# Miss USA 1989

Miss USA 1989 was the 38th Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Mobile Civic Center Theatre in Mobile, Alabama on February 28, 1989. At the conclusion of the final competition, Gretchen Polhemus of Texas was crowned by outgoing titleholder Courtney Gibbs. She was the fifth consecutive Miss Texas USA to win the pageant.
This was the first Miss USA pageant hosted by Dick Clark (The Miss Universe Pageant was hosted by John Forsythe that year), with color commentary by Angie Dickinson. This pageant was held in Alabama for the first and so far only time.

## Results
### Placements

| Final Results | Contestant |
| Miss USA 1989 | Texas – Gretchen Polhemus |
| 1st Runner-Up | Oklahoma – Jill Scheffert |
| 2nd Runner-Up | New Jersey – Debra Lee Husti |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Louisiana – Elizabeth Primm |
| 4th Runner-Up | Georgia – Michelle Nemeth |
| Top 10 | California – Christina Faust Colorado – Debbie James Pennsylvania – Denise Epps Arizona – LeeAnne Locken Illinois – Kelly Holub |

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Virginia – Kimberly Nicewonder |
| Miss Photogenic | Louisiana – Elizabeth Primm |
| Best State Costume | Illinois – Kelly Holub |

### Preliminary Swimsuit

| state | score | state | score | state | score | score | state | state | score | state | score |
| Oklahoma | 8.887 | Maine | 8.205 | New York | 7.912 | Connecticut | 7.773 | Washington | 7.587 | Rhode Island | 6.840 |
| Texas | 8.872 | Maryland | 8.204 | Arkansas | 7.885 | Michigan | 7.723 | District of Columbia | 7.573 | | |
| Louisiana | 8.715 | Iowa | 8.185 | Alabama | 7.883 | Missouri | 7.716 | Tennessee | 7.516 | | |
| Pennsylvania | 8.704 | Kentucky | 8.184 | South Dakota | 7.881 | Idaho | 7.694 | North Dakota | 7.504 | | |
| Arizona | 8.696 | Colorado | 8.115 | Massachusetts | 7.877 | West Virginia | 7.681 | Hawaii | 7.486 | | |
| Illinois | 8.491 | Wyoming | 8.040 | Montana | 7.874 | South Carolina | 7.675 | Delaware | 7.340 | | |
| California | 8.428 | Nebraska | 8.023 | Wisconsin | 7.844 | Minnesota | 7.674 | Nevada | 7.177 | | |
| Virginia | 8.384 | Mississippi | 7.967 | Florida | 7.821 | Ohio | 7.647 | New Mexico | 7.152 | | |
| North Carolina | 8.324 | New Jersey | 7.924 | Alaska | 7.803 | Vermont | 7.612 | Utah | 7.050 | | |
| Georgia | 8.223 | New Hampshire | 7.915 | Kansas | 7.781 | Oregon | 7.592 | Indiana | 6.961 | | |

## Judges

The following celebrities were invited to judge the competition:
* Jude Deveraux – Author
* Bonnie Kay – Modeling manager
* Dick Rutan – Pilot of the Voyager aircraft
* Jeana Yeager – Pilot of the Voyager aircraft
* Stella Stevens – Actress
* Roscoe Tanner – Tennis player
* Linda Shelton – Aerobics instructor
* Lillian Glass – Author
* Richard Anderson – Actor
* Cecilia Bolocco – Miss Universe 1987 from Chile
* Jennifer Chandler – Olympic diver

## Delegates

The Miss USA 1989 delegates were:
* Alabama - Sherri Mooney
* Alaska - Tina Geraci
* Arizona - LeeAnne Locken
* Arkansas - Paige Yandell
* California - Christina Faust
* Colorado - Debbie James
* Connecticut - Lisa Vendetti
* Delaware - Terri Spruill
* District of Columbia - Somaly Sieng
* Florida - Jennifer Parker
* Georgia - Michelle Nemeth
* Hawaii - Julie Larson
* Idaho - Kelli Bean
* Illinois - Kelly Holub
* Indiana - Gwen Rochelle Volpe
* Iowa - Marcy Requist
* Kansas - Nancy Burris
* Kentucky - Veronica Hensley
* Louisiana - Elizabeth Primm
* Maine - Kirsten Blakemore
* Maryland - Jackie Carroll
* Massachusetts - Kimberley Wallace
* Michigan - Karyn Finucan
* Minnesota - Julie Knutson
* Mississippi - Laura Durrett
* Missouri - Rhonda Hoglan
* Montana - Tammy Reiter
* Nebraska - Rene Harter
* Nevada - Janu Tornell
* New Hampshire - Fayleen Chwalek
* New Jersey - Deborah Lee Husti
* New Mexico - Traci Brubaker
* New York - Jennifer Fisher
* North Carolina - Jacqueline Padgett
* North Dakota - Cara Christofferson
* Ohio - Lisa Thompson
* Oklahoma - Jill Rene Scheffert
* Oregon - Jennifer Blaska
* Pennsylvania - Denise Epps
* Rhode Island - Debra Damiano
* South Carolina - Angela Shuler
* South Dakota - Nanette Endres
* Tennessee - Kimberly Payne
* Texas - Gretchen Polhemus
* Utah - Zanetta van Zyverden
* Vermont - Stacey Palmer
* Virginia - Kimberly Nicewonder
* Washington - Chiann Fan Gibson
* West Virginia - Kathy Eicher
* Wisconsin - Sherri Leigh Baxter
* Wyoming - Chandra Anderson