- Miss USA 2009
-
Miss USA 2009 
Miss USA 2009 TitlecardDate April 19, 2009 Presenters Billy Bush, Nadine Velazquez Entertainment Kevin Rudolf, The Veronicas Venue Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada Broadcaster NBC Entrants 51 Placements 15 Winner Kristen Dalton
North CarolinaCongeniality Cynthia Pate Photogenic Jessi Pierson Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina was crowned by outgoing titleholder Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart of Texas.
The event was hosted by Billy Bush of Access Hollywood and actress Nadine Velazquez; Bush returned to host the pageant which he last emceed in 2005. He had previously co-hosted Miss USA 2003 with Daisy Fuentes and Miss USA 2004–2005 with Nancy O'Dell. Entertainment was provided by Kevin Rudolf who performed "Let It Rock" during the swimsuit competition and The Veronicas performed "Untouched" during the evening gown competition.[1]
The competition was broadcast in High Definition for only the second time in history.
Delegates representing the fifty states plus the District of Columbia competed in the pageant, and arrived in Las Vegas on April 2.[2] Miss USA Kristen Dalton represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2009 pageant, where she reached the Top 10.
Pageants were held from June 2008 to January 2009 to select the representative for each state. During the final show on April 19, the fifteen delegates with the highest average scores from the preliminary competition were announced. The top fifteen competed in the swimsuit competition. The top ten delegates from swimsuit competed in evening gown. The top five delegates from the evening gown competition (not averaged composite scores from both competitions) competed in the final question round to determine the winner. The judges' composite score was shown after each round of competition for only the third time since 2002.
Contents
Results
Placements
Map showing placings by state.
Final results Contestant Miss USA 2009 - North Carolina - Kristen Dalton
1st runner-up 
California - Carrie Prejean
2nd runner-up 
Arizona - Alicia-Monique Blanco
3rd runner-up 
Utah - Laura Chukanov
4th runner-up 
Kentucky - Maria Elizabeth Montgomery
Top 10 
Texas - Brooke Daniels
Tennessee - Kristen Motil
Arkansas - Chanley Painter
South Carolina - Stephanie Smith
West Virginia - Jessi Pierson
Top 15 
Virginia - Maegan Phillips
Minnesota - Erica Nego
Georgia - Kimberly Gittings
Idaho - Melissa Weber
Connecticut - Monica Mary Pietrzak
Special awards
Award Contestant Miss Congeniality 
Wyoming – Cynthia Pate
Miss Photogenic Final scores
State Swimsuit Evening Gown North Carolina 9.198 (1) 9.470 (1) California 9.033 (3) 9.275 (2) Arizona 9.092 (2) 9.189 (3) Utah 8.851 (5) 8.849 (5) Kentucky 8.963 (4) 9.047 (4) Texas 8.548 (7) 8.694 (6) Tennessee 8.442 (9) 8.578 (7) Arkansas 8.704 (6) 8.419 (8) South Carolina 8.402 (10) 8.335 (9) West Virginia 8.475 (8) 8.296 (10) Virginia 8.199 (11) Minnesota 8.150 (12) Georgia 7.946 (13) Idaho 7.800 (14) Connecticut 7.797 (15) - Winner
- First Runner-up
- Second Runner-up
- Third Runner-up
- Fourth Runner-up
- Top 10 Finalist
- Top 15 Semifinalist
- (#) Rank in each round of competition
Delegates
The Miss USA 2009 delegates were:
State Name Hometown Age1 Height Placement Awards Notes 
AlabamaRachel Philippona[3] Dothan 20 
AlaskaJessica Irene Nolin[4] Palmer 22 ArizonaAlicia-Monique Blanco[5] Phoenix 22 5'8" 2nd Runner-Up ArkansasChanley Painter Conway 24 5'9" Top 10 CaliforniaCarrie Prejean San Diego 21 5'10" 1st Runner-Up Dethroned as Miss California USA 2009 
ColoradoPatrice Williams Colorado Springs 22 5'7" ConnecticutMonica Mary Pietrzak Manchester 25 5'11" Top 15 
DelawareKate Banaszak Middletown 24 
District of ColumbiaNicole Annabelle White Washington, DC 20 5'8" Previously Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2004 
FloridaAnastagia Pierre Fort Lauderdale 20 5'9" Previously Miss Florida Teen USA 2004; Later Miss Bahamas Intercontinental 2010 and Miss Bahamas 2011 GeorgiaKimberly Gittings Lilburn 20 Top 15 
HawaiiAureana Tseu Mililani Town 25 5'7" Previously Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1999 IdahoMelissa Weber Boise 27 Top 15 
IllinoisAshley Bond Chicago 24 
IndianaCourtni Shabana Hall Crawfordsville 23 5'3" Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 2004 
IowaChelsea Lynn Gauger Ankeny 20 
KansasCourtney Courter Olathe 23 5'9" KentuckyMaria Elizabeth Montgomery Danville 19 5'10" 4th Runner-Up 
LouisianaLacey Minchew Baton Rouge 25 5'7" Previously Miss Teen America 2002 (represented Georgia). 
MaineAshley Underwood Benton 24 5'8" Survivor: Redemption Island contestant 
MarylandGabrielle Carlson Marion Station 24 
MassachusettsAlison Cronin Weymouth 21 Previously Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2005 
MichiganLindsey Tycholiz Sterling Heights 26 MinnesotaErica Nego Plymouth 24 Top 15 Later Miss Universe Ghana 2011 
MississippiJessica Lauren McRaney Terry 23 Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2004 
MissouriStacey Smith Florissant 23 5'9" 
MontanaMisti Vogt Kalispell 23 5'11" 
NebraskaMeagan Winings Atkinson 23 Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2004 
NevadaGeorgina Vaughan[6] Las Vegas 21 5'10" Previously Miss Nevada Teen USA 2006 
New HampshireChristy Dunn Laconia 26 
New JerseyKaity Rodriguez Clifton 24 
New MexicoBianca Matamoros-Koonce Albuquerque 23 
New YorkTracey Chang New York City 26 5'7" North CarolinaKristen Dalton Wilmington 22 5'7" Winner Mother was Miss North Carolina USA 1982; sister was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2008 & 2nd runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2008 
North DakotaKelsey Erickson Grand Forks 22 
OhioNatasha Vivoda Champion 21 
OklahomaLauren Lunday Altus 25 
OregonSylvie Tarpinian Eugene 24 
PennsylvaniaLindsey Nelsen Dallastown 21 5'7" 
Rhode IslandAlysha Castonguay Woonsocket 22 5'6" Previously Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 2002. Previously Miss Teen America 2003 and Miss Teen Galaxy 2005.
South CarolinaStephanie Murray Smith Goose Creek 21 5'7" Top 10 The Amazing Race 17 Contestant along with her then-fiance Chad Waltrip[7] 
South DakotaJessica Rowell Sioux Falls 22 5'7" TennesseeKristen Motil Franklin 24 5'9" Top 10 TexasBrooke Daniels Tomball 22 5'9" Top 10 UtahLaura Chukanov Salt Lake City 22 5'9" 3rd Runner-Up 
VermontBrooke Werner Granville 22 VirginiaMaegan Phillips Quantico 22 Top 15 
WashingtonTara Turnure Seattle 23 Her sister, Tracy Turnure, succeeded her as Miss Washington USA 2010. West VirginiaJessi Pierson Milton 21 5'7" Top 10 Miss Photogenic 
WisconsinAlexandra Wehrley Pewaukee 21 5'8" WyomingCynthia Pate Casper 22 Miss Congeniality Historical significance
- This is the first win from North Carolina since Chelsea Cooley won Miss USA 2005. This is the 2nd time North Carolina has won the title.
- California finished 1st Runner-Up for the 4th time since Shannon Marketic won Miss USA 1992.
- For only the 2nd time since 1980, Arizona bested 2nd Runner-Up. Jineane Ford assumed the Miss USA 1980 title as 1st Runner-Up after the winner, Shawn Weatherly, won Miss Universe 1980.
- Utah and Arkansas had its best finishes since 1982. Terri Utley of Arkansas won Miss USA 1982, while Utah finished 2nd Runner-Up.
- Kentucky had its best finish since Tara Conner won Miss USA 2006.
- Texas had its 4th consecutive placement in the Top 10.
- Since Rachel Smith won Miss USA 2007, Tennessee has placed in the Top 10 for the second time.
- The last four states to win Miss USA (2005–2008) -- Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina—all had their delegates place in the Top 10 in 2009.
- South Carolina and Idaho had its best finishes since 2004, West Virginia since 1984, Virginia since 2007, Georgia since 2006, and Connecticut since 2002.
- Minnesota has placed in the Top 15 for the 2nd consecutive time.
Judges
Preliminary judges
- Cara Petry
- Chip Lightman
- Lori Levine
- Nick Light
- Randall Winston
- Rich Thurber
- Seth Mayeri
Telecast judges
- Alicia Jacobs - Access Hollywood & KVBC News Ent.
- Brian Graden - MTV Networks Music Channel
- Claudia Jordan - Deal or No Deal Celeb. Apprentice, Miss Rhode Island USA 1997, host of Miss Universe 2009.
- Eric Trump - Trump Organization
- Holly Madison - American model, Television personality
- John Miller - NBC Universal
- Kelly Monaco - Dancing with the Stars winner
- Kenan Thompson - Saturday Night Live
- Perez Hilton - Celebrity gossip
- Robert Earl - CEO of Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
- Shandi Finnessey - Miss USA 2004
- Willie Geist - "Morning Joe" of MSNBC
Background music
- Contestants Introduction: "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry; "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings
- Swimsuit Competition: "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf
- Evening Gown Competition: "Untouched" by The Veronicas
Controversy over gay marriage question
Main article: Miss USA 2009 controversyDuring the 2009 Miss USA pageant, Miss California Carrie Prejean, was asked by openly gay pageant judge, Perez Hilton, whether she believed every state should legalize same-sex marriage. She responded that she did not. After the pageant Hilton made negative comments about the contestant and told ABC News: "She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that,"[8] leading some to believe that the answer directly had caused her to lose the competition.[9] Prejean stated that Miss California USA officials had pressured her to apologize for her statement and "not talk" about her Christian faith.[10][11][12]
Several politicians and commentators assailed Hilton and defended Prejean for honestly stating her personal beliefs.[13][14][15]
Following the pageant, Prejean hired a Christian public relations firm,[13] and appeared in a television advertisement by the National Organization for Marriage.[16] But on June 10, 2009 Prejean again stated that her question caused her to lose her title when she learned she was fired by Donald Trump. Miss California USA officials state that her answer had nothing to do with her termination, citing continued breach of her contract instead.
New Crown
In keeping with co-owner NBC Universal's "Green is Universal" environmental initiative, the Miss Universe Organization announced that Diamond Nexus Labs would become the official jewelry sponsor for the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. DNL 's man-made gemstones are "all synthesized in clean labs using environmentally friendly processes". Diamond Nexus Labs will create a custom-designed crown for Miss USA 2009, as well as for the Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA pageants later this year.[17]
Pageant crossovers
Nine former Miss Teen USA state titleholders competed at Miss USA 2009, the highest since 2007 and the second highest since 2003. For the first time five of the former teens competed at the same pageant, Miss Teen USA 2004. Aureana Tseu will become the first former Teen to represent her state at Miss USA ten years after competing at Miss Teen USA. This is also the first year that a Miss Teen USA 2006 contestant competed at Miss USA.
Nebraska crowned one of their former Teen USA state titleholders for the first time, and Florida crowned only their second. In Rhode Island, consecutive Teen titleholders (Amy Diaz and Alysha Castonguay) won consecutive Miss titles, the first time this has occurred in the history of the two pageants.
Unusually, there were no former Miss America competitors, but Lacey Minchew (Louisiana) won the title of Miss Teen America 2002. Minchew later crowned Alysha Castonguay (Rhode Island) Miss Teen America 2003. The Miss America and Miss Teen America pageants are not affiliated with each other.
The former teens competing at this Miss USA pageant are:
- Aureana Tseu (Hawaii) - Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1999
- Alysha Castonguay (Rhode Island) - Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 2002 (top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2002)
- Nicole White (District of Columbia) - Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2004
- Anastagia Pierre (Florida) - Miss Florida Teen USA 2004
- Courtni Hall (Indiana) - Miss Indiana Teen USA 2004
- Jessica McRaney (Mississippi) - Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2004
- Meagan Winings (Nebraska) - Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2004 (top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2004)
- Alison Cronin (Massachusetts) - Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2005
- Georgina Vaughan (Nevada) - Miss Nevada Teen USA 2006
Despite the high number of former Miss Teen USA competitors, this became the first time since 1994 that not a single former Miss Teen USA competitor managed to place.
In addition to the winner, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina competing at Miss Universe 2009, two other contestants went on to compete in Miss Universe, after winning national titles from other countries. They are:
- Anasgagia Pierre (Florida) - Later Miss Bahamas Universe 2011, will compete in Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Erica Nego (Minnesota) - Later Miss Ghana Universe 2011, will compete against Pierre at Miss Universe 2011.
References
- ^ "‘ACCESS HOLLYWOOD’ CO-HOST BILLY BUSH AND ‘MY NAME IS EARL’ STAR NADINE VELAZQUEZ TO HOST THE 2009 MISS USA PAGEANT LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS ON APRIL 19TH" (Press release). Miss Universe Organization. 2009-03-27.
- ^ Associated Press (2009-03-09). "Miss USA pageant plans more than 2 weeks in Vegas". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/09/entertainment/e114212D33.DTL. Retrieved 2009-03-09.[dead link]
- ^ Ussery, Peggy (2009-02-09). "Miss Alabama USA learned confidence in pageants". Dothan Eagle. http://www.dothaneagle.com/dea/lifestyles/local/article/miss_alabama_usa_learned_confidence_in_pageants/58283/. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ "Community". Alaska Daily News. http://www.adn.com/photos/life/hometown/v-gallery/story/110365.html?/1521/gallery/110366-a600792-t3.html.
- ^ Sparks, Colleen (2008-12-09). "Desert Vista produces 2 Miss Arizona winners". The Republic. http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2008/12/09/20081209ar-pageantgirls1210.html. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Leach, Robin (2009-03-04). "Photo Gallery: Miss Nevada USA is ready to play host and compete". Las Vegas Weekly. http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/luxe-life/2009/mar/04/photo-gallery-miss-nevada-usa-georgina-vaughan-rea/. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Derschowitz, Jessica (2010-09-02). ""The Amazing Race" Cast Announced". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20015414-10391698.html?tag=mncol;lst;2. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- ^ "Gay marriage row at Miss USA show". BBC News. 2009-04-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8009359.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ "Carrie Prejean Says Answer to Gay Marriage Question Cost Her Miss USA Crown". Fox News. 2009-04-20. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517215,00.html.
- ^ http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96294
- ^ http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhpbvmpd_3hd6kjpfp
- ^ "Carrie Prejean says she was asked to apologize for gay marriage comments, but refused". Daily News (New York). 2009-04-27. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/2009/04/27/2009-04-27_carrie_prejean_says_she_was_asked_to_apologize_for_gay_marriage_comments_but_ref.html.
- ^ a b U.S. News & World Report - "Miss California, Carrie Prejean, Signs With Top Christian Publicity Firm"
- ^ Newsom Defends Miss California. NBC News. Published April 23, 2009.
- ^ "Political Grapevine" segment of Special Report with Brit Hume, Fox News, August 15, 2006 (Miss California Continues to Grab Headlines)
- ^ National Organization for Marriage
- ^ Goetzl, David (2009-03-06). "Miss Universe Sparkles With Diamond Sponsor". Media News Daily. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99763. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
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