Miss USA 1988 was the 37th Miss USA pageant, televised live from the El Paso Civic Center in El Paso, Texas on March 1, 1988. At the conclusion of the final competition, Courtney Gibbs of Texas was crowned Miss USA, becoming the fourth consecutive winner from Texas.
The pageant was hosted by Growing Pains star Alan Thicke, the first time in twenty years that Bob Barker did not host, and the pageant commentator was Tracy Scoggins. Barker, an animal rights activist, refused to be involved because one of the winner's prizes was a fur coat. There had been controversy surrounding the fur coats since the previous year, and Barker claimed he had asked pageant officials not to give away coats for years but that he had been ignored. Other animal rights activists threatened to picket the pageant in protest at its fur policy and disrupted a pre-pageant press conference. In an unrelated attack, Scoggins was attacked in an elevator following pageant rehearsals. The attacker was charged with attempted sexual assault.
This was the first time that the pageant was held in Texas and the only time it was ever held in El Paso. El Paso had hosted the Miss Teen USA 1987 pageant the previous year, and it was announced in November 1987 that the city would likely host Miss USA 1988.
Results
Placements
Final results Contestant Miss USA 1988 Texas - Courtney Gibbs 1st Runner-Up California - Diana Magaña 2nd Runner-Up Georgia - Donna Rampy 3rd Runner-Up Florida - Monica Farrell 4th Runner-Up Mississippi - Dana Richmond Top 10 Oklahoma - Tamara Walker Illinois - Gina Zordani Tennessee - Stephanie Jane Potts Maryland - Rowanne Brewer South Carolina - April Abel
Special awards Award Contestant Miss Photogenic Rowanne Brewer (Maryland)
Delegates The Miss USA 1988 delegates were:
Alabama - Rhonda Mooney Alaska - Raun Reaves Arizona - Kris Keim Arkansas - Melissa Staples California - Diana Magaña Colorado - Nicola Svaldi Connecticut - Catherine Galasso Delaware - Christina Angel District of Columbia - Elva Anderson Florida - Monica Farrell Georgia - Donna Rampy Hawaii - Paula Prevost Idaho - Kay Kinsey Illinois - Gina Zordani Indiana - Loetta Earnest Iowa - Jule Kemmerling Kansas - Cynthia Decker Kentucky - Suzanne Pitman Louisiana - Rhonda Vinson Maine - Suzanne Grenier Maryland - Rowanne Brewer Massachusetts - Anita Lovely Michigan - Anthonia Dotson Minnesota - Julie Nelson Mississippi - Dana Richmond Missouri - Alecia Workman Montana - Kimberly Torp Nebraska - Kellie O'Neil Nevada - Lagracella Omran New Hampshire - Diane Wright New Jersey - Colleen Carlone New Mexico - Stephanie Storrie New York - Linnea Mancini North Carolina - Tammy Tolar North Dakota - Kate Sevde Ohio - Gina West Oklahoma - Tamara Walker Oregon - Elaine Rohrer Pennsylvania - Susan Gray Rhode Island - Cindy Geronda South Carolina - April Abel South Dakota - Sandi Fix Tennessee - Stephanie Jane Potts Texas - Courtney Gibbs Utah - Suzie Lundell Vermont - Stacy Sisson Virginia - Denise Smith Washington - Sandra Kord West Virginia - Cathy Fowler Wisconsin - Mary Kay Anderson Wyoming - Kristen Youmans
Contestant notes Two contestants had previously competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant. They were Kris Keim (Arizona), who was Miss Arizona Teen USA 1983, and Melissa Staples (Arkansas), who was Miss Arkansas Teen USA 1984 Two contestants had previously competed in the Miss America 1986 pageant. They were Mary Kay Anderson (Wisconsin), formerly Miss Wisconsin 1985 and Monica Farrell (Florida), formerly Miss Florida 1985. Prior to the pageant Suzanne Pitman (Kentucky) was arrested on a drunk-driving charge but allowed to compete in the pageant. Miss Minnesota USA winner Sue Bolich resigned her title one week after she was arrested for shoplifting. The other pageant contestants were already in El Paso at the time of her resignation, and first runner-up Jolene Stavrakis was to be sent in Bolich's place. However, Stavrakis also had a previous shoplifting charge on her record, and she too withdrew from the pageant. Julie Nelson, second runner-up in the state pageant, assumed the title and represented Minnesota at Miss USA.
Judges Jennifer Ashe Mary Kay Ash Michele Butin Chico DeBarge Gil Gerard Albert Hague Michael K. Herbert Renee Orin Stanley Platos Pam Roberts Sharlene Wells Hawkes
References
External links Official website