51 contestants in both the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants will participate in the competitions this year. Each of the 2023 title holders resigned, for the first time in the event’s history, and both are returning to Los Angeles this week to declare new winners.
There are three main rounds of competition, including swimsuit (Miss USA) or athletic wear (Miss Teen USA), evening gown, and an onstage interview, though the contestants also have a preliminary interview with the judges.
Relinquishing Crowns
Noelia Voigt, winner of the Miss USA pageant, and UmaSofia Srivastava, winner of the Miss Teen USA pageant, separately announced on their social media that they would relinquish their crowns. Neither has addressed specifics publicly, though rumors of non-disclosure agreements abound. Voigt cites mental health reasons while Srivastava claims a clash in personal values between herself and the Miss Teen USA organization.
While there were no public statements, CNN obtained Voigt’s resignation letter, which helped to explain things somewhat. Starting with frustrations over administrative issues that delayed her prizes from the competition, an apartment and a car, Voigt then proceeded into much more serious allegations. In the letter, Voigt claimed that pageant president Laylah Rose attacked her character by calling her “mentally ill.” She also noted a “toxic work environment” and claims of sexual harassment during a parade appearance due to the lack of an “effective handler”.
Rose and Miss USA declined to respond to CNN’s requests for comment, but she later released a statement reported by the Los Angeles Times which refuted the allegations.
Vacancies and Upsets
Following the resignations, Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii, last year’s runner-up to the Miss USA pageant, stepped into the role in place of Voigt. The runner-up to the Miss Teen USA pageant, Stephanie Skinner, declined the title, leaving the role vacant. Gankiewicz may also crown the new Miss Teen USA as a result, another first for the event. Overall, the two resignations have left the organizations in a mess.
Uncertain Prizing
This year, Miss USA’s website has no information about the prize package, but Instagram posts suggest that Garcelle Beauvais of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” will be one of the hosts. Traditionally, Miss USA pageant winners have received the following: a luxury car, an LA apartment, and a six-figure salary for one year so long as they make appearances and support the organization’s causes. Additional benefits have included designer clothes, guest spots on television shows, and five-star resort stays, though none of these appear listed on the current website.
Who Can Participate in Miss USA?
To participate in Miss USA, a participant must be a US citizen recognized as medically and legally female, while either being a permanent resident, full-time student, or full-time employee of their state for a given period. There are no longer age restrictions, and previous requirements that a competitor had to be single and without children have been done away with. Julia Morehouse was the first married woman to compete.
The History of Miss USA Competitions
Another frequent question concerns the difference between Miss America and Miss USA. Both are major national pageants with a shared history, but as brands they are distinct. Miss America began as a small competition in 1921, quickly rising in prominence. However, when the 1950 titleholder, Yolande Betbeze, refused to appear in swimwear, Catalina, a company that made swimwear, dropped their sponsorship of Miss America and founded Miss USA. Today, Miss America acts as a non-profit scholarship program, while Miss USA is a franchise part of the Miss Universe Organization, whose winners automatically represent the United States during its international pageant. Miss America got rid of the swimsuit portion altogether in 2018.
What’s Next
Miss Teen USA’s 42nd finals is on August 1st, and Miss USA’s 73rd edition is on August 4th at the Peacock Theater.
