On 2nd May, Miss Nebraska USA 2018 and Miss USA 2018, Sarah Rose Summers, will crown her successor. I have mixed feelings about Ms. Summers, as I firmly believe she was the victim of the now oh-so-common witch hunts that plague modern social media but at the same time, she should have been wiser to how these situations can be spun. Like almost all of IMG's titleholders thus far, I doubt she will be remembered fondly by pageant aficionados.
Which brings me to IMG / MUO. It has been with absolute horror that I have watched as the new owners of the Miss Universe Organisation have disassembled what was once the most popular national pageant on the planet, for any circuit, and put it back together, a shade of it's former self. Something has to give with IMG / MUO and it's fans - this relationship is dysfunctional and cannot continue.
Their pageants are dead upon arrival. Miss Teen USA is basically obsolete. The girls had their prelims and their finals...all in one day. Like, what the Hell ? And Miss USA is not doing much better. If the former has expired, than the latter is on life support.
Get it together !
- Bring back the glamour.
- Bring back the entertainment.
- Bring back the activities for your contestants. Spending a week in a hotel room is not an activity.
- If someone is not a fan of pageantry, they never will be, no matter how 'relevant' you make it.
Phew !
Now, that that rant is over, I'm going to move onto my list. Confession time: 2014 was the last time I predicted, with any real accuracy, the outcome of Miss USA. So, in the spirit of IMG / MUO's unpredictable criteria, I have just combined all the usual factors that a pageant fan would take into consideration and than added a sprinkle of my own personal tastes... and BANG ! That's your lot.
I'm going to stick with the format used at Miss USA 2018. So, it's a Top 15, folks.
Here are my ladies of Miss USA 2019, beginning with the...
Underwhelmed to say the least. Yet, I was never on the hype train for California's Erica Dann. The woman working in Tecg angle could work for her though. But honestly, I would find her a downgrade from the last few Miss USA's.
Lacie Choy from Hawaii is au naturelle and I love it. That environmental work with her states's politicians could help her to go far, in the weeks where climate change has been all over the papers in the West.
Madeleine Overby from Mississippi is actually one of the most naturally beautiful candidates. Couldn't resist including her on my list.
The hometown girl, Nevada's Tianna Tuamoheloa actually isn't my cup of tea. But, she does have an interesting backstory.
I actually don't love her in motion. In photos, Alejandra Gonzalez' of New Mexico is a stunner. But, that didn't register for me at prelims. She is hella smart though. She fix that styling, she can go up on my list.
The revelation of the night, Alyssa Klinzing from Kansas actually put on a great performance, unlike many of her competitors. She could go farther. Many will think she will have earned it.
Louisiana's Victoria Paul is super underrated. A highly qualified medical professional, I like her short intro video and thought she had a good night at prelims. Watch this space.
In my humble opinion, the most beautiful face of the competition is Minnesota's Cat Stanley. But that gown ? What was she thinking. If she changes it, she could be right back in the Top 5. Her intro video showed her to be fun and spontaneous. But that gown ? Did I mention the gown ?
She just has the projection and I liked New Hampshire's Alexis Chinn's performance at the prelims. Her styling was nice and I love the natural hair look.
Face, sash, height, intelligence. Check, check, check and check. She should be the frontrunner, but who knows anymore ? Alayah Benavidez from Texas could go either way on final night. She should be up there though.
She came into this competition as my winner and than slightly faded over the last week. Maybe she was bored ? (Sorry, couldn't help myself. I had to take another dig at IMG). However, when it was needed the most, Manya Saaraswat from New Jersey brought it. IMG has been paying a lot of notice to this state and with her magnetic face, she would definitely be a Miss USA who would be remembered.
Probably my favourite personal mission of any of the contestants this year, I have nothing but sweet admiration for Ohio's Alice Magoto could really energise the public and help diminish the narcissistic qualities of some of her generation. She is undoubtedly a beautiful woman, a woman that is approachable. She is IMG's type. I like her though, too.
Ugh. Beauty came prepared and yes it did show. Haley Holloway from West Virginia could be her states first Miss USA. Not many, if any, could complain. She has proven herself via Miss Teen USA 2013 that she is a go-getter. This is a different ballgame now, but damn, she knows the rules.
I'll be honest, Connecticut's Acacia Courtney was my winner of the preliminaries. She was the only lady who really convinced me that she had the confidence and preparation to go the whole way and win the Miss USA crown. She has a unique background concerning animal welfare and do you know what, I dig that ! I get the Miss America vibe people say she has, but last night, she convinced me she could be a Miss USA instead.
Nowhere on my radar was the ultimate darkhorse, until arrivals, than Triana Browne of Oklahoma, who seems to me to be the perfect all-rounder, peaked my interests. A beautiful, successful, intelligent and charismatic woman, who also ticks the box of 'relevant story' that IMG so likes to crow about. And in a sea of pretty meh gowns, babe stood out with a winner. I'm not sure has Miss USA ever crowned a Native American, it certainly isn't something they do often, and with her outreach program spanning different communities, she could be exactly what the IMG wants and what the US needs.
Best of luck, ladies.
And thanks for reading everybody !