA, Shanna Moakler. This gown is to die for and it could also propel her into the top 5 so Emmy is one to watch as she has a very appealing body and also showed up with strong styling. Her sister passed away due to drug abuse shortly after Emmy won her state title. As a result, fighting drugs has since become Emmy's platform so this compelling story is sure to help her. Nevada just won the crown in 2014 and also placed in the top 5 last year so can Emmy keep it going?

SEMIFINALISTS:

Missouri-Sydnee Stottlemyre

I was this close to putting Sydnee as my 4th runner-up as she was also 4th runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2011 and Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008 so could she be 4th runner-up also at Miss USA 2016 or some other position perhaps?? Sydnee is very strong and well-rounded so I also see her doing well in interviews. This gown with the revealing cut-outs is intriguing and I believe she also wore this gown or a similar one when she won her state title. She also revealed during a Facebook live session that she got in pageantry after watching her friend compete and that friend was Lindsay Douglas who was 1st runner up at Miss USA 2002. Could Sydnee possibly match or even surpass that placement and give the Show-Me State their second Miss USA crown?

California-Nadia Grace Mejia

As mentioned in my first round prethoughts, Nadia is a very popular delegate with a huge social media following for a number of reasons. Nadia is the daughter of one-hit wonder, Gerardo whose song "Rico Suavé" made the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991 and Nadia's mother is Miss West Virginia USA 1989, Kathy Eicher and their family was briefly featured on a VH1 reality show called 'Suavé Says.' Nadia has a distinct, trendy look that is sure to make her stand out. Her presence is strong and her performance in gown was mesmerizing. Born to be in the spotlight, Nadia is used to being on the stage since she is a worship leader at her church so she is very spiritual. Will Nadia win a 7th Miss USA crown for California?

Florida-Brie Gabrielle

As mentioned in my first-round prethoughts, Brie has been one to watch in the pageant scene in recent years. Her track record in pageants is excellent. She was even 2nd runner up at Miss California USA 2013 finishing one spot below the reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan when the two of them competed that year. Brie statehopped to Florida just like Olivia statehopped to Oklahoma and this method seems to have been successful for other titleholders like Nana Meriwether, Miss USA 2012 and Nia Sanchez, Miss USA 2014. Alyssa Campanella, Miss USA 2011, originally from New Jersey won the Miss California USA pageant to get to Miss USA so will Brie be the latest success story who previously competed at Miss California USA??? Brie does have a hot body and strong presence on stage and her previous pageant successes make her a contender. Florida has never outright won the Miss USA crown even though they inherited it in 1967 so is the Sunshine state about to get their first official Miss USA win?

52-Alexandra Miller

This will be the test to see if this new concept takes off. Miss 52 USA is a new way of accepting an at-large contestant voted in through social media participation which may trigger audience curiosity and publicity. Alex Miller is the first winner of this new title and she really brought it during preliminaries as she does have a great body and her flowing red gown sponsored by Sherri Hill was breathtaking. Alex was the 1st-runner up to reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 and accepted the Oklahoma crown giving up her opportunity to compete for Miss Oklahoma USA 2016 but I think Alex has impressed the organization by continuing with her community service. Will Miss 52 place on such short notice to prepare or will this title go the way of Miss Teen USAs competing at Miss USA 1984 and 1987 and not place at Miss USA? We shall soon find out!

Illinois-Zena Malak

Zena is tall and exotic being of Lebanese descent so she brings something different to the table. She has appropriate styling and a nice body so I think her unique look will appeal to the judges and possibly bring her into the mix. The gown reminds me a bit of reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan's from last year but I think this time, the gown could keep her from advancing.

SEMIFINALISTS:

Michigan-Susie Leica

The semifinalist slots were reserved for those that others seem to like that I'm somewhat indifferent to. First up is Michigan who some people have as their winner and I will say her hair styling is appealing. Her forehead looked a bit spotty in her Road to Vegas video but I understood her more after the Facebook live chat she did with Montana. Her gown is that light teal color that seems to pop on stage and was a color frequently worn by recent Miss Teen USA winners and Miss Universe Canada winners although I think she could have gone with something a bit better with a different material so we'll see how she does.

Georgia-Emanii Davis

A lot of other people seem to like Emanii as well which I can see. Her body is okay but I was not so sure about this gown. The shoulders bug me a bit. I also heard that she needed to improve on interview so perhaps she has done that but she has an exotic, compelling look so we'll see how she does.

South Carolina-Leah Lawson

Leah is another one that others are drawn to. She had a decent headshot where her eyes stood out and she is quite busty as we can see. Of most importance, she did compete last year for 'American Idol' which aired for the last time this year on FOX so since Miss USA is airing on FOX this year, this could be a favorable connection with access to footage from that show featuring Leah as she did make it to Hollywood week but not the top 24. South Carolina is a competitive state so she must have something so even if she didn't make the semifinals at American Idol, let's see if she does it at Miss USA.

Colorado-Caley Rae Pavillard

She went with a darker hair color from when she competed at Miss Teen USA 2011 as a blonde but I guess she recognized that there are a lot of blondes this year. This is another one that others seem to like that I don't quite get and I didn't get her at Miss Teen USA either actually but others seem to think she will place so I feel forced to put her in. She has a decent body. There's something a bit off about her eyes to me though so I'm not wowed by her but we'll see how she does.

Wisconsin-Kate Redeker

This is another one that other people seem to love and even have as their winner. I can't look past her body though. Her midsection needs toning and her hips appear too wide to me and it makes her body look disproportionate and I'm just not wild about her overall look. She did place in the semifinals at Miss Teen USA 2013 so we'll see how she does at Miss USA.

ALTERNATES:

Tennessee-Hope Stephens

I think part of Hope's appeal is her tomboyishness. She also brings something different but at the same time is styled like a pageant girl with good hair and a decent overall look but I think her body needs more toning so I placed her here. Some have even compared her to another Tennessee delegate, Beth Hood who was 4th runner up at Miss USA 2003. Tennessee is another competitive state but they didn't place last year so let's see if Hope brings the Volunteer state back into the mix.

West Virginia-Nichole Greene

This one could be a potential surprise as Nichole actually looks quite good and I'm a sucker for the liquid-beaded gowns so I really liked her gown. Other people don't seem to feel as strongly about her though so I've placed her as an alternate as a result.

Mississippi-Haley Sowers

Haley is gorgeous and I really wanted to give her a spot in my list but others don't feel as strongly about her so sadly, I'm regretfully putting her as an alternate. I loved her pink liquid-beaded gown too. She looked so angelic and she does have a nice body but she is too petite which works at Miss Teen USA where she placed as 4th runner up in 2010 but it is harder to get away with at Miss USA. Another thing is that whole bathroom bill thing in Mississippi and North Carolina and a lot of celebrities and companies are boycotting these states because of it so this is another thing that could work against her.

Pennsylvania-Elena Laquatra

I raised attention to Elena in my first round prethoughts as she does have a compelling story about becoming deaf at age 4 due to being infected with bacterial meningitis but she can hear thanks to a cochlear implant and as a broadcast journalist, she speaks well so originally I thought she had a chance to become the first deaf Miss USA similarly to Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995 and Nyle Dimarco who recently became a dual reality show winner winning America's Next Top Model last year and Dancing With the Stars this year so I also wanted to give Elena a spot but after preliminaries, she wasn't winning enough favor as she doesn't have the body for this competition so I put her as an alternate but at Miss Universe last year, we did see some delegates place that didn't necessarily have the best bodies so maybe her story will get her a spot.

Maine-Marisa Butler

Marisa's shark wrangling in her Road to Vegas video might make for good TV and I originally thought she could place because of it but after preliminaries, I placed her as an alternate as she also appears petite and perhaps not as busty and the gown could have been better. She has a decent overall look though. Some even say she reminds them of Kim Pressler, Miss USA 1999. Maine has never won the crown but they did have a recent 3-year streak in the semifinals from 2010 to 2012.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Massachusetts-Whitney Sharpe

I also really like Whitney as she has a nice overall look with a great face and body and she seems fun. Some think her styling is a bit 90s but I actually love her hair so it pains me to put her as an honorable mention because there isn't much consensus around her placing. Her walk seemed a little off in preliminaries and the gown is a bit of question mark. Regardless, I would love it if she did place though.

Minnesota-Bridget Jacobs

Bridget actually has a great body with her long legs and toned abs so she could easily place but other people don't seem to agree so as a result, I'm putting her as an honorable mention. I'm not so sure about her interview skills but she has a nice look so we'll see if it happens for her or not.

Connecticut-Tiffany Teixeira

Initially, I thought Tiffany would place but there doesn't seem to be much consensus around her either. I should point out that she was 1st runner up to Erin Brady at Miss Connecticut USA 2013 and Erin would go on to win Miss USA 2013. Tiffany kept competing until she finally made it to the Miss USA stage this year but she is also petite and while she has an interesting story about being well-rounded as a nurse who can work on cars, it looks like it may not happen for Tiffany.

Idaho-Sydney Halper

She didn't quite have the right look at certain angles and perhaps not busty enough so she is another possibility but am not completely sure about her. Her interview skills also could be a bit stronger as somehow I got the impression that she isn't always sure of herself. She does have an interesting story about being a foster child but I don't know if she can pull it off as Idaho often gets ignored.

Ohio-Megan Wise

She competed 8 times for Miss Ohio USA and won on her last try and she has a bit of a Marcia Cross look with the red hair and her body is decent. The gown is a bit feather-duster but she seems okay yet I can see her being cut so we'll see how she does.

In my final tier, I will mention the following delegates:
South Dakota-Others like her but I don't think she quite has the right body type as she appears small-bodied to me. Her gown was really attention grabbing and unique though.
Iowa-Like South Dakota, Iowa also appears small-bodied to me and didn't really do anything to change my mind about her. Some other people seem to like her though.
Arkansas-She's a country girl with a good body and did place at Miss Teen USA but her gown was questionable and perhaps a longer face. Not enough people seem to feel strongly about her.
Oklahoma-Another one who placed at Miss Teen USA but others don't seem to feel that she is going to place at Miss USA in spite of this state winning last year.
Alabama-A fun tomboy who also placed at Miss Teen USA but also could have gone with a better gown and didn't look in the best shape in swimsuit so it's looking like Alabama's streak may be broken this year.

There’s my list for this year! So we’ll find out on Sunday, June 5 how I did and who I may have missed that ends up in the mix and who will be Miss USA 2016!

Tell everyone to watch Miss USA 2016 on Sunday, June 5 on FOX!



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SECOND ROUND PRETHOUGHTS (May 28, 2016)



Preliminaries are on Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. airing on www.missuniverse.com/missusa through a live YouTube stream when we will see all 52 contestants compete in swimsuit and gown and then the 2016 Miss USA pageant will air on FOX for the first time on Sunday, June 5 at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time live from the T-Mobile Arena returning to Las Vegas, Nevada after a two-year stint in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

A couple of changes this year include that Fadil Berisha is not the official pageant photographer this year, that honor has been given to Jonathan Carter and we have also learned there will not be official swimsuit and gown shots this year but some casual shots and there have been some unconventional shoots featuring some delegates like California, and Hawaii jumping into a pool wearing evening gowns...

There are new hosts this year: actor and TV personality Terrence Jenkins and Ashley Graham, who became the first plus-size model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for 2016. There are again four judges for finals just as there were for Miss Universe 2015 and they are: Crystle Stewart-Miss USA 2008 (who returns again this year after judging last year also), Ali Landry-Miss USA 1996 (who returns to the pageants after a long absence since co-hosting Miss USA 2002), Joe Zee and Laura Brown. The musical guests are: country singer Chris Brown and the headliners for this year's event are the Backstreet Boys making a comeback taking their turns on the pageant stage as other boy bands have done in pageants past like: N SYNC for Miss Teen USA 1998 and 1999, 98 Degrees and Westlife for Miss Teen USA 2000, EYC (Express Yourself Clearly) for Miss Teen USA 1994, All 4 One for Miss Teen USA 1995, the Monkees for Miss Teen USA 1996 and the Jonas Brothers for Miss Teen USA 2007 and Miss USA 2013. Speaking of the Backstreet Boys, one of them (Kevin Richardson) was a judge for Miss USA 1999 and Nick Carter's brother, Aaron Carter performed during Miss Teen USA 2005.

I will be posting my final predictions for Miss USA 2016 on June 4 but in the meantime, I will be posting my present thoughts on each delegate.

Alabama Peyton Brown Alabama still has the longest running streak in the semifinals placing every year since 2010 so obviously Peyton Brown hopes to make it a 7th year in a row. Peyton did place in the top 16 for Miss Teen USA 2012 but she's a question mark for me right now but they could like the whole tomboy-turned-pageant-girl which seems to do well on occasion so she is a potential semifinalist. Alabama has won the crown only once back in 1967 with Sylvia Hitchcock who would go on to win Miss Universe that year. Alaska Ariane Audett North to the future is their motto! The northernmost state of Alaska hasn't placed since 1990 and is still waiting for that right delegate to do it but this year's delegate is not expected to place. Arizona Chelsea Myers This one is new to pageantry and I'm not getting any semifinalist vibes from her so she is not among my picks. Arizona inherited its only Miss USA crown in 1980 after Shawn Weatherly won Miss Universe and they did place in the top 15 last year. Arkansas Abby Floyd Abby is another former teen who placed in the top 16 at Miss Teen USA 2013 so Abby is much like Alabama's delegate as they are country girls so I wonder if those two will cancel each other out or what but she's a possibility but I will wait until preliminaries to determine where exactly I place her. Arkansas has won the crown once in 1982 thanks to Terri Utley and they last placed in 2012 thanks to the Internet vote. California Nadia Mejia Nadia Mejia is just all-around an interesting, unique delegate who is a total standout who is currently in my top 5. The bedhead hair and her cool personality combined with her spirituality just gives her a persona that is unlike any other delegate and I think her difference will make her appealing with the audience and the judges. Lest we forget that this girl has famous parents. Her father is one-hit wonder Gerardo who gave the world the song "Rico Suave" which was a top 10 hit in 1991 and her mother is Miss West Virginia USA 1989, Kathy Eicher and their family also had a short-lived reality series called 'Suave Says' which aired for one season on VH1. California has won the Miss USA crown 6 times (1959, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1992 and 2011) and last placed in top 10 in 2014. Colorado Caley Rae Pavillard Another former teen semifinalist who works as a model, Caley Rae is sporting a darker hair color than the blonde hair she had Miss Teen USA 2011 where she placed as a semifinalist. She also competed at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008 but did not place there. I'm very unsure about her so I will wait until preliminaries to see exactly where I place her in my list. Colorado last placed in 2012 but they have never won the crown. Connecticut Tiffany Teixeira Tiffany was 1st runner up at the state level to Connecticut's first and only Miss USA, Erin Brady who won Miss USA 2013. After a few years of competing, Tiffany was finally able to win her state title and her perseverance has paid off and I think it will be rewarded at Miss USA so she is among my semifinalists at the moment as I think this nurse and first-generation American who knows how to work on a car brings something different to the table in spite of her height. Tiffany is one of two delegates who were a runner-up to a future Miss USA at the state level. The other delegate is Miss 52 USA, Alex Miller who was runner-up to Olivia Jordan at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015. Will Tiffany bring Connecticut back to the semifinals since their win in 2013? Delaware Alexandra Vorontsova Delaware placed for the first time ever last year thanks Renee Bull who made the top 10. This year's delegate I'm thinking probably won't place but I'll wait until preliminaries to be sure. District of Columbia Deshauna Barber She has an interesting story about coming from a military family but I don't think she has the body for this competition so she is not among my picks at the moment. The nation's capital last won the crown in 2002 thanks to Shauntay Hinton and they also won in 1964 with Bobbi Johnson. D.C. hasn't placed since 2006. Florida Brie Gabrielle During my first round prethoughts, I pointed out the success of statehopping Californians in recent years and Brie is the latest to add to this list so she is in my top 5 at the moment. She was even one spot below last year's Miss USA, Olivia Jordan at Miss California USA 2013 where Olivia finished as 1st runner up and Brie finished as 2nd runner up to Mabelynn Capeluj. Brie is even leaving off her last name (Baldrica) just like Olivia Jordan Thomas did last year so are these all signs that point to a win??? Surprisingly, the Sunshine state has yet to outright win Miss USA. Their 1967 titleholder, Cheryl Ann Patton was originally 2nd runner up that year but accepted the crown after Sylvia Hitchcock won Miss Universe 1967 and the 1st runner up did not accept the title. Florida's last placement was as 4th runner up in 2014. Georgia Emanii Davis Emanii has a more exotic look that I think will be appreciated at Miss USA so she could be among my picks. Georgia has never won the crown even though they have several runners-up including their most recent placement, Tiana Griggs who was 2nd runner up at Miss USA 2014. Hawaii Chelsea Hardin The Aloha state sends a delegate with a really toned body and seems to be winning favor among others so she is one to keep an eye on. Hawaii has won the Miss USA crown 4 times with their most recent winner also winning Miss Universe in 1997 and they did place in the top 10 last year. Idaho Sydney Halper Sydney might do it. She was adopted at a young age and was raised in Nevada so there is potential here. She is not as busty but I'll wait until preliminaries to see where to place her. Idaho last placed in 2009 and inherited the crown in 1997. Illinois Zena Malak I need to see more of her as I'm not really sure about her. She does have the exotic factor having a father who is half-Egyptian, half-Lebanese so we'll see. Illinois placed in the top 15 last year and they have captured the crown 4 times. Indiana Morgan Abel Another former teen who also works as a nurse. I think her chances of placing are slim but let's see if preliminaries can change that. Indiana has never won the crown but they do have a 1st runner up with Holly Dennis in 1981 and their most recent placement was in 2014. Iowa Alissa Morrison Iowa's delegate is a longshot this year so I don't see it happening for them this year. Iowa did make the top 6 in 2014 thanks to the Twitter save and Carol Morris in 1956 won Iowa's only Miss USA crown and later won Miss Universe that year. Kansas Victoria Wiggins I'm not expecting Kansas to place. Kansas last won the crown in 1991 thanks to Kelli McCarty and they last placed in 2010. Kentucky Kyle Hornback Kentucky's delegate is note expected to place this year. Kentucky won the crown once in 2006 and they placed in the top 11 last year. Louisiana Maaliyah Papillion Louisiana hosted the last two Miss USA pageants but this year's delegate is not expected to place. Louisiana has won the crown 3 times (1958, 1961, 1996) and placed in the top 11 last year also. Maine Marisa Butler Marisa had some great visuals in her online profile video that would make great TV including her pulling a shark out of the ocean so Maine is one to watch. Maine has never won the crown but they did have a 3 year streak placing from 2010 to 2012 and they haven't placed since but Marisa has a very good chance of bringing Maine back. Maryland Christina Denny Maryland has a 5 year streak in the semifinals currently with the 2012 delegate inheriting the Miss USA crown. Christina is likely to make it a 6th year in a row for Maryland. She is among my top picks currently as I feel like she is a very polished, smart and complete delegate so she comes across as a very prepared, friendly beauty who can ace interviews and I am looking for her to do very well and possibly win it all. She was also Miss Maryland for Miss America placing in the top 10 at Miss America 2014. Massachusetts Whitney Sharpe This is another beauty with a shining personality with a great body and overall appearance so Whitney is also among my picks at the moment. Massachusetts has won the crown twice in 1998 and 2003 but they haven't placed since 2013. Will Whitney change that? Michigan Susie Leica Other people seem to really like Susie so I will be watching her closely in preliminaries. Michigan won the crown 3 times (1990, 1993 and 2010) and last placed in 2015. Minnesota Bridget Jacobs I'm kinda thinking she may miss the cut but I will watch her closely during preliminaries to be sure. Minnesota won its only crown in 1976 and they did make the top 20 in 2014. Mississippi Haley Sowers Haley is a talented beauty as a singer/songwriter and dancer/cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans. She also was 4th runner up to Miss Teen USA 2010 and Haley is currently among my picks. Mississippi has never won the crown but they were 1st runner up in 2008 and last placed in 2010. Missouri Sydnee Stottlemyre Sydnee was 4th runner up at both Miss Teen USA 2011 and Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008. Sydnee is another well-rounded delegate who is actually very bright and she is also among my top 10 picks at the moment. Could she possibly be 4th runner up again or will it be a win this time for Sydnee? Missouri last placed in 2011 and won the crown once in 2004. Montana Sibahn Doxey Some people seem to have an eye on her but I think she may be a longshot. Montana hasn't placed since 1958 so will that change this year? Nebraska Sarah Hollins She is not among my picks at the moment. Nebraska has never won and last placed in the top 20 in 2014. Nevada Emelina Adams Emelina Adams is the host delegate and appears to be well prepared by her state director, former Miss USA, Shanna Moakler. Nevada recently won its first crown in 2014 and currently has a 4 year streak in the semifinals and Emmy hopes to make it a 5th. How will she do? New Hampshire Jessica Strohm This year's delegate is not among my picks. New Hampshire has never won but they did pull off a 1st runner up placement in 2000 and last placed in 2004. New Jersey Jessielyn Palumbo Other people seem to like her so I will wait until preliminaries to determine where I place her. New Jersey has never won the crown and did make the top 20 in 2014. New Mexico Naomie Germain New Mexico did pull off a win in 1984 but placements for this state are rare. The last placement being in 2011. This year's delegate does seem to have a nice personality but I think she may not place. New York Serena Bucaj New York is not among my picks this year either as I'm not quite feeling her. New York has 4 Miss USA crowns (1952, 1979, 1995 and 1999) and they last placed in 2011. North Carolina Devin Gant At the very last minute, Devin Gant who was originally 1st runner up to Allie Dunn at Miss North Carolina USA has stepped in as Allie has fallen ill and has given up the crown. Allie was among my picks but Devin is not at the moment but we'll see if she can change my mind during preliminaries. North Carolina won the crown in 2005 and 2009 and they last placed in 2013. North Dakota Halley Maas North Dakota earned its highest placement in 2014 when they finished as 1st runner up but this year's delegate is not expected to place. Ohio Megan Wise Megan won the Ohio crown on her 8th try. Will that perseverance pay off? At the moment, she is not among my picks but we'll see if she can change my mind after preliminaries. Ohio has won the Miss USA crown twice (1965 and 1981) and has a very famous 1st runner up with Oscar winning actress Halle Berry and Ohio last placed in the top 10 in 2013. Oklahoma Taylor Gorton Taylor is one of two Oklahomans competing this year (The other being Miss 52 USA, Alex Miller) and both of these two ladies were runners-up last year to the reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan. The pressure is on these two and Taylor was also a former teen placing in the top 15 at Miss Teen USA 2008. Will Oklahoma be doing what hasn't been done since 1989 and win back-to-back titles? Oregon Natriana Shorter Oregon has never won the Miss USA crown but they have won Miss Teen USA 3 times (more than any other state) but Oregon hasn't had much success at Miss USA. Oregon last placed in 2004 but I'm not expecting them to place this year. Pennsylvania Elena LaQuatra Elena has a great story as she became deaf at age 4 due to being infected with bacterial meningitis but can hear through the aid of a cochlear implant. She has overcome this setback and is a broadcast journalist so she has great speaking skills in spite of her disability. Nyle DiMarco who is also deaf recently won Dancing With the Stars and Elena has a chance to be the first deaf Miss USA. She is among my picks at the moment and I hope she does well even if she didn't place at Miss Teen USA 2010 but she was 2nd runner up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007. Pennsylvania won the crown once in 1971 and last placed in 2014. Rhode Island Theresa Agonia Rhode Island probably will not be among my picks this year but we'll see if that changes after preliminaries. Rhode Island captured its first Miss USA crown in 2012 and of course that winner, Olivia Culpo, went on to win Miss Universe and the smallest state in the union also placed as 2nd runner up last year. South Carolina Leah Lawson South Carolina is usually among the stronger states but this year's delegate is not among my picks at the moment as I don't feel too strongly about her but I'll still have my eye on her during preliminaries. Her previous claim to fame is reaching Hollywood week after auditioning for American Idol 2015 but not making the top 24. South Carolina won the crown three times in 1954, 1980 and 1994 and two of those winners won Miss Universe and their 1990 winner won Miss World so South Carolina's universal pageant track record is one to be revered. South Dakota Madison McKeown South Dakota has only placed twice in 1958 and 1974 and this year's delegate is also not expected to place. Tennessee Hope Stephens Like Alabama and Arkansas, Tennessee also comes across somewhat tomboyish which does seem to win favor on occasion. Tennessee is a strong state but I'm not really sure where to place Hope so I'll wait until preliminaries to determine that. Tennessee has placed 10 of the last 13 years missing the cut last year but Tennessee hasn't gone two years in a row without a semifinalist since 1992. Will that change this year or will Hope bring hope to the volunteer state? They have won the crown twice in 2000 and 2007. Texas Daniella Rodriguez Texas, the most successful state at Miss USA, has won the crown 9 times. Daniella is among my top 5 at the moment so I expect her to make a big comeback after not placing at Miss Teen USA 2013. Utah Teale Murdock Like another four-letter state (Ohio), Utah's delegate also won her state title on her 8th try. As of right now, I'm not too sure that she will be among my picks but I'll make a final decision after preliminaries. Utah inherited the crown in 1957 and won the crown in 1960 and that winner, Linda Bement, went on to win Miss Universe. Utah last placed in 2013. Vermont Neely Fortune This girl has a decent look and speaking skills but probably doesn't have the body for this competition. Vermont hasn't placed since 1982 and that isn't expected to change this year but they did win the crown back in 1955. Virginia Desiree Williams As mentioned in my first round prethoughts, Dr. Desiree is one of my frontrunners so she is in my top 5 at the moment and she could very well take it all as she is very accomplished. Even if she didn't place at Miss America 2014, she did win the National Sweetheart 2012 title and could make a huge comeback at Miss USA. Virginia won the crown twice back in 1969 and 1970 and placed last year among the semifinalists. Washington Kelsey Schmidt Like North Carolina, this year's representative for Washington was also originally the 1st runner up at her state pageant but Kelsey inherited the title after original winner, Stormy Keffeler was dethroned for having failed to disclose a DUI charge from April 2015. Washington won the crown in 1968 and hasn't placed since 2004. This year's delegate is not expected to place. West Virginia Nichole Greene She probably won't be in my list but I still will keep an eye on her during preliminaries. West Virginia last placed in 2013 and has never won the crown. Their best placement was 1st runner up in 1984. Wisconsin Kate Redeker Wisconsin has never won but they did place in the top 10 in 2014. Kate seems to be winning favor among others but I'm not so sure about her body. She did place in the top 16 at Miss Teen USA 2013 though so I'll be watching her closely in preliminaries. Wyoming Autumn Olson Autumn was among my picks when she competed at Miss Teen USA so I actually like this girl but others don't seem to be on board and I don't really understand why so I'll see what happens after preliminaries. 52 Alexandra Miller Alexandra has been given this golden opportunity to be the 52nd contestant at Miss USA after the opportunity seemed to have eluded her. She was 1st runner up to the reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan at the state level so she actually does have a very good shot at placing in the semifinals. I have her as a semifinalist at the moment but we'll see if she can stay there after preliminaries as she hasn't had much time to prepare.

The preliminaries are on the evening of Wednesday, June 1, at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time webcasted on www.missuniverse.com/missusa via a YouTube stream. I will post my final predictions for Miss USA 2016 on June 4 and then June 5 is the night of finals airing on FOX at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time so we shall see what happens!



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FIRST ROUND PRETHOUGHTS (May 21, 2016)


The reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan with performer Tommy Tune. Tommy was one of the featured performers of the 1986 Miss USA pageant 30 years ago which saw Texas' Christy Fichtner take the crown with Academy Award winning actress, Ohio's Halle Berry finishing as 1st runner up.


Miss USA time is upon us once again! The delegates are arriving in Las Vegas. Who will succeed Olivia Jordan Thomas and be crowned the new Miss USA? Miss USA 2016, the 65th Miss USA pageant, will be held on June 5, 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. And now, here are the first round prethoughts to give you an idea of who I've got my eye on for this year's Miss USA crown! Also included are some other interesting pageant world tidbits.



It’s All About the Tubmans

This headline was, of course, inspired by the final question of Miss USA 2015 where the top 5 were each asked what woman should appear on the $10 bill. It turns out that the chosen woman is actually going to appear on the $20 bill replacing former U.S. president Andrew Jackson and that woman is Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery but escaped and helped numerous other slaves on multiple occasions escape through the “Underground Railroad” in the 1800s. While this question was later also asked in the Miss Teen USA and Miss America pageants to follow, the only woman to give what would be the correct answer was the winner of Miss USA 2015 herself, Olivia Jordan. Harriet Tubman was a choice I praised as brilliant and it really set Olivia Jordan apart last year and how fitting that it ended up being the correct choice. Olivia called it! The new $20 bills are set to be released by 2020 and Andrew Jackson is apparently going to be moved to the back of the $20 bill which serves as a bit of a history lesson because he owned slaves himself so it shows where we were and what progress was made since.

We’ve come a long way from that turbulent year in pageantry that was 2015 to this election year of 2016 so I thought we would take a moment to revisit last year leading into this year. Last year, Donald Trump co-owned (with NBC) the Miss Universe family of pageants including Miss USA but then he announced that he was running for president making remarks accusing some Mexicans entering the United States illegally of being rapists and bringing crime and drugs into the country. Trump also said he wants to build a wall along the U.S./Mexico border and have Mexico pay for it. Some feel these sentiments stemmed from a deal gone sour when Mexico hosted the 2007 Miss Universe pageant and the Mexican businessmen involved not paying the full hosting fee at first, going to court and then winning but not being able to collect payment. Trump’s remarks would lead to the seemingly on-track 2015 Miss USA pageant to suddenly come apart at the seams when performers, hosts, judges and even the NBC network bailed on the then-Trump owned pageant causing a last minute scramble but it all came together nicely in the end for those who recognized that the participants shouldn’t have been penalized for what happened so new hosts Todd Newton and Alex Wehrley stepped in, as did former titleholders serving as judges with new performers and the Reelz network agreeing to air the pageant which was also broadcast online via YouTube. Baton Rouge, Louisiana served as the host for the second time last year and luckily they didn’t bail and a sudden blast of chaos didn’t derail the 2015 Miss USA pageant and it all worked out in the end. Trump soon afterwards bought back his share in the pageants from NBC and sold it all to WME/IMG (which had produced previous pageants) in time for the Miss Universe 2015 pageant which aired in December on a new network, FOX who is now taking its turn as the official network for the pageants and will be airing Miss USA for the first time this year on June 5.

Since this time last year, we are now seeing that the Presidential race has been narrowed down to the final two with Donald Trump being the Republican candidate and Hillary Clinton being the Democratic candidate. Hillary Clinton, being the wife of former president Bill Clinton, was asked about during the 1995 Miss USA pageant. “Recently, Hillary Clinton consulted a group of female journalists about changing her image. If you were her advisor, what would you suggest that she do?” Then host Bob Goen posed the question first to New York’s Shanna Moakler, who would become Miss USA 1995 after original winner, Texas’ Chelsi Smith, went on to win Miss Universe. Shanna Moakler’s response was, “Um. I personally enjoy Hillary Clinton very much. I think she’s done an absolutely wonderful job for women in this country today and all around the world. I really am supportive of her. She’s gone out and of course, we’ve all heard the joke, ‘I think we have a woman president now!’ So but actually, I, I really do enjoy her. I-I-I can’t see changing her image, just some of her political views, I do feel that they should give more of a train of thought on, just certain issues, not all of them but just certain issues I think they should, um, uhhh... What’s the word I’m looking for?... discuss more. That’s all. Thank you.” The politically-correct winning response from Texas’ Chelsi Smith was, “I would tell her not to change her image actually. Um. I believe very strongly in who I am and I’ve seen 50 ladies tonight who believe very strongly in who they are and I really think that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t have made it as far as she has if she wouldn’t have been herself so I really, truly think she should stay exactly the way she is.” Shanna Moakler is currently directing Miss Nevada USA so she will naturally be supporting the host delegate, Emelina Adams. One question to be answered later this year is, “Were Shanna’s words prophetic and do we indeed ‘have a woman president now’??” November 8 is Election Day in the U.S. when we will learn if Donald Trump wins this competition or if he will be the runner-up to Hillary Clinton who can make history and become the first female president of the United States. Pictured here, we have Hillary and Bill Clinton standing between Donald Trump and his current wife, Melania Knauss-Trump as guests at their wedding in 2005. Melania was a judge for Miss Universe 1999.




52 Pick-Up

A few weeks ago, it was announced that, unlike most years, the 2016 Miss USA pageant would have 52 contestants instead of the 51 contestants normally represented by the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The first Miss USA pageant was held in ’52 so having 52 contestants actually makes sense. New York’s Jackie Loughery won the first Miss USA pageant in 1952. This 52nd contestant would be an at large contestant named “Miss 52 USA” so when the search was announced online through social media, hundreds of applicants entered for this title online and that field was eventually narrowed down to 25, then 10 by a panel of judges including reigning Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach and gown sponsor, Sherri Hill, and online voters selected who the lucky lady would be. That winner happened to be Alexandra (Alex) Miller, who was 1st runner up to reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan, at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 and Alex accepted the Oklahoma title after Olivia won Miss USA. Alex placed as 1st runner up for 2015 and 2014 at Miss Oklahoma USA and was also 2nd runner up for Miss Kansas USA 2009 and 2012. After aging out, Alex may have thought her dreams of competing for Miss USA had eluded her so she accepted the Miss Oklahoma USA title with no intentions to compete for the 2016 crown. When this opportunity to be Miss 52 USA arose, Alex took her last chance and it paid off.

Other notable contestants who applied for Miss 52 USA but were eliminated included: Jordan Schultz (who placed at 1st runner up three times in different competitive state pageants - Miss Tennessee USA 2011, Miss Texas USA 2013 and Miss Texas USA 2014. Wow, Jordan!) and Genesis Davila (1st runner up to Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2013, 1st runner up to Miss Intercontinental 2012, Miss Puerto Rico World 2013 but unplaced at Miss World 2013). But this isn’t the first time that 52 contestants competed for the Miss USA title nor is it even the Miss USA pageant to have the most contestants in it. For you see, back in the day when the Miss Teen USA pageant started in 1983, the initial idea was that if she met the age requirement, Miss Teen USA would go on to compete for the Miss USA title and if she won that and subsequently, the Miss Universe title, it was conceivable that there could be a triple-crown winner in one calendar year. This resulted in the 1984 Miss USA pageant having the most contestants ever (53) due to the participation of both Miss Teen USA 1983, Ruth Zakarian and Miss Teen USA 1984, Cherise Haugen as the 52nd and 53rd contestants for Miss USA 1984 but neither of them placed in the semifinals in the pageant that would be won by New Mexico’s Mai Shanley who interestingly enough was alphabetically between Miss America 1984, New York’s Vanessa Williams and the woman who would succeed Vanessa after she was dethroned, New Jersey’s Suzette Charles. Mai Shanley did not place in the semifinals at Miss America 1984 but later would win Miss USA 1984! Oh, the randomness of pageantry!! The last Miss USA pageant to accept Miss Teen USA as a contestant was the 1987 Miss USA pageant which saw Miss Teen USA 1986, Allison Brown competing as the 52nd contestant. Allison Brown and Olivia Jordan do look a lot alike and both represented Oklahoma in their respective pageants. Allison, like Ruth and Cherise, also did not place as a semifinalist at Miss USA 1987. Needless to say, the whole idea of having Miss Teen USA compete at Miss USA was scrapped and other Miss Teen USA winners would have to compete at the state level all over again to earn the right to compete at Miss USA. The ladies who were successful in this endeavor were: Hawaii’s Kelly Hu (Miss Teen USA 1985 and later 4th place at Miss USA 1993), Idaho’s Brandi Sherwood (Miss Teen USA 1989 and later inherited the Miss USA 1997 crown after placing 1st runner up to Brook Lee who later won Miss Universe 1997), Iowa’s Jamie Solinger (Miss Teen USA 1992 and unplaced at Miss USA 1998) and California’s Shauna Gambill (Miss Teen USA 1994 and 1st runner up to Miss USA 1998, later being named Miss World USA and placing in the top 10 of Miss World 1998). Shauna was the last Miss Teen USA to compete at Miss USA. Other Miss Teen USA winners that competed at the state level after her all had to settle for runner-up positions when they competed: Texas’ Christie Lee Woods (Miss Teen USA 1996, 3rd runner up to Miss Texas USA 2002), Delaware’s Ashley Coleman (Miss Teen USA 1999, 3rd runner up to Miss California USA 2006), Tami Farrell (Miss Teen USA 2003, 1st runner up to Miss California USA 2009 but later inheriting the state crown after Carrie Prejean’s dethronement) and Montana’s Katie Blair (Miss Teen USA 2006, 1st runner up to Miss California USA 2011 but later inheriting the state crown after Alyssa Campanella won Miss USA).

1987 was the last year to have a 52nd contestant at Miss USA until this year of 2016. What’s interesting about this year’s pageant is that with Alex Miller participating as Miss 52 USA, this pageant will have two contestants technically representing Oklahoma (Taylor Gorton and Alex Miller) just like the last Miss USA pageant to have 52 contestants which was 1987 featuring Miss Oklahoma USA 1987 and Miss Teen USA 1986, Allison Brown, who also represented Oklahoma! Talk about coming full circle!! Of further interest with Alex Miller’s participation is that there are now two first runners-up at the state level to future Miss USA winners competing for the 2016 Miss USA title. Alex Miller was 1st runner up to Olivia Jordan (Miss USA 2015) at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015 and Connecticut’s Tiffany Teixeira was 1st runner up to Erin Brady (Miss USA 2013) at Miss Connecticut USA 2013. Is this going to be the bout to knock the other runner-up to a future Miss USA at the state level out??

Some deemed this Miss 52 USA contest as the gimmick-du-jour to generate interest in the Miss USA pageant in social media but also to give Alex Miller this chance to compete at Miss USA. In the past, there have been women who, like Alex Miller and Tiffany Teixeira, placed as a runner-up at the state level to a future Miss USA winner who would later compete at Miss USA: Shauna Searles (1st runner up to Miss USA 1992, Shannon Marketic at Miss California USA and would later win Miss California USA 1996 but go unplaced at Miss USA) and Brooke Daniels (1st runner up to Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart at Miss Texas USA but the next year, Brooke would win Miss Texas USA 2009 and place 6th at Miss USA 2009). On a sidenote: Mandy Jeffreys was 1st runner up to Miss USA 2001, Kandace Krueger at Miss Texas USA but wasn’t able to win Miss Texas USA after multiple attempts. Mandy was also Miss Texas Teen USA 1995 but went unplaced at Miss Teen USA 1995.

In my prethoughts for Miss USA 2013, I discussed that there were talks of having a reality show called Miss Latina USA in search of a second American delegate of Latin descent to compete at Miss Universe to rival another popular reality show called Nuestra Belleza Latina. Naturally that didn’t go over well with some national directors threatening to boycott so the plans for that were scrapped and it never materialized. Miss Latina USA wouldn’t have been really fair since it was biased towards one ethnicity but Miss 52 USA was a more fair way to include another delegate since entrants weren’t restricted based on ethnicity. Now, the question remains if Miss 52 USA will continue beyond this year or not. I have a feeling that it will go on, especially in this era where social media dominates and now that the word is out there, it gives hope to state delegates and even the general public that they could have a second chance to compete at Miss USA without having to compete at the state level.



The Via De LaQuatra

This headline is a play on “Via Dolorosa” which is a song that is so moving and beautiful that sometimes you can’t help but cry when you hear it. This song was used for the talent competition for the winner of Miss America 1995, Alabama’s Heather Whitestone who is famously known as the first deaf Miss America and performed a ballet dance to “Via Dolorosa” for the talent competition at Miss America. Enter Pennsylvania’s Elena LaQuatra who is being given the opportunity to be the first deaf Miss USA. At the age of 4, Elena was infected with bacterial meningitis resulting in complete hearing loss but thanks to a medical miracle, Elena uses a cochlear implant to hear. Elena also previously held the title of Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA 2010 but did not place at Miss Teen USA 2010 but she was also Miss Pennsylvania's Outstanding Teen 2007 and placed as 2nd runner up at the national Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition. Another deaf celebrity that is currently making waves is Nyle Dimarco who won America’s Next Top Model narrowly defeating Maryland’s Mamé Adjei, who also finished as 4th runner up at last year’s Miss USA pageant but Nyle is also competing in the current U.S. Dancing With the Stars competition and is heavily favored to win because he has overcome his disability in that he can’t hear the music but it heightens other senses and he has demonstrated his ability to keep with rhythm and timing and his hearing loss doesn’t stop him from dancing exceptionally well.

Elena LaQuatra’s story makes her a champion who “chose to walk that road” “the way of suffering” to become a great example for those who may have disabilities and she is overcoming the odds and works as a broadcast journalist and speaks very professionally and you would never know that she is deaf. She also prides herself in her Greek heritage and the sequel to ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ also came out this year. Pennsylvania has only won the Miss USA crown once which was back in 1971 thanks to Michele McDonald Boeke and Elena LaQuatra just has an amazing name that just rolls off of the tongue so will that beautiful name be the name of Miss USA 2016??



Rico Suavé's Daughter

Yes, that's right, folks! Notorious one-hit-wonder, Gerardo, who gave the world the song, “Rico Suavé” is the father of Miss California USA 2016, Nadia Mejia. Ecuadorian singer/rapper Gerardo Mejia’s song peaked at #7 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart on April 13, 1991. Nadia is also following in her mother’s footsteps by competing at Miss USA as her mother is Kathy Eicher, Miss West Virginia USA 1989 (unplaced at Miss USA 1989) so given who her parents are, this girl was born to be in the spotlight! She works as a model and also has music running in her veins as she also is a worship leader at her church. Nadia is a very spiritual young lady possibly thanks to her father, Gerardo who left the music business working as an A&R record executive to become a youth pastor. Similarly to Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2016, Savannah Chrisley (who we will be talking about during Miss Teen USA), Nadia appeared in a reality TV series that aired for one season on VH1 called ‘Suave Says’ appearing with her siblings, Jaden and Bianca. Nadia has a large social media following but that didn’t seem to help India’s Urvashi Rautela last year at Miss Universe but will Nadia be the social media darling to add publicity to Miss USA this year and will Nadia’s notable parental lineage with her distinct look, outspokenness, and shining personality give her the 7th Miss USA crown for California? California’s six Miss USA winners are: Terri Lynn Huntingdon (1959), Maria Remenyi (1966), Summer Bartholomew (1975), Julie Hayek (1983), Shannon Marketic (1992) and Alyssa Campanella (2011). In other California news, Nicole Johnson (who reigned as Miss California USA 2010 and placed in the top 10 of Miss USA 2010) recently became a mother to baby boy, Boomer Robert Phelps with Olympic champion swimmer and winner of the most Olympic medals of all time, Michael Phelps. The two have been dating on and off since 2009 but are currently engaged. Michael Phelps was also a judge at Miss USA 2005.



Forget About Dr. Dre, Meet Dr. Desirée
Ain’t Nuthin’ But a SHE Thang, Baby!



Virginia’s Desirée Williams is one major contender for the Miss USA state title not only because of her amazing body and stunning looks but also because this woman is a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Further adding to her impressive resumé, Desi is also the Interim Director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute at Hampton University in addition to being an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. She is a certified yoga instructor and in late 2014, she published a book she co-authored entitled, “Love Affair with my Hair: Why Black Women Cheat on Health.” Desi won the title of Miss National Sweetheart 2012 and she was also Miss Virginia for Miss America 2013 but went unplaced at Miss America 2014 but she looks poised to make a huge comeback at Miss USA 2016. Will Desiree give Virginia their first Miss USA win since their consecutive wins in 1969 and 1970?



Forget About Danielle Steel, Let’s Talk About Daniella and Teale

Texas and Utah are back-to-back alphabetically and these two states have a bit of a connection this year. The most successful state at Miss USA is easily the lonestar state of Texas which boasts 9 Miss USA crowns, five of which were consecutive from 1985 to 1989 and one of whom (Chelsi Smith) won Miss Universe in 1995. This year, the state you don’t mess with is being represented by Daniella Rodriguez who won Miss Texas USA on her first try which is an extremely rare and admirable feat for this state. Daniella also held the title of Miss Texas Teen USA 2013 but went unplaced at Miss Teen USA 2013 but with a few tweaks, she has transformed herself into a contender.

Utah’s Teale Murdock won the Miss Utah USA state title on her 8th try! Talk about perseverance! Teale also made one attempt at the Miss Texas Teen USA title (That’s one Texas-Utah connection). If I’m not mistaken, the record for most tries to win a Miss USA state title belongs to another Texan, Andria Mullins (Miss Texas Teen USA 1997) who made 9 attempts to win a Miss USA state title competing in the states of Texas, California and New York until she aged out. [Andria was a non-finalist at Miss Texas USA 1999 and 2000, a semifinalist for Miss Texas USA 2001, 2003 and 2004, 2nd Runner Up for Miss Texas USA 2002, top 10 at Miss California USA 2006 and 4th Runner Up at Miss New York USA 2005 and 1st Runner Up at Miss New York USA 2007.] The next Texas-Utah connection was that Teale’s runner up at Miss Utah USA was a huge favorite, Baylee Jensen who is the daughter of Miss USA 1989 herself, Texas’ own Gretchen Polhemus! Hopefully, we will see Baylee on the Miss USA stage in the near future if she keeps competing as this is the only instance I’m aware of that the daughter of a former Miss USA competed for a state title. Utah technically has two Miss USA titleholders, Linda Bement in 1960 who would become Miss Universe also that year and Charlotte Sheffield (who sadly passed away recently) inherited the Miss USA crown in 1957 after Maryland’s Mary Leona Gage was dethroned for being a married mother of two who also lied about her age. Utah hasn’t placed since 2013 since my pick to win that year, Marissa Powell finished as 3rd runner up after flubbing her final question in a moment that went viral in all forms of media. Will Teale’s perseverance pay off and will we see her bring the beehive state back in a big way?



Sweet Dreams Are Made of Cheese
Who Am I To Diss A Brie?



Brie Gabrielle is representing the Sunshine State of Florida and her participation in Miss USA forces me to draw attention to the success of statehopping Californians in recent years. It began in 2011, when Alyssa Campanella won Miss USA representing the state of California after competing in New Jersey twice. Nana Meriwether became Miss USA 2012 after placing as 1st runner up at Miss California USA 2010 and 4th runner up at Miss California USA 2011 before statehopping to Maryland for 2012 and winning there leading her to Miss USA 2012 after Olivia Culpo became Miss Universe. Nia Sanchez became Miss USA 2014 after statehopping to Nevada after placing as 2nd runner up to Miss California USA 2010 and top 20 at Miss California USA 2011 and 2012. Finally, Olivia Jordan became Miss USA 2015 after statehopping to Oklahoma after placing as 1st runner up at Miss California USA 2013. That means 4 of the last 6 Miss USAs (excluding Erin Brady and Olivia Culpo) have competed at Miss California USA. Enter Brie Gabrielle who statehopped to Florida after placing as 1st runner up at Miss California USA 2012 and 2nd runner up to Miss California USA 2013 (just one spot below Olivia Jordan that year) so are these signs pointing to Brie Gabrielle being crowned Miss USA 2016??? Wouldn’t that be something if she won? And it could happen too. Brie has experience as an actress appearing in a few films and TV shows like Olivia Jordan has so Brie along with Miss 52 USA, Alex Miller have both been runners-up finishing one spot below Olivia Jordan at the state level (Brie at Miss California USA 2013 and Alex at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015). Another thing that Brie has in common with Olivia Jordan is that she is leaving off her last name, her full name is Briegitte Marie Gabrielle Baldrica but she is going by her first and middle names like Olivia Jordan whose actual last name is Thomas. Cheryl Patton was originally 2nd runner up at Miss USA 1967 but she inherited the crown for Florida in 1967 after Alabama’s Sylvia Hitchcock won Miss Universe and the 1st runner up, California’s Susan Bradley declined to take the Miss USA title but Florida has never won the Miss USA pageant even though Florida has hosted multiple pageants for the Miss Universe family so is Brie about to become Florida’s first Miss USA winner???



Miss Miss and Miss

MISS MISSissippi and MISSouri are another set of back-to-back delegates alphabetically that have a common bond in that these two ladies both placed as 4th runner up at Miss Teen USA in their respective years. Mississippi’s Haley Sowers was 4th runner up to Miss Teen USA 2010 and Missouri’s Sydnee Stottlemyre was 4th runner up to Miss Teen USA 2011 and as Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen 2008, Sydnee also placed as 4th runner up at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. Will this year’s pageant be the bout to knock the other Teen 4th runner up out? Or will Sydnee and Elena LaQuatra (the other Miss America’s Outstanding Teen runner-up) be battling it out? Colorado’s Caley Rae Pavillard also held her state’s title for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen but went unplaced at that pageant but did place in the top 15 at Miss Teen USA 2011. Missouri’s Sydnee Stottlemyre is quite athletic playing basketball and running track and field and she also is passionate about animal-human interaction. She is majoring in Strategic Communication at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Will well-rounded and diversified Sydnee bring Missouri its second Miss USA crown since Shandi Finnessey won Missouri’s first Miss USA crown in 2004? Mississippi’s Haley Sowers is a recent graduate of Mississippi State University and oh, I think that I found myself a cheerleader! Like Kiara Young, last year’s Miss Tennessee USA, Haley is also a cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans. Haley is passionate about dancing and we know how well dancers move on stage. Mississippi has never won the Miss USA crown so Haley has a chance to be their first winner. The closest the Magnolia state has come to the crown was in 2008 when Leah Laviano placed as 1st runner up. Another interesting factoid is that Miss USA 2016 now holds the record for being the Miss USA pageant with the most former Miss Teen USA delegates competing. Mississippi and Missouri ranked the highest at Miss Teen USA of the 15 former Miss Teen USA delegates and the other 13 are: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. This breaks the record previously held by the Miss USA 2014 pageant when 12 former Teens competed.



Nurse First

(Condragulations, Bob!) Two women who work as nurses are competing in this year’s Miss USA pageant. Connecticut’s Tiffany Teixeira and Indiana’s Morgan Abel. These two will also be roommates during their stay in Las Vegas for Miss USA. Connecticut won its first Miss USA crown just three years ago in 2013 thanks to Erin Brady and as mentioned earlier Erin’s runner-up at Miss Connecticut USA that year was Tiffany Teixeira who has finally won the Miss Connecticut USA title making her one of two women competing this year who were a runner up to a Miss USA winner at the state level. The other being Miss 52 USA, Alex Miller who was runner-up to Olivia Jordan at Miss Oklahoma USA 2015. Tiffany was also Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2009 but went unplaced at Miss Teen USA 2009 but with her experience, will Tiffany become the 2nd Miss USA from Connecticut only 3 years after their first win? Indiana’s Morgan Abel has also competed multiple times before winning her state title and like Tiffany, she was also a Teen titleholder winning Miss Indiana Teen USA 2008 but also going unplaced at Miss Teen USA 2008. Indiana has never won the Miss USA crown but they do have a 1st runner up, Holli Dennis in 1981. The nursing profession found itself in the spotlight at the most recent Miss America pageant where Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson placed as 2nd runner up after doing a monologue about being a nurse for the talent competition which was perceived as somewhat unconventional since we normally see singing, dancing or various other types of performances but Kelley stood out for daring to be different and to show the world that nursing is a respected occupation and a talent in itself. Will either of the nurses competing for Miss USA, Tiffany or Morgan overcome the odds at Miss USA and place a ‘Nurse First’??



On May 28, I will post a second round of prethoughts with comments on each of the 52 delegates competing for Miss USA 2016. The excitement is building with this wildly intense competition! Who will it be?


Watch Miss USA 2016 on Sunday, June 5 on FOX!