# Miss USA 2021

Miss USA 2021 was the 70th Miss USA pageant, held at the Paradise Cove Theater of River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 29, 2021. The edition marked the first year of the competition under Crystle Stewart's directorship.
At the end of the event, Asya Branch of Mississippi crowned Elle Smith of Kentucky as Miss USA 2021. This was Kentucky's first title in fifteen years. Smith is also the third consecutive African-American to win the title, and the fifth one in six years. Smith went on to represent the United States at the Miss Universe 2021 pageant, placing in the top ten. The scheduling for the succeeding year's pageant that Smith would serve the pageant for ten months and four days as one of the shortest reigning titleholders in the pageant.
The competition was hosted by Zuri Hall and Patrick Ta, while Nicole Adamo served as a lounge host. American rapper Ja Rule performed in this edition. This was the second consecutive year that the pageant was broadcast on FYI, and the first to be streamed live on Hulu.

## Background

On December 31, 2020, it was announced on Good Morning America that Miss USA and Miss Teen USA would be split from the Miss Universe Organization into a new organization under the helm of Crystle Stewart. Stewart had previously been crowned Miss USA 2008.

### Location

On April 20, 2021, it was confirmed by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation that the 2021 edition of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA would be held at the Paradise Cove Theater of River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The competition spanned four days, beginning on November 26 and concluding on November 29, 2021. The event reverted to its full spectator capacity after the previous event was downsized to 300 spectators as a precaution to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

### Impact of the COVID-19 on state pageants

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the schedule of Miss USA 2020, postponing it from spring 2020 to November 2020. Each state organization had initially planned to schedule their 2021 pageants for the fall 2020 and winter 2020–21, the typical timeframe for state pageants dating back to the 1970s. However, most state pageants were later rescheduled to spring and summer 2021 to avoid scheduling conflicts with Miss America 2022 state pageants typically took place in most of June 2021, and were further extended to late summer and early fall due to the concerns over the possibility onto the threats of COVID-19 resurgence.
2021 state pageants altered due to COVID-19 :
| State | Original date | New date taken |
| Texas Texas | September 6, 2020 | September 4, 2021 |
| Wisconsin Wisconsin | September 13, 2020 | May 23, 2021 |
| Wyoming Wyoming | September 19, 2020 | June 19, 2021 |
| Michigan Michigan | September 26, 2020 | August 7, 2021 |
| North Dakota North Dakota | September 26, 2020 | April 25, 2021 |
| South Dakota South Dakota | September 27, 2020 | April 25, 2021 |
| Alabama Alabama | October 10, 2020 | January 10, 2021 |
| Tennessee Tennessee | October 10, 2020 | March 13, 2021 |
| Iowa Iowa | October 11, 2020 | May 8, 2021 |
| Rhode Island Rhode Island | October 11, 2020 | August 8, 2021 |
| Louisiana Louisiana | October 17, 2020 | January 16, 2021 |
| West Virginia West Virginia | October 18, 2020 | July 11, 2021 |
| Mississippi Mississippi | October 24, 2020 | March 13, 2021 |
| Arkansas Arkansas | October 25, 2020 | May 23, 2021 |
| Colorado Colorado | October 25, 2020 | August 15, 2021 |
| Vermont Vermont | November 1, 2020 | June 6, 2021 |
| North Carolina North Carolina | November 7, 2020 | March 6, 2021 |
| Hawaii Hawaii | November 8, 2020 | December 10, 2020 |
| Maine Maine | November 8, 2020 | June 20, 2021 |
| Maryland Maryland | November 8, 2020 | July 25, 2021 |
| Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | November 8, 2020 | July 31, 2021 |
| Ohio Ohio | November 14, 2020 | July 10, 2021 |
| Georgia Georgia | November 21, 2020 | February 20, 2021 |
| Oregon Oregon | November 21, 2020 | March 20, 2021 |
| South Carolina South Carolina | November 21, 2020 | March 6, 2021 |
| Connecticut Connecticut | November 22, 2020 | June 6, 2021 |
| Illinois Illinois | November 22, 2020 | June 27, 2021 |
| Indiana Indiana | November 22, 2020 | July 26, 2021 |
| Massachusetts Massachusetts | November 22, 2020 | June 13, 2021 |
| New Jersey New Jersey | November 22, 2020 | August 1, 2021 |
| Washington (state) Washington | November 22, 2020 | March 21, 2021 |
| Minnesota Minnesota | November 29, 2020 | August 1, 2021 |
| New Hampshire New Hampshire | November 29, 2020 | June 13, 2021 |
| Missouri Missouri | December 6, 2020 | May 1, 2021 |
| Oklahoma Oklahoma | December 20, 2020 | June 5, 2021 |
| Arizona Arizona | January 3, 2021 | July 11, 2021 |
| Washington, D.C. District of Columbia | January 9, 2021 | July 17, 2021 |
| Virginia Virginia | January 9, 2021 | July 17, 2021 |
| Nebraska Nebraska | January 10, 2021 | May 16, 2021 |
| Nevada Nevada | January 10, 2021 | June 27, 2021 |
| Kansas Kansas | January 17, 2021 | April 11, 2021 |
| New York New York | January 17, 2021 | August 20, 2021 |
| New Mexico New Mexico | January 24, 2021 | August 15, 2021 |
| Kentucky Kentucky | January 30, 2021 | May 22, 2021 |
| 1 2 State pageant had passed to the new pageant director |||
Due to restrictions implemented in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, numerous health and safety guidelines have been implemented for contestants, production members, and audiences at state pageants, such as taking a negative COVID-19 test and following social distancing. Additionally, a number of state pageants have had to alter their initial venue choices due to shut-downs implemented by their governor; either held behind closed doors such as Alaska and Hawaii, with only the contestants and staff were present; most state pageants had limited audition capacity with applying social distancing measures, or some with full capacity.

### Selection of contestants

Delegates from the fifty states and District of Columbia were selected in state pageants which began in September 2020. The first state pageants were Idaho and Montana, held together on their original dates of September 27, 2020, and the last state pageant was California, held on September 12, 2021, 350 days after the start of the 2021 pageant season, became the longest in the Miss USA history.
Eleven delegates previously competed in Miss Teen USA and Miss America, in which eight delegates are former Miss Teen USA state winners and three are former Miss America state winners. Kataluna Enriquez, Miss Nevada USA 2021, became the first openly transgender woman to compete in Miss USA.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss USA 2021 | Kentucky – Elle Smith |
| 1st Runner-Up | North Dakota – Caitlyn Vogel |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Florida – Ashley Cariño |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Illinois – Sydni Bennett |
| Top 8 | Maryland – Layilah Nasser  North Carolina – Madison Bryant  South Carolina – Marley Stokes  Texas – Victoria Hinojosa |
| Top 16 | Kansas – Gracie Hunt  Louisiana – Tanya Crowe  Mississippi – Bailey Anderson  Nebraska – Erika Etzelmiller  South Dakota – Caroline Pettey  Tennessee – Elizabeth Pistole  Utah – JessiKate Riley  Virginia – Christina Thompson |
§ – Voted into top 16 through the online vote

### Special awards

| Award | Award | Contestant |
| Best State Costume | Winner | Tennessee – Elizabeth Pistole |
| Best State Costume | Second Place | Utah – JessiKate Riley |
| Best State Costume | Third Place | Oklahoma – Albreuna Gonzaque |
| Miss Congeniality | Miss Congeniality | Michigan – Taylor Hale |
| Miss Photogenic | Miss Photogenic | Pennsylvania – Sydney Robertson |

## Pageant

After the last year's event was impacted by the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, events such as pre-pageant activities and press briefings from pageant commentators were returned across Tulsa.

### Preliminary competition

Prior to the final competition, the delegates competed the preliminary competition, where they competed in swim wear and evening gown. It was held on November 26 at River Spirit Casino Resort hosted by Nicole Adamo and Asya Branch.

### Finals

As was the case the prior edition, 16 contestants were chosen to advance to the semifinals; 15 of the semifinalists were chosen by the preliminary judges, while one was chosen through the online fan vote. The Top 16 then competed in both swimsuit and evening gown, before eight were chosen to advance. The Top 8 participated in a group discussion round conducted in two groups of four, and afterwards answered their final questions from the judges. The winner and her runners-up were announced afterwards.

### Judges
#### Preliminary

* Paul Anthony – American hairstylist
* Elan Biongiorno – American celebrity make-up artist
* LeeAnne Locken – American reality television personality and Miss Arizona USA 1989
* Pamela Price – American marathon runner
* Chuck Steelman – American fashion analyst and expert

#### Finals

* Natalía Barulích – Croatian-Cuban model, social media influencer, and singer
* Sophie Elgort – American photographer
* Chloe Flower – American composer and classical pianist
* Ty Hunter – American personal stylist
* Haley Kalil – American model and Miss Minnesota USA 2014
* Alton Mason – American model
* Pascal Mouawad – Lebanese jeweler, businessman, and CEO of Mouawad
* Oliver Trevena – English actor and television presenter

## Contestants

Fifty-one contestants competed for the title.
| State/district | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Notes |
| Alabama | Alexandria Flanigan | 25 | Cullman | |
| Alaska | Madison Lea Edwards | 25 | Anchorage | |
| Arizona | Cassidy Jo Jacks | 27 | Mesa | Later contestant on season 1 of Farmer Wants a Wife |
| Arkansas | Stephanie Barber | 23 | Fayetteville | |
| California | Sabrina Lewis | 24 | Berkeley | Later Miss California 2023 |
| Colorado | Olivia Lorenzo | 20 | Fort Collins | |
| Connecticut | Amanda Torchia | 25 | Middlebury | |
| Delaware | Drew Sanclemente | 25 | Odessa | |
| District of Columbia | Sasha Perea | 28 | Washington, D.C. | |
| Florida | Ashley Ann Cariño Barreto | 27 | Kissimmee | Later Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022 |
| Georgia | Cora Griffen | 25 | Columbus | |
| Hawaii | Allison Chu | 27 | Honolulu | Previously Miss Hawaii 2016 Sister of Julianne Chu, Miss Hawaii USA 2018 |
| Idaho | Katarina Schweitzer | 27 | Boise | |
| Illinois | Sydni Bennett | 20 | Algonquin | Previously Miss Illinois Teen USA 2018 |
| Indiana | A'Niyah Birdsong | 26 | Anderson | |
| Iowa | Katie Wadman | 21 | Iowa City | |
| Kansas | Gracie Hunt | 22 | Overland Park | Daughter of Clark Hunt and Tavia Shackles, Miss Kansas USA 1993, and granddaughter of Lamar Hunt |
| Kentucky | Elle Smith | 23 | Louisville | |
| Louisiana | Tanya Crowe | 28 | Amite City | Professional cheerleader for the New Orleans Saintsations |
| Maine | VeronicaIris Bates | 21 | Portland | Active member of the United States Air Force |
| Maryland | Layilah Nasser | 26 | Montgomery Village | |
| Massachusetts | Sarah DeSouza | 25 | Dracut | |
| Michigan | Taylor Mackenzie Hale | 26 | Detroit | Later winner of Big Brother 24 and America's Favorite Houseguest |
| Minnesota | Katarina Spasojevic | 20 | Minnetonka | |
| Mississippi | Bailey Anderson | 22 | Hurley | |
| Missouri | Joye Forrest | 26 | Spanish Lake | Former professional cheerleader for the Los Angeles Laker Girls |
| Montana | Jami Forseth | 24 | Huntley | Previously Miss Montana Teen USA 2016 |
| Nebraska | Erika Etzelmiller | 24 | Lincoln | Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2016 |
| Nevada | Kataluna Patricia Enriquez | 27 | Las Vegas | First openly transgender woman to compete at Miss USA |
| New Hampshire | Taylor Fogg | 26 | Newbury | |
| New Jersey | Celinda Ortega | 26 | Fair Lawn | |
| New Mexico | Christa Schafer | 26 | Las Cruces | |
| New York | Briana Siaca | 27 | Brentwood | |
| North Carolina | Madison Bryant | 24 | Fayetteville | |
| North Dakota | Caitlyn Vogel | 21 | Minot | Previously Miss North Dakota Teen USA 2019 |
| Ohio | Nicole Wess | 23 | Cincinnati | |
| Oklahoma | Albreuna Dominique Gonzaque | 28 | Oklahoma City | |
| Oregon | Allison Cook | 27 | Portland | Previously Miss Oregon 2013 |
| Pennsylvania | Sydney Robertson | 24 | Williamsport | Previously Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA 2014 |
| Rhode Island | Karly Laliberte | 27 | Pawtucket | |
| South Carolina | Marley Stokes | 24 | Lexington | Previously Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2016 |
| South Dakota | Caroline Pettey | 27 | Rapid City | |
| Tennessee | Elizabeth Pistole | 21 | Franklin | |
| Texas | Victoria Hinojosa | 22 | McAllen | Granddaughter of U.S. Representative Rubén Hinojosa |
| Utah | JessiKate Riley | 25 | Beaver | Previously Miss Utah's Outstanding Teen 2014 Previously Miss Utah 2017 |
| Vermont | Joanna Nagle | 27 | Colchester | |
| Virginia | Christina Thompson | 25 | Leesburg | Previously Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2013 Daughter of Hallie Bonnell, Miss Ohio USA 1987 |
| Washington | Christine Brodie | 26 | Seattle | |
| West Virginia | Alexis Bland | 22 | Parkersburg | |
| Wisconsin | Samantha Keaton | 20 | Milwaukee | |
| Wyoming | Mackenzie Kern | 21 | Casper | Previously Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2018 Later Miss Wyoming 2023 |