By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief
The Miss USA pageant wrapped up on Sunday in Baton Rouge after crowing Nia Sanchez, Miss Nevada, as the 63rd winner. She will go on to represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant later this year.
Runner-ups were Miss Louisiana Brittany Guidry; Miss Georgia Tiana Griggs; Miss Florida Brittany Oldehoff; Miss Iowa Carlyn Bradarich; and first runner-up Miss North Dakota Audra Mari.
During the question and answer session, in which all six finalists participated, Sanchez chose to focus on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. As a fourth degree Black Belt, she supported self-defense for women at risk.
Donald Trump and the rest of the Miss USA management team chose to take the pageant to the Baton Rouge River Center this year, taking the beauty contest from its usual home in Las Vegas.
Judges included Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Lance Bass of NSYNC and Allie LaForce, CBS sports reporter and Miss Teen USA 2005.
Competing for viewers against the Tony Awards, both the Tony’s and Miss USA fell to the second game of the NBA Finals. The Spurs and Heat match up drew 15.9 million viewers, while the beauty pageant only claimed 5.1 million and the Tony Awards pulled 7.7 million.
Photo Courtesy MissUniverse.
