Pageant News Bureau - Miss USA 2008

Howdy, Miss USA!

Crystle Stewart of Texas was crowned Miss USA 2008 on April 11, 2008, in Las Vegas. She is the eighth winner from the Lone Star State, which at one time had five Miss USAs in a row.

The first runner-up was Leah Laviano of Mississippi, and Tiffany Andrade of New Jersey was the second runner-up. Lindsey Jo Harrington of Oklahoma was the third runner-up, and LauRen Merola of Pennsylvania was the fourth runner-up.

Others among the 10 finalists were Jessica Rafalowski of Florida, Hailey Laine Brown of Tennessee, Brittany Mason of Indiana, Candice Crawford of Missouri and Jackie Bruno of Massachusetts. Others among the 15 semifinalists were Kaylee Unverzagt of Minnesota, Jamie Hill of South Carolina, Amy Diaz of Rhode Island, Raquel Beezley of California and Julia Bachison of Utah.

The Photogenic winner was Courtney Erin Carroll of Alaska, and the Congeniality winner was Monica Day of Ohio.

The pageant itself was a back-to-basics show. In some ways it was deliberately reminiscent of Miss America, using the most recent Miss America venue and having
as co-hosts Donny and Marie Osmond, who once hosted Miss America. But the emphasis on beauty that has kept Miss USA popular while Miss America has slipped was very much in evidence, and there was a welcome absence of extraneous musical entertainment.

The top five

There was no repetition of the "partying scandals" that preceded the 2007 Miss USA contest, but one outside event was clearly timed to target the 2008 competition.

The day before the contest, Christina Silva, who had originally been crowned Miss California USA but lost her crown after scores were recomputed, sued the state pageant over claims of racism and rigging. Ms. Silva, who is Hispanic, claimed she was disqualified for that reason. But the pageant pointed to its recent record of ethnically diverse winners, and noted that California winner Raquel Beezley is of mixed heritage.

Donny and Marie indicated they would be the hosts of the Miss Universe Pageant on July 13 in Vietnam. For Donny Osmond, it will be a homecoming of sorts. He provided entertainment at the Miss Universe Pageant in Seoul, South Korea, in 1980, exactly midway between the founding of Miss Universe in 1952 and this year's 56th anniversary broadcast.

Miss USA 2008

Las Vegas, Nev., April 11