Miss USA 2018 Final Hotpicks
It’s that time of the year again when 51 beautiful women from across the United States will come together and one of them will get the job to tell the world that Miss USA is not owned by Donald Trump anymore. Miss USA is undoubtedly one of the most awaited national pageants of the year. Some like it for the quality of the contestants, some like it for its legacy, while some consider it as a sneak peek of the Miss Universe pageant. This year the pageant has come back with an impressive line up of contestants. The preliminary competition of Miss USA 2018 was recently held at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana. The finale is scheduled to be held on May 21, 2018, at the same venue. Since it is just a matter of days before we find out who the next Miss USA will be, here are our picks for the top 15 contestants of Miss USA 2018 based on the preliminary competition.
Semi-Finalists
15) California
A lot of you must be surprised with California’s lower placement on this list. California’s Kelley Johnson is a Miss America alumna and she might be well spoken, but when it comes to the preliminary swimsuit and evening gown performance she was outshined by many of the other contestants. But given her strong bio, she can surely make some heads turn during the finale.
14) Wisconsin
Miss Wisconsin Regina Gray’s hairstyle during the preliminary is the reason why a lot of people believe that she might not place. We must note here that Miss Kenya, Mary Esther, placed high at Miss Universe despite having terrible styling during the prelims. Regina is a stunner and she might just pull a surprise by placing high during the finale.
13) Nevada
Carolina Urrea of Nevada is incredibly beautiful, but both her swimsuit and evening gown performances were not among the best. Miss USA’s new direction may prevent her from advancing further in the competition.
12) North Carolina:
Caelynn Miller-Keyes of North Carolina is truly inspirational. In the era of #MeToo movement, a survivor like her can be a strong role model for young girls. And hence we believe she deserves a chance to give voice to her story. Her styling during the evening gown round was classic. If she can make it through the swimsuit round, she can go all the way to the top 5.
11) South Dakota:
A few days ago Madison Nipe of South Dakota took the internet by storm with her Venus Swimsuit pictures. Her swimsuit performance during the prelims was at par with expectations. But her choice of gown could ruin her chances. Nia Sachez had worn a terrible gown during the prelims of Miss USA 2014. So if Madison changes her gown for the finale, she has a chance of placing high. Of course, that would depend if she makes it through the swimsuit round.
Finalists
10) Tennessee:
Miss Tennessee Alexandra Harper has got a face of an angel. Her performance during the prelims was very impressive. The problem is that Miss Tennessee and Miss Mississippi have similar features and similar appeal. Hence one of them might place high. Last year during the Miss Universe pageant both USA and Brazil had similar appeal. Many people believe that the two of them couldn’t advance further because of their similarities. In such case maybe both Tennessee and Mississippi may not place high. But purely based on the preliminary performance we are giving a higher ranking to Miss Mississippi.
9) Rhode Island:
Daescia Demoranville of Rhode Island has performed consistently well throughout the pageant. Many have her as a contender for the main crown right from the day she was crowned at her state pageant. But we don’t see her winning in that gown. It is so disappointing to see potential winners messing up their own chances by making poor wardrobe choices. On a side note even Miss New York falls under the same category, but in a comparison between the two, Daescia appears stronger.
8) Nebraska:
Nebraska’s Sarah Rose Summers is the best blonde beauty of this batch. Her swimsuit performance during the prelims was outstanding. But like many other girls on this list, she also suffers from the bad gown syndrome. Even though her gown isn’t entirely bad, it looks very old-fashioned for a youthful girl like her.
7) Mississippi:
Mississippi’s Laine Mansour had one of the best evening gown performances of the night. She looked spectacular throughout the preliminary competition. A combination of beauty and brains, she could do really well during the finale if she plays her cards properly.
6) Massachusetts:
Massachusetts’ Allissa Latham is a runway diva. Even though we were not a fan of her swimsuit performance, she made up for that with a bang on evening gown performance. Her Venus swimsuit pictures were also stunning. She appears to be a total package and can do very well during the finale.
Winners
5) Florida:
Our next contestant needs no introduction. Genesis Davila is a well known, rather well-remembered name in the whole pageant world. After having to give up her title last year, she is seeking revenge this year and she seems well prepared for that. This girl isn’t playing around. She will surely be a crown contender on May 21st.
4) Oklahoma:
Oklahoma’s Cheyene Darling gave one of the most surprisingly strong performances of the night during the prelims. This girl can be sweet and fierce at the same time. Not to mention she has a very strong academic background. If she is able to replicate her preliminary performance during the finale, she can give other contestants a run for their money.
3) District of Columbia:
Will it be a three-peat? It’s a possibility that nobody can deny. With extremely strong preliminary performance Bryce Armstrong has positioned herself as a worthy successor to Deshauna and Kára. There was nothing bad that we can point out in her preliminary performance. If being Miss USA required a checklist, Bryce can mark all the boxes. The most important difference between Deshauna, Kára and Bryce is their professional backgrounds. We cannot say Bryce has not done anything significant, but compared to being an active member of US Military and being a nuclear scientist anything would look small. Hence the bios of her predecessors might affect her placement. But purely in terms of preliminary performance, Bryce is miles ahead of both Deshauna and Kára.
2) New Jersey:
After the success of Chhavi last year, New Jersey has stepped in with another strong candidate this year. And this time they might take home the crown. Alexa Noone is not just strong in terms of her runway skills; she also has a very strong bio. This girl is studying criminal justice and on the sidelines she is working as an air hostess. She also has a first degree black belt in judo. Nowadays MUO prefers having a Miss USA who can talk constructively about relevant topics. With a strong bio like this, Alexa will have plenty to talk about. Alexa play Chandelier… Sorry… I meant Alexa can play her cards very well, so watch out for her.
1) Georgia:
Slay queen! When Marianny Egurrola stepped on the runway, for a moment we thought it was the Miss Universe pageant. She can literally participate at Miss Universe tomorrow and still do well. Marianny lives up to the brand Colombia. Adored by her fans, she is definitely the strongest contender for the crown. Her background makes her very apt for current social and political scenario in USA. But as mentioned previously, MUO wants girls who can speak. So if Marianny can crack the interviews, nobody can stop her from winning Miss USA.
Honorable mentions: These girls are almost there. They missed the cut on this list by a small margin. They are: Alabama, Washington, and Oregon
Photo Credit: Miss Universe Organization.
Auther: Jinendra Aherkar