# Miss USA 2020

Miss USA 2020 was the 69th Miss USA pageant. It was held at the Exhibition Centre and the Soundstage at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 9, 2020. Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Allie LaForce served as hosts, while Cheslie Kryst and Christian Murphy served as backstage commentators, and Haley Reinhart performed. Cheslie Kryst of North Carolina crowned Asya Branch of Mississippi as her successor at the end of the event. Branch is the second consecutive African American to win the title, and the fourth one in five years. This is Mississippi's first win at the Miss USA pageant. Branch represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2020 pageant and placed in the Top 21.
Originally scheduled to be held in spring 2020 and was initially to air on Fox, the competition was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 31, the Miss Universe Organization announced that the competition would be held on November 9 of the same year.
FYI served as the new broadcaster of the pageant, replacing Fox, which had broadcast the pageant since 2016. The show was also rebroadcast on November 18, 2020, on YouTube. The competition marked the first year that a new crown made by jeweler Mouawad is used at Miss USA, effectively retiring the Mikimoto Crown.
For a third consecutive year, the competition was held concurrently alongside the Miss Teen USA competition. This was the last Miss USA to be organized by Miss Universe Organization before being split into its separate organization beginning in Miss USA 2021.

## Background
### Location

On August 30, 2020, Graceland announced on their schedule that the competition would be held on November 9 on their premises in Memphis, Tennessee. The MUO later confirmed that the competition would be hosted at Graceland the following day. This was the first time since Miss USA 1983 that the state of Tennessee would be hosting the pageant.

### Hosts and performer

On October 22, it was announced that the competition would be hosted by Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Allie LaForce, while Cheslie Kryst and Christian Murphy would serve as backstage correspondents. Gbaja-Biamila is a commentator on American Ninja Warrior and former professional football player, while LaForce formerly was crowned Miss Teen USA 2005, and has worked as a sports reporter for Fox and Turner Sports.
On the same day, American Idol alum Haley Reinhart was announced as the musical guest.

### Selection of contestants

Delegates from 50 states and the District of Columbia were selected in state pageants which began in September 2019 and concluded in February 2020. The first state pageant was Texas, held on September 1, 2019, while the final pageant was Kentucky, held on February 1, 2020. Nine of these delegates were former Miss Teen USA state winners, six of them were former Miss America state winners, one delegate was a former Miss America's Outstanding Teen state winner, and one was former Miss Earth United States winner who competed at Miss Earth 2017.
Rachel Slawson, Miss Utah USA 2020, became the first openly LGBT woman to compete in Miss USA; Slawson identifies herself as queer. One state titleholder was appointed as a replacement after the original titleholder was unable to compete. Katie Bozner, the original Miss Wyoming USA 2020, resigned three weeks before Miss USA 2020 due to her academic obligations in optometry school. She was replaced by Lexi Revelli, who was the first runner-up of the Miss Wyoming USA 2020 pageant.

### COVID-19 restrictions

The pageant was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions implemented included an audience of only 300 spectators for both the preliminary and final competitions, and daily temperature checks, COVID-19 testing and social distancing measures for contestants and staff members. If a delegate tested positive from COVID-19, she would automatically withdraw from the competition, resulting in all of the delegates testing negative prior to arriving in Memphis. Other in-person events such as pre-pageant activities had been cancelled, including press briefings from pageant commentators.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss USA 2020 | Mississippi – Asya Branch |
| 1st runner-up | Idaho – Kim Layne |
| 2nd runner-up | Oklahoma – Mariah Jane Davis |
| 3rd runner-up | Indiana – Alexis Lete |
| 4th runner-up | Alabama – Kelly Hutchinson |
| Top 10 | California – Allyshia Gupta  Hawaii – Samantha Neyland  Illinois – Olivia Pura  New Jersey – Gina Mellish  New York – Andreia Gibau |
| Top 16 | District of Columbia – Cierra Jackson  Georgia – Alyssa Beasley  Louisiana – Mariah Clayton  Missouri – Megan Renee Kelly  Nevada – Victoria Olona §  Ohio – Sthephanie Miranda |
§ – Voted into Top 16 by viewers

### Special award

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Washington – Imani Blackmon |

## Pageant
### Format

For the first time since 2012, the number of finalists increased to sixteen, up from fifteen in previous years. The results of the preliminary competition — which consisted of the swimsuit competition, the evening gown competition, and the closed-door interview determined the first fifteen semi-finalists who advanced at the first cut. The sixteenth finalist was determined through an online vote from the viewing public. During the final competition, the top sixteen competed in swimsuit, and the top ten in evening gown. The top five format returned for the first time since Miss USA 2015, where the five finalists competed in two question rounds. The winner and her runners-up were determined by a panel of judges.

### Selection committee

* Carolyn Aronson – businesswoman and hairstylist
* Lynnette Cole – Miss USA 2000 from Tennessee
* Abby Hornacek – Fox Nation journalist and media personality
* Gloria Mayfield Banks – motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur
* Kimberly Pressler – Miss USA 1999 from New York
* Susan Yara – businesswoman and social media personality

## Contestants

Fifty-one contestants competed for the title.
| State/district | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Notes |
| Alabama | Kelly Hutchinson | 23 | Auburn | Previously Miss Georgia's Outstanding Teen 2013 |
| Alaska | Hannah Carlile | 25 | Fairbanks | |
| Arizona | Yesenia Vidales | 24 | Phoenix | |
| Arkansas | Haley Pontius | 24 | Houston | |
| California | Allyshia Gupta | 26 | Los Angeles | Later contestant on season 29 of The Bachelor |
| Colorado | Emily DeMure | 22 | Boulder | Later crowned Miss Grand United States of America 2022 |
| Connecticut | Chelsea Demby | 24 | Farmington | |
| Delaware | Katie Guevarra | 27 | Middletown | |
| District of Columbia | Cierra Jackson | 28 | Washington, D.C. | Previously Miss District of Columbia 2016 |
| Florida | Monique Evans | 28 | Naples | Previously Miss Texas 2014 |
| Georgia | Alyssa Beasley | 22 | Brunswick | Previously Miss Georgia 2017 |
| Hawaii | Samantha Neyland | 24 | Honolulu | First African-American Miss Hawaii USA Previously Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2013 |
| Idaho | Kim Layne | 26 | Nampa | Previously Miss Idaho Teen USA 2012 |
| Illinois | Olivia Pura | 22 | Chicago | Previously Miss Illinois Teen USA 2016 |
| Indiana | Alexis Lete | 24 | New Albany | |
| Iowa | Morgan Kofoid | 23 | Leon | Previously Miss Iowa Teen USA 2013 |
| Kansas | Hayden Brax | 21 | Leawood | |
| Kentucky | Lexie Iles | 24 | Louisville | |
| Louisiana | Mariah Clayton | 24 | Zachary | |
| Maine | Julia Van Steenberghe | 22 | Old Town | |
| Maryland | Taelyr Robinson | 28 | Annapolis | Starred in The Vineyard |
| Massachusetts | Sabrina Victor | 23 | Brockton | |
| Michigan | Chanel Johnson | 27 | Detroit | |
| Minnesota | Taylor Fondie | 22 | Blaine | Former Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader |
| Mississippi | Asya Branch | 22 | Booneville | First African-American Miss Mississippi USA Previously Miss Mississippi 2018 |
| Missouri | Megan Renee Kelly | 24 | Kansas City | |
| Montana | Merissa Underwood | 28 | Missoula | |
| Nebraska | Megan Swanson | 27 | Omaha | Previously Miss Nebraska 2014 Sister of Allie Swanson, Miss Nebraska 2019 |
| Nevada | Victoria Olona | 27 | Las Vegas | Fan vote winner |
| New Hampshire | Alyssa Fernandes | 26 | Merrimack | |
| New Jersey | Gina Mellish | 21 | Oceanport | Previously Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2016 |
| New Mexico | Cecilia Rodriguez | 28 | Las Cruces | |
| New York | Andreia Gibau | 25 | Brooklyn | Previously Miss Earth United States 2017 |
| North Carolina | Jane Axhoj | 22 | Charlotte | Previously Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2015 |
| North Dakota | Macy Christianson | 24 | Minot | Previously Miss North Dakota 2016 |
| Ohio | Sthephanie Miranda | 27 | Campbell | Later Top 6 at Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2021 |
| Oklahoma | Mariah Jane Davis | 24 | Norman | |
| Oregon | Katerina Villegas | 27 | Hillsboro | |
| Pennsylvania | Victoria Piekut | 24 | Pittsburgh | |
| Rhode Island | Jonét Nichelle | 25 | North Providence | Former New England Patriots Cheerleader |
| South Carolina | Hannah Jane Curry | 21 | Greenville | |
| South Dakota | Kalani Jorgensen | 26 | Sioux Falls | Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2012 |
| Tennessee | Justice Enlow | 26 | Nashville | |
| Texas | Taylor Kessler | 24 | Houston | |
| Utah | Rachel Slawson | 25 | Provo | First openly LGBT person to compete at Miss USA |
| Vermont | Shannah Weller | 24 | Middlebury | |
| Virginia | Susie Evans | 27 | Poquoson | Previously Miss Virginia Teen USA 2011 Later winner of season 26 of The Bachelor |
| Washington | Imani Blackmon | 25 | Tacoma | Previously Miss Washington Teen USA 2013. |
| West Virginia | Charlotte Bellotte | 26 | Charles Town | |
| Wisconsin | Gabriella Deyi | 28 | Madison | |
| Wyoming | Lexi Revelli | 26 | Lyman | Originally first runner-up, but assumed the title after winner Katie Bozner resigned the title three weeks before Miss USA due to her academic obligations. |