Miss USA 2022 was the 71st Miss USA pageant, held at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada on 3 October 2022.
At the end of the event, Elle Smith of Kentucky crowned R'Bonney Gabriel of Texas as Miss USA 2022. This was Texas' tenth Miss USA title and first win in 14 years. At the age of , Gabriel became the oldest Miss USA winner in the pageant's history, surpassing Cheslie Kryst in 2019, who was also 28 when she crowned, and the first titleholder of Filipino descent.
Gabriel went on to win Miss Universe in New Orleans, becoming the ninth American woman to do so. With the win, her title was rescinded, and the first runner-up, Morgan Romano of North Carolina, assumed the Miss USA title on January 27, 2023 in a ceremony in Auburn, Alabama. Romano became the fourth woman from North Carolina to hold the Miss USA title.
The competition was hosted by Zuri Hall for the second consecutive year, while Julissa Bermudez and Micah Jesse served as sideline correspondents. This competition was broadcast on the FYI cable channel. American musician Chloe Flower performed in this edition.
Background Location, hosts, and performer
On 14 July 2022, it was reported that the competition would be held in Reno, Nevada, with the city securing a three-year deal to host the pageant. This would be the second time that the pageant is held in Reno, following Miss USA 2019. The following day, it was confirmed that the pageant would be held at the Grand Sierra Resort on October 3. National Director Crystle Stewart confirmed that the location was chosen to honor Cheslie Kryst, whom had been crowned Miss USA 2019 in the same venue and had died by suicide in January 2022.
Selection of contestants The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the duration between most of the state pageants from Miss USA 2021. The previous year's state titleholders' reign was shortened to between eight and eleven months, depending on the state. Delegates from the 50 states and the District of Columbia are selected in state pageants in a period began in September 2021 and scheduled to end in July 2022 to avoid scheduling conflicts with Miss America 2023 state pageants. The state pageant schedule can become very busy between the last state pageant held from 2021. The first state pageants were Miss Idaho USA and Miss Montana USA, held together on September 12, 2021, and the last state pageant was Miss Colorado USA, held on July 3, 2022.
Eleven delegates have previously competed in Miss Teen USA and Miss America, eight are former Miss Teen USA state winners, two are a former Miss America state titleholders, and one is a former Miss America's Outstanding Teen state titleholder.
Controversy In 2020, Crystle Stewart, who had previously won the Miss USA 2008 competition while representing Texas, became the National Director of the Miss USA pageant. In September 2022, prior to the national competition, state officials had expressed concern that Stewart, as the most recent Miss Texas USA winner to win the national-level competition, was providing preferential treatment to the 2022 Miss Texas USA winner, R'Bonney Gabriel. Less than 24 hours after Gabriel ultimately won the October 2022 competition, pageant sponsor Nizuc Resort and Spa posted videos on Instagram showing Gabriel at their resort in Cancún, Mexico. While the state-level winners had visited the resort prior to the national competition, Gabriel and Miss Colorado USA Alexis Glover did not attend this retreat because their respective state competitions occurred afterward. Citing the promotional footage, Miss Montana USA Heather Lee O'Keefe and Miss Georgia USA Holly Haynes alleged that Gabriel had been rigged to win the competition, but the Miss USA organization claimed that Gabriel had immediately flown from the pageant venue to the resort after winning the competition. In an interview with E! News, Gabriel denied claims that the pageant was rigged, stating "I would never enter any pageant or any competition that I know I would win."
Results
Placements PlacementContestantMiss USA 2022Texas – R'Bonney Gabriel1st Runner-UpNorth Carolina – Morgan Romano ‡2nd Runner-UpNebraska – Natalie Pieper3rd Runner-UpOhio – Sir'Quora Carroll4th Runner-UpIllinois – Angel ReyesTop 12Connecticut – Cynthia Dias † Kansas – Elyse Noe Minnesota – Madeline Helget New Hampshire – Camila Sacco New Mexico – Suzanne Perez Tennessee – Emily Suttle Vermont – Kelsey GolonkaTop 16California – Tiffany Johnson District of Columbia – Faith Porter Missouri – Mikala McGhee West Virginia – Krystian Leonard † – Voted into the Top 16 by viewers .‡ – Gabriel won Miss Universe 2022. Due to protocol, Gabriel relinquished her title and the 1st runner-up, Morgan Romano, assumed the Miss USA title.
Special awards AwardContestantBest State CostumeWinnerTexas – R'Bonney GabrielSecond PlaceTennessee – Emily SuttleThird PlaceMaine – Elizabeth KervinMiss CongenialityAlaska – Courtney SchumanMiss PhotogenicIllinois – Angel Reyes
Pageant Judges Ashlee Clarke – American businesswoman and producer Soo Yeon Lee – South Korean table tennis player and model Kirk Myers – American fitness trainer Olivia Ponton – American model and social media influencer Aaron Potts – American fashion designer Nicole Williams-English – Canadian fashion designer and model
Contestants Fifty-one contestants competed for the title. State/districtContestant AgeHometown Notes Alabama Katelyn Vinson 22 Dothan Alaska Courtney Schuman 28 Anchorage Previously Miss Alaska 2018 Arizona Isabel Ticlo 28 Phoenix Previously Miss Arizona 2018 Arkansas Rylie Wagner 22 Ozark California Tiffany Johnson 26 Lancaster Colorado Alexis Glover 23 Colorado Springs Previously Miss Colorado Teen USA 2017 Connecticut Cynthia Dias 23 Wolcott Previously Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen 2014 Delaware Grace Lange 22 Newark Previously Miss Delaware Teen USA 2017 District of Columbia Faith Porter 23 Washington, D.C. Later Miss Grand Ghana 2025, 3rd Runner-Up at Miss Grand International 2025 Florida Taylor Fulford 28 Okeechobee Georgia Holly Haynes 26 Sugar Hill Hawaii Kiana Yamat 28 Honolulu Idaho Jordana Dahmen 27 Boise Illinois Angel Reyes 26 Chicago Indiana Samantha Toney 27 Clarksville Iowa Randi Estabrook 25 Des Moines Kansas Elyse Noe 23 Lawrence Kentucky Lizzy Neutz 23 Louisville Louisiana KT Scannell 22 Denham Springs Maine Elizabeth Kervin 20 Winterport Maryland Caleigh Shade 23 Ocean City Previously Miss Maryland Teen USA 2018 Massachusetts Skarlet Ramirez 28 Lawrence Michigan Aria Hutchinson 24 Plymouth Daughter of Chris Hutchinson and Melissa Sinkevics Hutchinson, Miss Michigan Teen USA 1988, and sister of Aidan Hutchinson. Minnesota Madeline Helget 24 Clearwater Mississippi Hailey White 23 Picayune Missouri Mikala McGhee 28 St. Louis Montana Heather Lee O'Keefe 25 Bozeman Nebraska Natalie Pieper 27 Omaha Nevada Summer Keffeler 21 Paradise Previously Miss Washington Teen USA 2018Sister of Stormy Keffeler, original titleholder of Miss Washington USA 2016 New Hampshire Camila Sacco 27 Portsmouth New Jersey Alexandra Lakhman 26 Hoboken New Mexico Suzanne Perez 25 Portales New York Heather Nunez 26 Queens North Carolina Morgan Romano 24 ConcordLater assumed Miss USA 2022 after Gabriel won Miss Universe 2022 North Dakota SaNoah LaRocque 25 Belcourt Ohio Sir'Quora Carroll 23 Canal Winchester Oklahoma Ashley Ehrhart 25 Oklahoma City Previously National Sweetheart 2021 Oregon Arielle Freytag 28 Harrisburg Pennsylvania Billie LaRaé Owens 25 Phoenixville Daughter of Billy Owens Rhode Island Elaine Collado 27 Providence Previously Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 2013 South Carolina Meera Bhonslé 26 Lexington South Dakota Shania Knutson 22 Viborg Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2018 Tennessee Emily Suttle 26 Franklin Previously Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2013 Texas R'Bonney Gabriel 28 Houston Later crowned Miss Universe 2022, relinquished title Utah Elisabeth Bradley-Gandara 28 Salt Lake City Vermont Kelsey Golonka 23 Montpelier Previously Miss Vermont Teen USA 2017Sister of Kenzie Golonka, Miss Vermont Teen USA 2022 Virginia Kailee Horvath 23 Ashburn Washington Mazzy Eckel 22 Seattle West Virginia Krystian Leonard 25 Morgantown Wisconsin Hollis Brown 26 Milwaukee Wyoming Morgan McNally 27 Casper
Notes
References
External links
Miss USA official website