Miss Utah USA
| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Exec. Director | Shanna Moakler |
| Website | Official website |
The Miss Utah USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state of Utah in the Miss USA pageant. From 2001 to 2007, the pageant was produced by Red Curtain Productions. Casting Crowns Productions directed the pageant from 2007 to 2018 under the directorship of former Miss Missouri USA Britt Boyse. Smoak Productions became the new director for Miss and Teen pageants in 2019 under executive director and Miss USA 1995 Shanna Moakler.[1]
Utah has been quite successful at Miss USA, with 20 placements as of 2009. Their most consistent period was in the 1950s and 1960s. Utah has produced one Miss USA in 1960 (Linda Bement, who went on to win the Miss Universe 1960 title). Miss Utah USA 1957, Charlotte Sheffield, also won the Miss USA 1957 crown after the original titleholder (Leona Gage of Maryland) was dethroned. Utah has a strong recent record, having placed in four out of five pageants between 2005 and 2009. The most recent placement was JessiKate Riley in 2021, placing in the top 16 becoming the state's placement since 2013.
Three Miss Utah USAs are former Miss Utah Teen USAs who competed at Miss Teen USA. All three placed at Miss USA, which eclipsed their Teen performances. They are also very similar to the Miss North Carolina USA titleholders who also placed at Miss USA rather than Miss Teen USA. Two also competed in Miss Utah.
The current titleholder is Elisabeth Gandara of Salt Lake City and was crowned on May 28, 2022 at Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City. She represented Utah for the title of Miss USA 2022.
Results summary
Placements
- Miss USA: Linda Bement (1960)
- 1st runners-up: Charlotte Sheffield (1957)[a]
- 2nd runners-up: Susan Gasser (1982)
- 3rd runners-up: Janet Joy Erikson (1964), Laura Chukanov (2009), Marissa Powell (2013)
- 4th runners-up: Shauna Wood (1953)
- Top 5/6: Temple Taggert (1997), Melissa Leigh Anderson (1998)
- Top 10/12: Tracy Kennick (1996), Margo Flynn (1978), Heather Anderson (2007)
- Top 15/16: Cheryl Brown (1956), Sandra Puch (1958), Janet Marie Hawley (1961), Patricia Profaizer (1962), Janice Sadler (1965), Denice Blair (1966), Marin Poole (2005), Julia Bachison (2008), Jamie Crandall (2011), JessiKate Riley (2021)
Utah holds a record of 22 placements at Miss USA.
Awards
- Miss Congeniality: Peggy Moore (1972)
- Miss Photogenic: Marissa Powell (2013)
- Best State Costume 2nd Place: JessiKate Riley (2021)
Winners
- Color key
- Declared as Winner
- Ended as runner-up
- Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age[b] | Placement at Miss USA | Special awards at Miss USA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| 2022 | Elisabeth Bradley Gandara | Salt Lake City | 27 | |||
| 2021 | JessiKate Riley | Beaver | 24 | Top 16 | Best State Costume – 2nd Place |
|
| 2020 | Rachel Slawson | Park City | 25 | |||
| 2019 | Amanda Renée Giroux[citation needed] | Riverdale | 22 | |||
| 2018 | Narine Ishhanov | Bluffdale | 24 |
| ||
| 2017 | Baylee Lynn Jensen | South Jordan | 22 |
| ||
| 2016 | Teale Shawn Murdock | Salt Lake City | 26 |
| ||
| 2015 | Nicol Elizabeth Powell | Salt Lake City | 21 |
| ||
| 2014 | Angelia Nichole Layton | Salt Lake City | 22 |
| ||
| 2013 | Marissa Powell[4] | Salt Lake City | 20[5] | 3rd runner-up | Miss Photogenic |
|
| 2012 | Kendyl Carol Bell | Sandy | 25 | |||
| 2011 | Jamie Lynn Crandall | Salt Lake City | 23 | Top 16 | ||
| 2010 | Katya Dmitrievna Feinstein | Centerville | 19 | Previously Miss Utah Teen USA 2008 | ||
| 2009 | Laura Chukanov | Salt Lake City | 22 | 3rd runner-up | ||
| 2008 | Julia Marie Bachison | North Ogden | 24 | Top 15 | Previously Miss Utah 2005 and Preliminary Swimsuit Winner at Miss America | |
| 2007 | Heather Anderson | Sandy | 26 | Top 10 | Top 10 in Miss Utah MAO 2001 | |
| 2006 | Soben Huon | Provo | 23 | |||
| 2005 | Marin Poole | Provo | 21 | Top 15 | Previously Miss Utah Teen USA 2002
Previously Miss Days of '47 (Utah's Pioneer Days Royalty)2007 | |
| 2004 | Kyla Faye Dickerson | Midvale | 23 | |||
| 2003 | Kelly Chapman | South Jordan | 24 | |||
| 2002 | Abbie Jane Smith | West Jordan | 19 | |||
| 2001 | Tiffany Seaman | Salt Lake City | 21 | |||
| 2000 | Keri Hatfield | Bountiful | 22 | |||
| 1999 | Rachel Rasmussen | Salt Lake City | 21 | |||
| 1998 | Melissa Leigh Anderson | Provo | 24 | Top 5 | Previously Miss Utah Teen USA 1990, Won Miss Teenage California 1986 | |
| 1997 | Temple Taggart | Centerville | 21 | Top 6 | ||
| 1996 | Tracy Kennick | Price | 24 | Top 10 | Previously Miss Utah Teen USA 1989 | |
| 1995 | Melanie Mitton | Salt Lake City | 21 | |||
| 1994 | Vanessa Munns | Provo | 23 | |||
| 1993 | Natalie Pyper | Salt Lake City | 24 | |||
| 1992 | Nichelle Mickelson | West Valley City | 26 | |||
| 1991 | Patti Jo Bender | Sandy | 26 | |||
| 1990 | Debra Linn Tingey | Centerville | 25 | |||
| 1989 | Zanetta van Zyverden | South Jordan | 24 | |||
| 1988 | Suzie Lundell | Park City | 20 | |||
| 1987 | Patty Thorpe | Clawson | 20 | |||
| 1986 | Stephanie Reber | Salt Lake City | 23 | Mother of Jessica Richards, Miss Utah's Outstanding Teen 2013[6] | ||
| 1985 | Kim Thompson | Salt Lake City | 19 | |||
| 1984 | Michele Lynn Brown | Roy | 18 | |||
| 1983 | Launa Lewis | Heber City | 18 | |||
| 1982 | Susan L. Gasser | Salt Lake City | 22 | 2nd runner-up | ||
| 1981 | Tonya Anderson | Orem | 19 | |||
| 1980 | Tamara Parsons | Salt Lake City | 20 | |||
| 1979 | Victoria Scott | Salt Lake City | 25 | |||
| 1978 | Margo Flynn | Salt Lake City | 25 | Semi-finalist | ||
| 1977 | Michele Miner | Provo | 23 | |||
| 1976 | Debbie Drecksel | Salt Lake City | 22 | |||
| 1975 | Andrea Felt | Logan | 24 | |||
| 1974 | Halene Petersen | Riverton | 20 | |||
| 1973 | Julia Nebeker | Nephi | 20 | |||
| 1972 | Peggy Moore | Provo | 21 | Miss Congeniality | ||
| 1971 | Janey Montgomery | Hooper | 19 | |||
| 1970 | Tamina Roark | Salt Lake City | 25 | |||
| 1969 | Anne Meuller | Salt Lake City | 23 | |||
| 1968 | Shelle Cannon | Salt Lake City | 24 | |||
| 1967 | Marilyn Christiansen | Salt Lake City | 19 | |||
| 1966 | Denice Blair | Salt Lake City | 19 | Semi-finalist | Miss World USA 1966, 6th runner-up at Miss World 1966 | |
| 1965 | Janis Sadler | Salt Lake City | 18 | Semi-finalist | represented Utah in Miss World USA 1965, did not place | |
| 1964 | Janet Joy Erikson | Salt Lake City | 22 | 3rd runner-up | ||
| 1963 | Carla Ann Dinius | Salt Lake City | 22 | |||
| 1962 | Patricia Profaizer | Salt Lake City | 26 | Semi-finalist | ||
| 1961 | Janet Marie Hawley | Salt Lake City | 25 | Semi-finalist | ||
| 1960 | Linda Bement | Salt Lake City | 18 | Miss USA 1960 | Miss Universe 1960 | |
| 1959 | Melanie Canfield | Salt Lake City | 20 | |||
| 1958 | Sandra Puch | Salt Lake City | 19 | Semi-finalist | ||
| 1957 | Charlotte Sheffield | Salt Lake City | 20 | 1st runner-up | Later Miss USA 1957 after Leona Gage was disqualified. Miss World United States 1957, competed at Miss World 1957. | |
| 1956 | Cheryl Brown | Salt Lake City | 24 | Semi-finalist | ||
| 1955 | Myrna J. Rasmussen | Salt Lake City | 21 | |||
| 1954 | Laverna Laub | Salt Lake City | 22 | |||
| 1953 | Shauna Wood | Salt Lake City | 23 | 4th runner-up | ||
| 1952 | Carol Jean Isbell | Salt Lake City | 20 |
Notes
- ^ Charlotte Sheffield was 1st runner-up at Miss USA, but succeeded the title when Mary Leona Gage was dethroned.
- ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant
References
- ^ "Smoak Productions is pleased to welcome @ShannaMoakler as the 2019 #MissUtahUSA & #MissUtahTeenUSA Executive Director! #MissUSA #MissTeenUSA". Miss Utah USA on Twitter. April 7, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "BYU Senior JessiKate Riley crowned Miss Utah 2017". KSL.com. June 18, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
Riley was crowned Miss Utah's Outstanding Teen — the little sister program to the Miss America Organization — in 2014.
- ^ "Winners of 2017 Miss Utah". KUTV.com. June 17, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Marissa Powell Crowned Miss Utah USA 2013". Beauty Pageant News. October 28, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "KUTV2 News "Person 2 Person": Marissa Powell". October 14, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Miss Outstanding Teen chasing national dream".