Miss USA 1981 was the 30th Miss USA pageant, held at the Gulf Coast Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi on May 21, 1981.
At the end of the event, Jineane Ford of Arizona crowned Kim Seelbrede of Ohio as Miss USA 1981. It is the second victory of Ohio in the pageant's history. Seelbrede later competed at Miss Universe and was named one of the twelve semi-finalists.
This year also marked the first year since 1957 that a runner-up of Miss USA was sent to Miss World. Holli Dennis, the first runner-up from Indiana, was supposed to compete at Miss World, but chose to marry instead. Due to this, Lisa Moss, the second runner-up from Louisiana, was appointed as the representative of the United States to Miss World. Moss later competed at Miss World and was named one of the seven finalists.
Contestants from forty-nine states and the District of Columbia competed in the pageant. The competition was hosted by Bob Barker.
Results
Placements PlacementContestantMiss USA 1981 Ohio – Kim Seelbrede1st runner-up Indiana – Holli Dennis2nd runner-up Louisiana – Lisa Moss3rd runner-up California – Cynthia Kerby4th runner-up Hawaii – Teri Ann LinnTop 12 Alabama – JoAnne Henderson Arizona – Cassie Hill Georgia – Lisa Condrey Maryland – Linda Lambert Tennessee – Sharon Kay Steakley Texas – Diana Durnford Virginia – Pam Hutchens
Pageant
Format Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The twelve semi-finalists competed in the evening gown and swimsuit competitions and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final look.
Selection committee
Final telecast
Cindy Adams – American gossip columnist and writer Joey Adams – American comedian and author John Mack Carter – American women's magazine editor Dwight Clark – American professional football player Wesley Eure – American singer, actor, and producer Jim Fowler – American zoologist and host of television show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Mary Therese Friel – Miss USA 1979 from New York Gary Graffman – American pianist Patrice Munsel – American opera singer Freda Payne – American singer and actress Phil Roura – Editor at the New York Daily News
Contestants Fifty contestants competed for the title. ContestantAgeHometownNotesAlabamaJoAnne Henderson21TuscaloosaAlaskaShelly Brunaugh18FairbanksArizonaCassie Hill23PhoenixArkansasLynnanne Derryberry18JerusalemCaliforniaCynthia Kerby18Westlake VillageColoradoShannon Davidson19BoulderConnecticutKelly Thompson20MonroeDelawareNatalie Diane Ramsey21WilmingtonDistrict of ColumbiaBelinda Johnson23Martinsville, VirginiaFloridaValerie Lundeen24MiamiMarried to "Tarzan" actor Ron Ely, murdered by their son Cameron Ely at their Southern California home on October 15, 2019GeorgiaLisa Joyce Condrey20DecaturHawaiiTeri Ann Linn20HonoluluLater became an actress, starred in The Bold and the BeautifulIdahoLori Ditch21BoiseIllinoisLeslie K. Renfrow21ChicagoIndianaHolli Rene Dennis21Fort WayneInitially appointed as Miss World USA but chose to marry insteadIowaJennifer Lynn Wimpey19CoralvilleKansasMissy Kaser18WichitaKentuckyDenise Gibbs20KevilLouisianaLisa Lynn Moss23ShreveportLater Miss World USA 1981Finalist at Miss World 1981MaineJudy Lynn Footer24BathMarylandLinda Lambert22BaltimoreMassachusettsJo Ann Savery22BridgewaterMichiganKaren Eidson21Hazel ParkMinnesotaPolly Peterson22EdinaSister of Miss USA 1976 Barbara PetersonMississippiAngela Ashmore20Muscle Shoals, AlabamaMissouriKaryn Marie Smagacz19FultonMontanaCathi Jo Locati19BillingsNebraskaLa Donna Hill21SewardNevadaMary Lebsock23Las VegasNew HampshireCynthia Lee Graves21North ConwayNew JerseyChristy Garthwaite19TuckertonNew MexicoLise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet23Las CrucesNew YorkDeborah Ann Fountain25BronxPreviously Miss North Carolina World 1979Finalist at Miss World America 1979Disqualified after wearing a padded bra in the swimsuit competitionNorth CarolinaLisa Colleen Swift22SouthportNorth DakotaLaurie Saarinen20JamestownLater Miss Minnesota 1982OhioKimberly Seelbrede20GermantownSemi-finalist at Miss Universe 1981OklahomaStacey Loach17Oklahoma CityOregonDawn Michele Lewis22PortlandPennsylvaniaNena Stone21Bethel ParkRhode IslandPatti Reo20CranstonSouth CarolinaZade Denise Turner21Myrtle BeachSouth DakotaJoan Abbott19IreneTennesseeSharon Kay Steakley24WinchesterMother of Alexandra Harper, Miss Tennessee USA 2018TexasDiana Durnford22El PasoUtahTonya Anderson20OremVermontJeannette Wulff21MiddlesexVirginiaPam Hutchens22Newport NewsGeneral District Court Judge in Virginia Beach, VirginiaWashingtonLeila Wagner20SeattleWest VirginiaKelly Carr19ScherrWisconsinDawn Marie Spreeman18KaukaunaWyomingDeborah Aspinwall23Riverton
Notes
References
External links Official website