In case you’re interested in watching the Miss USA 2017 competition, you should know that no, despite our highest hopes, they have not reclaimed April 25, the “perfect date” according to Miss Rhode Island in “Miss Congeniality.”
This year’s Miss USA, not to be confused with Miss America, will air live on Fox Sunday, May 14 at 8 pm ET. The competition, which includes live performances from Pitbull and Brett Eldredge, will be held at the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The official sponsor is Yandy.com, a leading retailer of specialty apparel for women; all the contestants will show off Yandy suits during the swimsuit portion of the competition.
It’s going to be a star-studded event; the two performers aren’t the only ones gracing the stage. In addition to a performance of Michael Jackson ONE — a Cirque de Soleil® act celebrating the music and style of the famous singer, created in collaboration with the Estate of Michael Jackson — the hosting will be done by some big names: Julianne Hough and Terrence J return as hosts and producers of the broadcast, while model Ashley Graham takes over as backstage host.
The judging panel is comprised of Jeannie Mai, Brook Lee, Halima Aden (the first Miss USA competitor to take the stage in a hijab and burkini), Janet Mock, Carson Kressley and Nancy Lublin.
The biggest change we’re excited to see this year, though, is that you — yes, you — get to submit questions for the contestants to answer during the semi-final and final rounds. Miss USA 2017 has partnered with theSkimm, a daily newsletter that aims to change the way millennial women consume the news, to crowdsource questions that viewers want to see addressed by the representative of the 50 states and District of Columbia. Take couple minutes to think of your most burning and question and then submit through this form; watch on Sunday to see if your question made it to the interview portion of the competition. Tired of hearing stereotypically vague responses about world peace? Go ahead and write a sharp question about the firing of James Comey — you might not be the only one.
2017 Miss USA contestants
You can vote for your favorite contestant through Saturday, May 13 online at vote.missusa.com to help them advance to the finals. They’ll also have live voting at this same URL throughout the live broadcast on Sunday. Before throwing your hat in for your state’s representative blindly, though, check out their profiles on the Miss USA website where you’ll find profiles about each girl and articles with interviews and information about the causes they champion.
Alabama: Baylee Smith
Alaska: Alyssa London
Arizona: Tommy Lynn Calhoun
Arkansas: Arynn Johnson
California: India Williams
Colorado: Abrina Janssen
Connecticut: Olga Litvinenko
D.C.: Kára McCullough
Delaware: Mia Jones
Florida: Linette De Los Santos
Georgia: DeAnna Johnson
Hawaii: Julie Kuo
Idaho: Cassie Lewis
Illinois: Whitney Wandland
Indiana: Brittany Winchester
Iowa: Kelsey Weier
Kansas: Catherine Carmichael
Kentucky: Madelynn MYers
Louisiana: Bethany Trahan
Maine: Brooke Harris
Maryland: Adrianna David
Massachusetts: Julia Scaparotti
Michigan: Krista Ferguson
Minnesota: Meridith Gould
Mississippi: Ashley Hamby
Missouri: Bayleigh Dayton
Montana: Brooke Bezanson
Nebraska: Jasmine Fuelberth
Nevada: Lauren York
New Hampshire: Sarah Mousseau
New Jersey: Chhavi Verg
New Mexico: Ashley Mora
New York: Hannah Lopa
North Carolina: Katie Coble
North Dakota: Raquel Wellentin
Ohio: Dinaleigh Baxter
Oklahoma: Alex Smith
Oregon: Elizabeth Denny
Pennsylvania: Cassandra Angst
Rhode Island: Kelsey Swanson
South Carolina: Megan Gordon
South Dakota: Tessa Dee
Tennessee: Allee-Sutton Hethcoat
Texas: Nancy Gonzalez
Utah: Baylee Jensen
Vermont: Madison Cota
Virginia: Jacqueline Carroll
Washington: Alex Carlson-Helo
West Virginia: Lauren Roush
Wisconsin: Skylar Witte
Wyoming: Mikaela Shaw
Who won Miss USA last year?
The winner of Miss USA 2016, Deshauna Barber (who represented D.C.), stole the show in the finals by knocking people out with her answer to whether the Pentagon’s decision to open all combat roles to women could be seen as putting political correctness above the performance of the military. “We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit I am powerful, I am dedicated, and it is important to recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army," she told the judges. She was also the first women actively serving in the military to win the title of Miss USA.
Watch her full response to the question in the post below:
