A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, and charitable involvement, through private interviews with judges and answers to public on-stage questions. The term beauty pageant refers originally to the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand-based Miss Universe Organization. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, Miss Universe is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, when the organization announced it was licensing operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, Miss USA for 2008 prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization.
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on JKN18 and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Miss Teen USA website and simulcast on mobile devices and video game consoles. The Miss Universe Organization previously operated Miss Teen USA, as well as Miss USA, until 2020 when the rights to produce both pageants were licensed to Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization. The parent company of all three pageants and the Miss Universe organization remains the same under the licensing agreement: JKN Metaverse Inc., a subsidiary of JKN Global Group.
Shanna Lynn Moakler is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. After winner Chelsi Smith won the Miss Universe 1995 pageant, Moakler succeeded her as Miss USA. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in December 2001.
Shandi Ren Finnessey is an American actress, model, TV host and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America, where she won a preliminary award. She placed as first runner-up at the Miss Universe 2004 competition.
The Miss Universe Canada or "The Beauties of Canada" is a national beauty pageant in Canada, which sends its winners to the Miss Universe pageant.
Tara Elizabeth Conner is an American model, television personality, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Destinations in 2004, posing in Lake Tahoe. She has also held the titles Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky County Fair 2004, and Miss Kentucky USA 2006.
The Miss Ohio USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Ohio in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. It has previously been known as Miss Ohio Universe. It is produced by Proctor Productions.
Shelley Catherine Hennig is an American actress and model. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Teen Choice Award and two Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
Miss Universe 2005 was the 54th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Impact Arena in Nonthaburi Province, Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand on 31 May 2005.
Crystle Danae Stewart is an American actress, tv host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. Stewart's acting career began in 2011, when she played real estate agent Leslie Morris on the OWN/TBS comedy-drama television series For Better or Worse until 2017. In 2018 she appeared in Acrimony. From 2020 until 2023, Stewart was the national director of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. She was suspended from the position following allegations of favoritism, results rigging at Miss USA 2022 and sexual harassment at Miss USA 2021, and officially stepped down in August 2023.
The Miss Universe Zambia is a beauty pageant to select Zambian women to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. Alice Rowland's Musukwa is the national director for Miss Universe Zambia
Alyssa Marie Campanella is an American model, blogger and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2011. Having previously been crowned Miss California USA 2011, Campanella was the sixth woman representing California to win the Miss USA title. As Miss USA, Campanella represented the United States at Miss Universe 2011, where she placed in the top sixteen. A native of New Jersey, Campanella was also crowned Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2007 and placed as the first runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2007.
Keity Drennan Britton is a Panamanian model and beauty pageant titleholder who the winner of the Miss International Panamá 2011 and Miss Panamá 2016 title. She also participated in Miss Panamá 2011 where she won the title of Virreina Panamá and represented Panama at Miss Universe 2016 pageant where she placed in the Top 13.
Frida Maria Fornander is a Swedish model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned Miss Earth Sweden 2014, and competed in Miss Earth 2014. Later, she also won Miss Universe Sweden 2017 and competed in Miss Universe 2017.
Miss USA 2016 was the 65th Miss USA pageant, held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 5, 2016. Terrence J and Julianne Hough all hosted for the first time, while Ashley Graham served as the backstage host. All fifty states and the District of Columbia competed. Olivia Jordan of Oklahoma crowned her successor, Deshauna Barber of the District of Columbia, at the end of the event. Barber became the first African American to win the Miss USA title since Crystle Stewart in 2008, and this was District of Columbia's third title and the first title since 2002. Barber represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2016 pageant, where she placed in the Top 9.
Miss USA 2017 was the 66th Miss USA pageant. It was held on May 14, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Terrence J and Julianne Hough served as hosts, while Ashley Graham also returned as backstage host, all for a second consecutive year. Brett Eldredge, Pitbull, and the cast of Michael Jackson: One by Cirque du Soleil performed.
Monalysa Maria Alcântara Nascimento is a Brazilian model and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss Brasil 2017, becoming the first representative from Piauí and the third woman of Afro-Brazilian origin to win the crown. She represented Brazil at Miss Universe 2017, where she placed in the top ten. Since 2023, she has been the State Director for the Miss Piauí state pageant.
