The 70th edition of Miss USA was held today, on 29th November 2021 at the Paradise Cove Theater of River Spirit Casino Resort, a five-star destination resort which towers 27 glass floors into the Tuscan sky, boasting over 100,000 sq ft of luxury in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At the end of the event, Elle Smith of Kentucky was crowned as Miss USA 2021 as she bested 50 candidates from all over the country to win the prestigious title. She was also one of our favourites for the title. She succeeded Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch of Mississippi for the title.
The finale was live streamed on ‘fyi’ and ‘hulu’ live Tv at 7 pm Central. The event was a grand success but the American population was a tad bit disappointed in the fact that viewership could have been made more accessible by streaming it on a more public platform like YouTube. A number of fans took to the organization’s social media and requested a YouTube live.
The show kick started with a power packed dance performance by the Miss USA contestants, as they were introduced one by one. After which the announcement of top 16 contestants took place who then set the stage on fire in their swimwear as Ja Rule, rapper and singer, performed and hyped the tension with his music.
The pre-pageant activities kick started weeks ago where delegates participated in preliminary contests that led to the finale. The competition followed the Top 16 – Top 8 – Top - 4 format this year. Out of delegates from 50 states and the District of Columbia, the top 16 finalists were chosen by the judges, and then the top-8, finally revealing the winner and her court at the end.
The panel of judges included Ty Hunter, a creative director, designer and a well known personal stylist, Haley Baylee Kalil, an American model who has gone on to feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and was crowned Miss Minnesota USA 2014, Chloe Flower, a renowned pianist and composer and a celebrated performer. Oliver Trevena, an accomplished actor and philanthropist, Sophie Elgort, a photographer, director and artist who has been featured on some of the most influential covers like Vogue, The New York Times, Natalia Barulich, a Croatian model who has appeared on Elle and GQ, also graced the panel.
Also present at the finale was Pascal Mouawad, a celebrity jeweler, co-guardian and CEO of Mouawad Retail Group. The event was hosted by Zuri Hall, an American entertainment reporter, television personality, actress and producer and Patrick Ta, one of Hollywood’s top makeup artists while Nicole Adamo, a sports marketing agent and serial entrepreneur served as the lounge host.
The last leg of the competition was the much-awaited question and answer round, which took place amongst the candidates of Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina and North Dakota, i.e., the Top 8. Miss Texas USA 2021 Victoria Hinojosa and the now reigning queen Elle Smith, gave succinct and beautiful answers and impressed the judges with their understanding and empathy.
The 2021 edition marked the first year of the competition under Crystle Stewart's directorship as it was announced on Good Morning America that Miss USA and Miss Teen USA would split from the Miss Universe Organization into a new organization on 31st December 2020. We wish our heartiest congratulations to all the winners and event managers for holding such a blockbuster event in the face of a pandemic.