Miss USA 2025

Miss USA 2025
Date	October 24, 2025
Presenters	Olivia Jordan Emmanuel Acho [1]
Venue	Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nevada [2]
Broadcaster	Queen Beauty Network [3]
Entrants	51
Placements	20
Winner	Audrey Eckert Nebraska
Congeniality	Tetra Shockley Delaware
Best State Costume	Shae Smith Missouri
Photogenic	Shelby Howell Maine
←  2024

Miss USA 2025 was the 74th edition of the Miss USA pageant, held at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, on October 24, 2025. This marked the first edition under the direction of Thomas Brodeur, who acquired the franchise. ^{[4] [5]}

At the conclusion of the event, Miss Universe 2024, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, crowned Audrey Eckert of Nebraska as Miss USA 2025. This was Nebraska's second Miss USA title and the first since 2018. She will represent the United States at Miss Universe 2025, which will take place on November 21, 2025, in Thailand. ^[6] The outgoing titleholder, Alma Cooper from Michigan, did not attend the event for personal reasons, marking the first time since 1953 where the outgoing titleholder did not crown her successor. ^[7]

Contestants from fifty states and the District of Columbia competed in this edition. The competition was presented by Miss USA 2015, Olivia Jordan and Emmanuel Acho. For the first time since the pageant became independent from Miss Universe in 1965, the event was not televised on any major American television network. Instead, it was broadcast exclusively on the streaming provider Queen Beauty Network. ^[a]

Background

Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, the host venue of Miss USA 2025

Location

On September 15, 2025, it was announced that the competition would be taking place at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. This would be the fourth time that the pageant was held in Reno following Miss USA 2019, 2022 and 2023, and the third time in four years holding the pageant in the city, resumed its three-year deal had originally secured in 2022 under the ownership of then-national director and Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart. ^[2]

Selection of contestants

As in the previous year, women over 28 were permitted to participate in the pageant.

The selection of delegates for the state pageants began in January 2025 and concluded in September 2025. The first state pageant took place in Connecticut on January 26, 2025, while the last state pageants were held in Alabama and Louisiana. These events, initially scheduled for September 21, 2025, were moved a day earlier to avoid coinciding with the open call deadline for the eight unrepresented states.

Appointed delegates

Several states in the Miss USA 2025 competition could not hold traditional state pageants and instead appointed titleholders via an open casting call conducted by the national organization. These appointees had not won state competitions but were selected to ensure full national representation following leadership and licensing changes within the Miss USA Organization. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}

State	Delegate	Notes
Colorado	Sydney Hella	Appointed, previously 2nd runner-up at Miss Colorado USA 2023 [11]
Idaho	Jenny Ting Crawford	Appointed via open casting call; state pageant was not held or scheduled. Previously 1st runner-up at Miss California USA 2025 [11]
Montana	Juliana Wilson	Appointed, previously 1st runner-up at Miss Montana USA 2024 [11]
New Hampshire	Mona Lesa Brackett	Appointed September 30, 2025 via open casting call. Previously 2nd runner-up at Miss New York USA 2025, originally from New York City [11]
Oregon	Chantéa McIntyre	Appointed via open casting call; state pageant was not held or scheduled. Previously 1st runner-up at Miss California USA 2024 [11]
Vermont	Victoria Chuah	Appointed via open call after the state license became inactive [11]
Washington	Carisa Erickson	Appointed, previously 1st-runner up at Miss Washington USA 2024 [11]
Wyoming	Eilish Young	Appointed via open casting call; state left from previous directorship in May 2025. Previously 2nd runner-up at Miss West Virginia USA 2025 [11]

Results

Miss USA 2025 results map, colors shaded in each state

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss USA 2025	Nebraska – Audrey Eckert
1st Runner-Up	New Jersey – Ivy Harrington
2nd Runner-Up	Oregon – Chantéa McIntyre
3rd Runner-Up	Texas – Taylor Lauren Davis
4th Runner-Up	Nevada – Mary Sickler
Top 10	Alabama – Kennedy Whisenant Florida – Lou Schieffelin Georgia – Savannah Miles Oklahoma – Zoe Ferraro Vermont – Victoria Chuah
Top 20	Arkansas – Olivia Halsey § Idaho – Jenny Ting Crawford § Louisiana – Francie Millan Maine – Shelby Howell Missouri – Shae Smith New Hampshire – Mona Lesa Brackett Rhode Island – Brianna Vega § South Carolina – Gallienne Nabila § Tennessee – Madison Kunst Wisconsin – Aneisha Cox

§ – Voted into the Top 20 by viewers.

Special Awards

Award	Contestant
Miss Photogenic	Maine – Shelby Howell
Chelsi Smith Congeniality Award	Delaware – Tetra Shockley
Best in State Costume	Missouri – Shae Smith
Preliminary Best in Swimsuit	Nebraska – Audrey Eckert

Pageant

Format

The process for determining the semi-finalists in this edition was similar to the previous one. The preliminary competition consisted of three segments: the swimsuit competition, the evening gown competition, and a closed-door interview. These identified the first 16 semi-finalists who advanced after the initial cut.

For the first time, internet voting also played a role, allowing fans to vote for their favorite contestants. The four delegates with the most votes automatically advanced to the semifinals.

Next, the remaining 20 semi-finalists participated in the swimsuit competition, from which 10 were selected to move forward. These 10 then competed in the evening gown competition, narrowing it down to five finalists. Finally, the five finalists faced the final question round, after which the winner of Miss USA 2025 and her runners-up were announced.

Judges

• Nia Sanchez — Miss USA 2014 from Nevada, 1st Runner-Up Miss Universe 2014, pageant coach, self-defense instructor, and The Valley cast member ^[1]
• Sasha Farber — Professional dancer and four-time finalist on Dancing with the Stars ^[1]
• Jade Roper Tolbert — TV personality from The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise , content creator, and lifestyle entrepreneur ^[1]
• Hannah Edwards — Model scout for top agencies including Elite, Next, and Wilhelmina ^[1]
• Kenneth Barlis — Fashion designer and founder of the luxury brand Kenneth Barlis ^[1]

Contestants

Fifty-one contestants competed for the title.

State/District	Contestant	Age [b]	Hometown	Notes
Alabama	Kennedy Whisenant [12]	24	Birmingham
Alaska	Kelsey Craft	34	Anchorage	Previously Miss International U.S. 2017 [13]
Arizona	Elexes Richardson	30	Scottsdale
Arkansas	Olivia Halsey [14]	25	Jonesboro
California	Kylie Chang	21	Cupertino
Colorado	Sydney Hella [15]	26	Denver	Previously Miss Earth USA Air 2024 Crowned Miss Earth USA Air 2025 3rd runner-up at Miss Minnesota USA 2025
Connecticut	Jenna Hofmann [16]	24	Fairfield
Delaware	Tetra Shockley [17]	44	Camden	The oldest person to compete at Miss USA
District of Columbia	Allison LaForce	26	Washington, D.C.	Previously Miss Maryland’s Outstanding Teen 2016
Florida	Lou Schieffelin [18]	25	Winter Park	Previously Miss Florida Teen USA 2018 Top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2018 [19]
Georgia	Savannah Miles [20]	24	Atlanta	Previously Miss Georgia Teen USA 2018 Top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2018
Hawaii	Issha Rose Mata [21]	30	Hilo
Idaho	Jenny Ting Crawford	37	Huntington Beach, CA	1st runner-up at Miss California USA 2025 Default appointee. (Non-Idaho resident)
Illinois	Nikolina Vujcic	23	Des Plaines
Indiana	Sydney Shrewsbury	24	Indianapolis
Iowa	Hayley Buettell	27	Mediapolis
Kansas	Asia Cymone Smith [22]	26	Wichita
Kentucky	Mattie Barker [23]	22	Bowling Green	Previously Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2020
Louisiana	Francie Millan	23	New Orleans
Maine	Shelby Howell [24]	25	Bangor
Maryland	Lexia Gillette	29	Chevy Chase	Miss Earth Massachusetts USA 2021
Massachusetts	Perianne Caron [25]	26	Boston
Michigan	Michele Lewandoski [26]	23	Norton Shores
Minnesota	Megan Rivera	25	Prior Lake
Mississippi	McKenzie Cole [27]	19	Vicksburg	Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2022
Missouri	Shae Smith [28]	22	Bolivar	Previously Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen 2019 4th runner-up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2020 Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 2022
Montana	Juliana Wilson	36	Nashville, TN	1st runner-up at Miss Montana USA 2024
Nebraska	Audrey Eckert	23	Lincoln	Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2020 3rd runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2020
Nevada	Mary Sickler [29]	23	Las Vegas	First woman to compete in Miss USA with alopecia
New Hampshire	Mona Lesa Brackett	36	New York City, NY	First woman to compete at Miss USA to wear a hijab 2nd runner-up at Miss New York USA 2025
New Jersey	Ivy Harrington [30]	30	Neptune
New Mexico	Dominique Ehrl Lugo [c]	31	Santa Fe
New York	Christiana DiNardo	27	Rochester
North Carolina	Lourdes Madera [31] [d]	39	Raleigh [e]
North Dakota	Olivia Redding[ citation needed ]	21	Burlington	Youngest sister of Miss North Dakota USA 2019 Samantha Redding
Ohio	Hannah Klein	33	Cincinnati
Oklahoma	Zoe Ferraro [32]	25	Bixby	Previously Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2018
Oregon	Chantéa McIntyre	43	San Joaquin, CA	Top 16 semifinalist at Miss California USA 2025
Pennsylvania	Rica Clements	29	York
Rhode Island	Brianna Vega [33]	29	Providence
South Carolina	Gallienne Nabila	28	Greer [f]
South Dakota	Megan Hiykel[ citation needed ]	20	Brookings
Tennessee	Madison Kunst [20]	27	Nashville
Texas	Taylor Lauren Davis [34]	26	Dallas
Utah	Elle Hinojosa	24	Salt Lake City
Vermont	Victoria Chuah [35]	25	Ashburn, VA	Previously Miss Virginia 2022 4th runner-up at Miss Virginia USA 2025 Semifinalist at Miss New York USA 2025
Virginia	Erin Houston [36]	27	Tysons
Washington	Carisa Erickson	38	Seattle	Competed at Miss Arizona USA 2025
West Virginia	Erin Wellman [37]	24	Princeton
Wisconsin	Aneisha Cox	23	Green Bay
Wyoming	Eilish Young	29	Spring, TX	Top 19 at Miss Texas USA 2025 2nd runner-up at Miss West Virginia USA 2025

Notes

1. The exceptions were 2015, which was broadcast on cable channel Reelz after NBC withdrew from the broadcast due to uncertainties over then-owner Donald Trump following his candidacy as President of the United States, and 2020 to 2022, which were broadcast on cable channel fyi.
2. Ages at the time of the pageant
3. Listed as Dominique Ehrl (under her maiden name)
4. Listed as Lulu Madera
5. Permanent residency is at Fort Lee, New Jersey and her second home in Miami, Florida
6. Permanent residencies are at New York, New York and Los Angeles, California

References

1. Vulpo, Mike (20 October 2025). "Meet the Hosts and Judges for Miss Teen and Miss USA 2025: Nia Sanchez, Sasha Farber and More (Exclusive)". US Weekly . Retrieved 21 October 2025.
2. Parent, Tabitha (September 16, 2025). "Miss USA 2025 Announces Pageant's Return After Leadership Shakeup". People . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
3. Thom Brodeur [@officialthombrodeur]; (October 6, 2025). "The pageant event of the year is HERE! ✨" . Retrieved October 6, 2025– via Instagram.
4. Konstantinides, Anneta (5 September 2025). "Longtime pageant coach says he's taking over Miss USA after CEO Laylah Rose's controversial two-year ownership". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
5. Lyttle, Zoey (September 16, 2025). "New Miss USA CEO Teases 2 Big Changes He Is Making to Pageant Following Years of Controversy (Exclusive)". People . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
6. Santos, Troi (2025-02-09). "Miss Universe 2025 happening in Thailand, organization announces NYC Headquarters | Troi Santos". BusinessMirror. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
7. Lyttle, Zoey (24 October 2025). "Current Miss USA Alma Cooper Announces She Is Skipping Pageant, Hours Before She Was Expected to Crown New Winner (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
8. Thom Brodeur [@officialthombrodeur]; (September 17, 2025). "Big News, Future Queens! ✨" . Retrieved September 21, 2025– via Instagram.
9. Parent, Tabitha (September 16, 2025). "Miss USA 2025 Announces Pageant's Return After Leadership Shakeup". People. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
10. Thom Brodeur [@officialthombrodeur]; (September 29, 2025). "Announcing Our 16 Titleholders! ✨" . Retrieved September 30, 2025– via Instagram.
11. Miss USA 2025 – State Titleholder Profiles. Pageant Update. Retrieved October 2025.
12. Karle, Rick (19 October 2025). "24 years ago, a single mother adopted an abandoned baby. Now look how far they've come". AL.com. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
13. "Miss Florida International, Kelsey Craft, Crowned Miss International 2017". PR Newswire. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
14. Hancock, Bobbie (May 15, 2025). "Law Graduate and Miss Arkansas USA: Olivia Halsey's Dual Triumph". University of Arkansas Little Rock . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
15. "Fever coach: Caitlin Clark 'like Taylor Swift 2.0'". AOL. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
16. Diaz, Jareliz (31 January 2025). "Meet the newly crowned 2025 Miss Connecticut USA and Miss Connecticut Teen USA". WTNH8. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
17. Finney, Mike (June 30, 2025). "New Miss Delaware USA breaking barriers". Bay to Bay News. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
18. Wagner, Pamela (June 12, 2025). "Miss Florida USA 2025 is a UF Gator; five other things to know about Palm Beach resident". Palm Beach Daily News . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
19. Kennell, Tiana (18 May 2018). "And the 2018 Miss Teen USA is . . . Miss Teen Kansas". Shreveport Times. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
20. "Crowned in Clarksville: Miss Tennessee USA, Miss Tennessee Teen USA win top spot". The Leaf-Chronicle . July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
21. Berger, John (2025-03-23). "Issha Rose Mata crowned Miss Hawaii USA 2025". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
22. "KSN's Asia Cymone Smith is the new Miss Kansas USA".
23. Faerber, Noah (August 1, 2025). "Miss Kentucky USA 2025 has local ties to South Central Kentucky". WNKY . Retrieved August 4, 2025.
24. Small, Pearl (May 11, 2025). "Shelby Ann Howell of Bangor crowned Miss Maine USA". WCSH . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
25. Rothman, Aimee (July 3, 2025). "Newly Crowned Miss Massachusetts USA, With Connection To Mashpee, Preps For Miss USA". The Cape News. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
26. Buursma, Madalyn (August 12, 2025). "Meet the new Miss Michigan USA, a grad student from Norton Shores". WOOD-TV . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
27. Frazier, Terri Cowart (2025-04-06). "OUTLOOK: Vicksburg's McKenzie Cole crowned youngest Miss Mississippi USA". The Vicksburg Post. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
28. Gauthier, Ryan (June 20, 2025). "Miss Missouri USA Shae Smith turns personal struggles into a platform for change at Mizzou College of Health Sciences". University of Missouri . Retrieved August 4, 2025.
29. "Miss Nevada USA and Miss Teen Nevada USA crowned tonight". KTVN . 27 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
30. "Meet Miss New Jersey USA 2025: How pageants became her light in the darkness". NJ.com. April 10, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
31. Boschult, Christian (September 10, 2025). "Pageant drama over winner inches toward legal battle in Miss USA qualifier hosted in Spartanburg". The Post and Courier . Retrieved October 18, 2025.
32. Ryan, Jordan (April 13, 2025). "The new Miss Oklahoma USA shares how she is using pageantry to inspire". KOCO-TV . Retrieved August 4, 2025.
33. McClelland, Audrey (July 7, 2025). "Introducing the NEW Miss Rhode Island USA and Miss Rhode Island Teen USA". WPRI-TV . Retrieved August 4, 2025.
34. Melton, Sharon (May 5, 2025). "FIRST ON CW39: Meet Miss Texas USA 2025 Taylor Davis and Miss Texas Teen USA 2025 Laika Patel". KIAH . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
35. Leayman, Emily (October 8, 2025). "Ashburn Native Wins Miss Vermont USA, Advances To National Competition". Ashburn Patch. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
36. Kettner, Michele (May 21, 2015). "Get to Know Erin Houston, Miss Virginia USA 2025". Northern Virginia Magazine . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
37. Pan, Jefferson (July 27, 2025). "Miss West Virginia USA and Miss West Virginia Teen USA crowned". WBOY-TV . Retrieved July 28, 2025.

External links

• Official website