# Miss USA 2008

Miss USA 2008 was the 57th Miss USA pageant, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart of Texas was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder Rachel Smith of Tennessee. Crystle represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2008 pageant, which was held in Vietnam, where she placed in the Top 10. This was also the first time in the pageant's 56-year history that two consecutive women of African Americans have been crowned.
The pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts, a 7,000-seat theater located in the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The theater was also the location of Miss Universe 1991 and 1996 pageants. This is the first time that the Miss USA pageant was held in Nevada.
For the first time, the competition was broadcast in High Definition.
Brother/sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond hosted the live telecast for the first time, and Finger Eleven performed their single "Paralyzer". Rihanna's song Umbrella was used during the evening gown competition.
During the final show on April 11, the fifteen delegates with the highest average scores from the preliminary competition were announced. The top fifteen competed in the swimsuit competition. The top ten delegates from swimsuit competed in evening gown. The top five delegates from the evening gown competition (not averaged composite scores from both competitions) competed in the final question round to determine the winner. The judges' composite score was shown after each round of competition for only the second time since 2002.

## Delegates

| State | Contestant | Hometown | Age | Height | Placement | Award | Notes |
| Alabama | Keisha Walding | Dothan | 24 | 5'10" | | | |
| Alaska | Courtney Erin Carroll | Fairbanks | 25 | 5'7" | | Miss Photogenic | |
| Arizona | Kimberly Joiner | Gilbert | 22 | 5'8" | | | |
| Arkansas | Rachel Howells | Alma | 21 | 5'10" | | | |
| California | Raquel Beezley | Barstow | 21 | 5'8" | Top 15 | | |
| Colorado | Beckie Hughes | Grand Junction | 21 | 5'9" | | | |
| Connecticut | Jacqueline Honulik | Fairfield | 21 | 5'8" | | | |
| Delaware | Vincenza Carrieri-Russo | Newark | 23 | 5'7" | | | |
| District of Columbia | Chelsey Sophia Rodgers | Washington, D.C. | 24 | 5'8" | | | |
| Florida | Jessica Rafalowski | DeLand | 22 | 5'10" | Top 10 | | |
| Georgia | Amanda Kozak | Warner Robins | 23 | 5'10" | | | Previously Miss Georgia 2006 |
| Hawaii | Jonelle Layfield | Kaneʻohe | 23 | 5'10" | | | Sister of Ashley Layfield, Miss Hawaii 2007 |
| Idaho | Tracey Brown | Post Falls | 21 | 5'9" | | | Previously Miss Idaho 2005 |
| Illinois | Shanon Lersch | Chicago | 25 | 5'10" | | | |
| Indiana | Brittany Mason | Anderson | 21 | 5'10" | Top 10 | | |
| Iowa | Abbey Curran | Davenport | 20 | 5'5" | | | First person with disability to compete at Miss USA |
| Kansas | Michelle Gillespie | Mission Hills | 22 | 5'11" | | | Great-great niece of Margaret Gorman, Miss America 1921 |
| Kentucky | Alysha Harris | Lexington | 20 | 5'4" | | | |
| Louisiana | Michelle Berthelot | Hammond | 24 | 5'6" | | | |
| Maine | Kaetlin Parent | Van Buren | 20 | 5'8" | | | Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 2005 |
| Maryland | Casandra Tressler | Damascus | 22 | 5'9" | | | Later Miss United States International 2010 |
| Massachusetts | Jacqueline Bruno | Assonet | 23 | 5'10" | Top 10 | | Previously Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2003 |
| Michigan | Elisabeth Crawford | Canton | 25 | 5'8" | | | |
| Minnesota | Kaylee Unverzagt | Eagan | 20 | 5'10" | Top 15 | | |
| Mississippi | Leah Laviano | Ellisville | 20 | 5'4" | 1st runner-up | | |
| Missouri | Candice Crawford | Columbia | 21 | 5'8" | Top 10 | | Sister of actor Chace Crawford |
| Montana | Tori Wanty | Shelby | 21 | 5'4" | | | |
| Nebraska | Micaela Johnson | Omaha | 23 | 5'5" | | | |
| Nevada | Veronica Grabowski | Henderson | 23 | 5'6" | | | |
| New Hampshire | Breanne Silvi | Nashua | 24 | 5'4" | | | |
| New Jersey | Tiffany Andrade | Linden | 22 | 5'5" | 2nd runner-up | | |
| New Mexico | Raelene Aguilar | Sunland Park | 26 | 5'8" | | | Previously Miss New Mexico Teen USA 2000 |
| New York | Danielle Roundtree | New York City | 20 | 5'11" | | | |
| North Carolina | Andrea Duke | Saluda | 26 | 5'11" | | | |
| North Dakota | Stephanie Tollefson | New Rockford | 21 | 5'8" | | | |
| Ohio | Monica Day | Grove City | 25 | 5'9" | | Miss Congeniality | |
| Oklahoma | Lindsey Jo Harrington | Frederick | 22 | 5'10" | 3rd runner-up | | |
| Oregon | Mary Horch | Corvallis | 24 | 5'7" | | | |
| Pennsylvania | LauRen Merola | Pittsburgh | 23 | 5'8" | 4th runner-up | | |
| Rhode Island | Amy Diaz | Johnston | 23 | 5'6" | Top 15 | | Previously Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 2001 Later Miss Earth United States 2009 Later contestant on The Amazing Race 23 and won |
| South Carolina | Jamie Hill | Columbia | 24 | 5'6" | Top 15 | | Contestant on The Amazing Race 10 |
| South Dakota | Charlie Buhler | Mitchell | 20 | 5'5" | | | First African American Miss South Dakota USA |
| Tennessee | Hailey Laine Brown | Franklin | 25 | 5'9" | Top 10 | | |
| Texas | Crystle Stewart | Missouri City | 26 | 5'9" | Winner | | Top 10 at Miss Universe 2008; placed 8th |
| Utah | Julia Bachison | North Ogden | 24 | 5'7" | Top 15 | | Previously Miss Utah 2005 |
| Vermont | Kim Tantlinger | Burlington | 22 | 5'7" | | | |
| Virginia | Tori Hall | Roanoke | 21 | 5'8" | | | Previously Miss Virginia Teen USA 2005 Cast member on Road Rules 2007: Viewers' Revenge and The Gauntlet 3 |
| Washington | Michelle Font | Renton | 26 | 5'7" | | | |
| West Virginia | Skylene Montgomery | Parkersburg | 23 | 5'7" | | | |
| Wisconsin | Michelyn Cynthia Butler | Madison | 25 | 5'8" | | | |
| Wyoming | Cassie Shore | Casper | 22 | 5'5" | | | |

## Contestant gallery

* Raquel Beezley Miss California USA 2008
* Keisha Walding Miss Alabama USA 2008
* Vincenza Carrieri-Russo Miss Delaware USA 2008
* Shanon Lersch Miss Illinois USA 2008
* Michelle Berthelot Miss Louisiana USA 2008
* Casandra Tressler Miss Maryland USA 2008
* Elisabeth Crawford Miss Michigan USA 2008
* Kaylee Unverzagt Miss Minnesota USA 2008
* Candice Crawford Miss Missouri USA 2008
* Veronica Grabowski Miss Nevada USA 2008
* Crystle Stewart (2008 winner) Miss Texas USA 2008
* Charlie Buhler Miss South Dakota USA 2008

## Contestant notes

* Due to accounting errors, Christina Silva was crowned Miss California USA. When the mistake was discovered a week after the pageant, the real winner Raquel Beezley assumed the title.
* Michelle Gillespie, Miss Kansas USA, is the great-great niece of Miss America 1921, Margaret Gorman of Washington, DC.
* Three contestants previously competed in the Miss Texas USA and/or Miss Texas Teen USA pageants before winning titles in other states:
** Candice Crawford (Missouri) placed third runner-up at Miss Texas Teen USA 2003 and 2005. She is the sister of Gossip Girl actor Chace Crawford.
** Elisabeth Crawford (Michigan) was a non-finalist at Miss Texas USA 2004 to 2006
** Veronica Grabowski (Nevada) competed at the Miss Texas Teen USA 2003 and Miss Texas USA 2007 pageants, finishing as a semifinalist in both years.
* Amy Diaz (Rhode Island) and Danielle Roundtree (New York) competed at Miss Florida USA 2007. Diaz placed third runner-up and Roundtree was a non-finalist.
* Abbey Curran (Iowa) was the first contestant with a disability. Curran was born with cerebral palsy.
* Amy Diaz (Rhode Island) competed at Miss Earth 2009 in Boracay, Philippines but unplaced.