What’s up guys, I am going to make this intro quick, Miss USA 2019 is going to be crowned Thursday and this edition has been a DISASTER already. While IMG has done a great job investing in Miss Universe, they have destroyed almost all excitement that comes with Miss USA. The stage sucks, the pre-pageant activities sucked, the coverage sucked and they are shoving Sherri Hill and Lu Sierra down our throats again. I am not going to sugar coat it because I do not really have anything positive to say so far except that I am excited Sarah's reign is finally coming to an end. So let's just get to it, here are my final hot picks for Miss USA 2019!
Top 3
I usually call this group the “crown contenders”, but this year after the preliminary competition, I am throwing all my eggs in one basket. I can only logically see one girl winning the crown this year. However, anything can happen and looking back, the logic for crowning Sarah Rose Summers was very questionable. So these are the three girls who I feel are most deserving!
Miss USA 2019
Texas - Alayah Benavidez
Texas is fucking back and Alayah Benavidez is clearly their tenth Miss USA! She is the best Miss Texas USA since Crystle Stewart which makes it no surprise that she is the most competitive and prepared girl this year. So many girls overdid their walks but less is almost always more and Alayah was one of the only girls who understood that. Alayah actually reminds me a lot of Catriona Gray but with lighter hair. But that doesn’t mean its right for her to go ahead and copy the lava walk and she knew that! So many of these girls went out of control with their spinning but Alayah stayed true to herself and as a result, her stage presence was electric. She also has an incredible story of overcoming dyslexia and her PhD goals show that she is clearly very driven. She is now the only girl in this batch I can see winning Miss Universe and after the last three Miss USAs coming out of nowhere, is it wrong that I want a favorite to win this year?
1st Runner Up
New Jersey - Manya Saaraswat
The biggest struggle Manya has to overcome is her inconsistency in candid photos. But she is clearly one of the most intelligent girls this year as she has done stem cell research at Harvard! Her walk was electrifying especially in swimsuit and her gown moved perfectly on stage. New Jersey is close to their first Miss USA crown and I would not be surprised if it’s this year. Manya is the only girl right now who I can see stealing the crown from Texas.
2nd Runner Up
West Virginia - Haley Holloway
When Haley is styled right, she is a goddess. I noticed she has struggled with her styling from time to time and with certain colors she can look a bit harsh, but her makeup was perfect and the gown could not suit her any better. I do not know much about her, why she wants to be Miss USA or her social work, but I have seen her interact with fans on social media and she seems incredibly personable and genuine which are qualities a successful Miss USA must have.
Top 5
These two girls have been on my radar throughout their stay in Reno, and sealed the deal in the preliminary competition. They both fit the new direction of Miss USA perfectly!
4
Oklahoma - Triana Browne
I know Triana is indigenous but one of her biggest advantages is that she is ethnically ambiguous. I don’t know if she is mixed or not but when you first see her, she looks like she could be from anywhere. That being said, I was not impressed at first as I thought her face was way too harsh and her body was way too muscular. But damn she has drastically improved in both departments. Her entire frame is very easy on the eyes and with great stage presence and an impressive bio, I see her going far.
5
Ohio - Alice Magoto
Alice caught my eye when I saw her official headshot as I was drawn to her natural beauty. Ironically, I later found out her social work is about promoting natural beauty and abstaining from photoshop on social media which could not be more relevant in 2019. What sealed the deal for me though was her confidence during the preliminary competition. She looks so sweet yet has this big dick energy about her that I see blowing away an all female selection committee.
Top 10
These girls impressed me during the preliminary competition and could sneak into the Top 5 or even pull off a surprise win! However, I do feel there are stronger girls or there are girls that fit the IMG era better which is why I stopped them here.
6
Kansas - Alyssa Klinzing
At first I thought Alyssa was overrated and just another pretty face who brought nothing new to the table. But damn, I was wrong. She has a very unique backstory of working as a Disney princess at an amusement park but she was the one who looked like the princess herself. Her evening gown performance was my favorite and brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me of Paulina Vega’s Miss Universe final walk. Her look is very on trend and her social work of aiming to get more women involved in politics shows that she is the girl boss prototype that IMG is looking for.
7
New Mexico - Alejandra Gonzalez
Probably the face of the pageant and would be the most facially beautiful Miss USA in a long time. Beautywise, Alejandra is a hybrid of Ximena Navarrete and Barbara Turbay, two of my favorite beauty queens! But this stunning Latina is way more than a pretty face and proved during prelims she is worth the hype. She’s smart, has great stage presence and although her gown was ugly, the color was perfect on her.
8
Connecticut - Acacia Courtney
Acacia is never someone I considered before the preliminary competition, but she grabbed my attention in both swimsuit and evening gown. While many are dubbing her as a crown contender, I would not jump to that just yet as I felt she was rehearsed from what I have seen of her oratory. I do not see her winning like everyone else does, but she will surely give a good fight.
9
North Carolina - Cheslie Kryst
I am shocked Cheslie is not on more lists. This attorney and model is a prettier version of Kára McCullough, and her natural hair will win the selection committee over. She had one of the strongest performances in swimsuit and her gown performance was simple yet elegant. She is not outstanding, and is probably on a similar level to the past 3 Miss USAs. A definite shoo-in for the Top 15.
10
Virginia - Courtney Lynne Smits
Courtney was my biggest surprise during prelims, while she definitely looks older than she is, I think she fits the IMG mold. She had great stage presence in both rounds, but learning her story and that she is in the military makes me confident that she will at least place. She seems like the perfect combination of badass yet glamorous that IMG seems to love.
Top 15
All these girls did enough to make the Top 15 in somehow or another, but I do not think Miss USA 2019 is among these five girls. I expected more from them and I also think they could miss the cut.
11
Florida - Nicolette Jennings
Nicolette has stood out in photo after photo throughout her time in Reno. But I expected more during preliminaries. She could have spent a little more time at the gym and could have chosen a more appropriate gown. Her stage presence is fantastic as expected, but I think it is a high possibility the selection committee may write her off as just another pretty face which is ashamed as I think she is one of the most beautiful girls this year.
12
Pennsylvania - Kailyn Marie Perez
Of the Latinas, Kailyn is definitely not at the level of New Mexico or Texas. However, this law school graduate still has a pretty good chance of entering the Top 15 if her legal background translated into the interview room. While her swimsuit performance was a little too much for my taste, she has the stage presence and one of the most beautiful gowns this year.
13
California - Erica Dann
Before preliminaries, I was positive Erica was the strongest Miss California USA since Alyssa. I thought she was the full package until I saw her on stage. If she was from any other state and gave that performance, I would have immediately written her off. She is a very charismatic talker and has an impressive bio which gives me hope that she had a strong interview, but that is her only hope and her inclusion in my Top 15 is wishful thinking at this point.
14
Massachusetts - Kelly O'Grady
Kelly is probably the smartest and most accomplished girl this year. That being said, I was unimpressed by her preliminary performance in both rounds and thought she made some weird facial expressions. Yes there have been girls in this era with impressive bios but a weak preliminary performance took them out. However, I still have to trust history here and the fact that so many girls struggled with their walks makes it more likely that she will place.
15
New Hampshire - Alexis Chinn
Alexis caught my eye when she arrived in Reno for her striking beauty, natural hair and great styling. Upon further learning about her and reading her bio, I knew this girl was IMG material. HOWEVER, her preliminary performance left much to be desired, while she did look stunning in swimsuit, she lacked energy on stage that I was so hoping for, especially in gown. However, I feel her overall frame and performance was enough to crack the Top 15.
On Hold
There have been many questionable finalists in Miss USA recently that I cannot explain besides “she probably had an incredible interview” so I wanted to be sure I covered all the bases. I have no ranking for them and these are not alternates rather, the rest of the girls I also see making the cut.
Alabama - Hannah McMurphy
I think Hannah is stunning and she did OK in prelims, I think it could go either way for her.
Arizona - Savannah Wix
She has a gorgeous face, a great platform and an infectious personality, I have no doubt she scored very high in the interview. But her stage presence was a joke.
Arkansas - Savannah Skidmore
She did a solid job in both swimsuit and evening gown but I am apprehensive about her because Miss Arkansas last year was a huge favorite, had a great body, walk and gown performance but still missed the cut. And the thing is, they also look alike so I am not jumping on the bandwagon just yet.
District of Columbia - Cordelia Cranshaw
She has an amazing story and she caught my eye in both rounds, definitely not a winner but I think DC could be back in the Top 15 this year!
Georgia - Katerina Rozmajzl
Easily the most overrated girl this year, although she looked stunning in gown, she proved during swimsuit and during her interviews that she is not all that. However, she is hyped beyond death to the point that I feel uncomfortable counting her out although I know she does not fit the new direction of Miss USA at all.
Hawaii - Lacie Choy
Not a huge fan of her facially, but she has a very effortless beachy beauty, I can see the judges taking notice of her!
Idaho - Shelby Brown
Her story of losing so much weight and being the first from her family to graduate college could not be more IMG. I had her written down as a standout in swimsuit but her gown ruined it for her. I still see her placing though and probably making the Top 10 but going no further with that dress.
Illinois - Alexandra Plotz
She is the closest thing we have to a redhead this year and I really loved her in swimsuit. She could sneak in!
Maryland - Mariela Pepin
The only reason I excluded her from my Top 15 is that during the preliminary competition, I learned that Mariela is a botox queen! I have nothing against botox but she looked so overdone that her smile was uncomfortable to look at. That being said, she was fantastic on stage in both rounds and think if she does make it, she could be a surprise top fiver.
Minnesota - Cat Stanley
She has it all, but the gown choice was horrible. It did not move on stage and I think it could have potentially costed her. She did a great job reeling her smile in though!
Mississippi - Madeleine Overby
Not a fan of her beauty at all but I had Madeleine written down as a standout in evening gown. Do not know much about her though but she is a possibility!
Nevada - Tianna Tuamoheloa
I was expecting more in swimsuit and she could have been styled way better as the red lip was unnecessary. But she killed it in gown and is the host delegate and plus she is my girl so I cannot count her out!
New York - Florinda Kajtazi
On paper, I actually thought Florinda was quite underrated. I think she’s gorgeous and her story of surviving abuse is inspiring. I have seen her on some lists and I think she looked stunning during prelims, so a placement is not impossible, but girl had ZERO stage presence. Other than I think she is semifinalist material.
Rhode Island - Nicole Pallozzi
Call me crazy because yeah she is very weak facially but she makes up for it with an incredible body. I would go as far as saying she has one of the best bodies of the batch and I know people will consider her a WTF if she does place, but I cannot entirely count her out.
South Carolina - MaKenzie Divina
The poor mans Tamaryn Green. I am not a huge fan of this girl, I thought her styling was bad and I think she looks too youthful for Miss USA. She does seem to have a great personality though so she could make it but I was not inspired in prelims.
South Dakota - Abigail Merschman
Facially I am not sold, especially during her close up shots she looked very tired, I do not know if it was bad makeup or if she was actually tired or if that’s just her face but but her stage presence is undeniable. She might make it and South Dakota seems to be doing well the past few years so I have to give credit where it is due.
Tennessee - Savana Hodge
I swear I thought Gabriela Berrios was competing at Miss USA when she walked out. She wasn’t bad on stage but the gown was a bit heavy on her. I do not know much about her but there is a very small chance I think she will place.
Utah - Amanda Renée Giroux
I actually loved her gown, it was different and a breath of fresh air in a group of so many repetitive looking gowns. But I was looking at the gown and not her and she is another girl who looks way too youthful for my taste and I was not blown away by her preliminary performance. I do see her placing though!
Washington - Evelyn Clark
Girl competed for 10 years to win her state pageant, that is dedication and it is ashamed she won this year because this edition is clearly so cheap and budgeted. But her experience showed and I think she gave a good enough performance to make the cut!
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I know the forum isn't really active right now, especially because its not Miss Universe season and no one comes here anymore but if you made it all the way to the end, thank you so much for reading and tell me what you think!