Miss USA 2002 was the 51st
Miss USA pageant, held at
Genesis Convention Center
The Genesis Convention Center is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in Gary, Indiana, United States. It was home to the Gary Splash of the Independent Basketball Association from 2010 to 2013. It was also formerly home to the Gary Steelhe ...
in
Gary, Indiana on March 1, 2002. The event was won by
Shauntay Hinton
Shauntay Renae Hinton (born February 26, 1979) is an American actress and beauty queen who won the Miss USA 2002.
Biography
Born and reared in her native Starkville, Mississippi, Hinton stepped into the national spotlight as Miss USA 2002. After ...
of the
District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen
Kandace Krueger
Kandace Gayle Krueger Matthews (born May 27, 1976) is an American journalist, singer, TV Host and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2001 and represented the United States in the Miss Universe 2001 where she placed second runner-up. She i ...
of
Texas. This is the second year in a row and third time since 1995 a
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Mis ...
state delegate did not win or inherit the Miss USA title.
This was the last Miss USA show to be aired on CBS. Beginning with the next Miss USA pageant,
NBC assumed co-ownership of the pageant along with
Donald Trump, and as a result began televising the pageant.
Hinton was the first African-American woman to win the pageant since
Chelsi Smith held the title in 1995, and was the first titleholder from
District of Columbia since 1964. This is the first time in pageant history that four delegates in the Top 5 were African-American.
Results
Placements
Special awards
Final competition scores
: Winner
: First Runner-Up
: Second Runner-Up
: Third Runner-Up
: Fourth Runner-Up
Delegates
The Miss USA 2002 delegates were:
*
Alabama –
Tara Tucker
*
Alaska – Christine Olejniczak
*
Arizona – Jennifer Lenz
*
Arkansas – Amber Boatman
*
California – Tarah Marie Peters
*
Colorado – Keely Gaston
*
Connecticut – Alita Dawson
*
Delaware – Deborah Ann Hoffman
*
District of Columbia –
Shauntay Hinton
Shauntay Renae Hinton (born February 26, 1979) is an American actress and beauty queen who won the Miss USA 2002.
Biography
Born and reared in her native Starkville, Mississippi, Hinton stepped into the national spotlight as Miss USA 2002. After ...
*
Florida – Shannon Ford
*
Georgia – Heather Hogan
*
Hawaii – Juliet Lighter
*
Idaho – Hilary Ball
*
Illinois – Amanda Reynolds
*
Indiana –
Kelly Lloyd
*
Iowa – Lauren Wilson
*
Kansas – Lindsey Douglas
*
Kentucky – Elizabeth Arnold
*
Louisiana – Anne-Katherine Lené
*
Maine – Su-Ying Leung
*
Maryland – Misti Adams
*
Massachusetts – Latoyia Foster
*
Michigan – Rebekah Lynn Decker
*
Minnesota – Lanore van Buren
*
Mississippi – Heather Soriano
*
Missouri –
Melana Scantlin
Melana Scantlin (born December 4, 1977 Gladstone, Missouri) is an American entertainment journalist, sports journalist and former Miss Missouri USA, and reality TV star who also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants. In college, sh ...
*
Montana – Meredith McCannel
*
Nebraska – Stacey Skidmore
*
Nevada – Jenny Valdez
*
New Hampshire – Audra Paquette
*
New Jersey – Robin Williams
*
New Mexico – Ellyn Colyer
*
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
– Karla Cavalli
*
North Carolina – Alison English
*
North Dakota – Amy Elkins
*
Ohio – Kimberly Mullen
*
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
– Kasie Head
*
Oregon – Kristi Walkowski
*
Pennsylvania – Nicole Bigham
*
Rhode Island – Janet Sutton
*
South Carolina – Ashley Williams
*
South Dakota – Sitania Syrovatka
*
Tennessee –
Allison Alderson
Allison Leigh Alderson DeMarcus (born January 18, 1977) is an American actress, TV host and beauty queen who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America pageants. Alderson is married to Jay DeMarcus, the bassist in the band Rascal ...
*
Texas –
Kasi Kelly
*
Utah – Abbie Smith
*
Vermont – Brooke Angus
*
Virginia –
Julie Laipply
Julie Laipply is an American television personality, speaker and author who is recognized for her work promoting youth leadership development.
Laipply won the Miss Virginia USA 2002 title in a state pageant held in late 2001. She represented Vir ...
*
Washington – Carly Shorten
*
West Virginia – Angela Davenport
*
Wisconsin – Cortney Owen
*
Wyoming – Jeannie Crofts
Historical significance
*
District of Columbia wins competition for the second time. This became the first win for the District of Columbia in 38 years, when
Bobbie Johnson
Barbara Joan "Bobbi" Johnson (born March 24, 1945) is an American former computer application engineer and beauty pageant titleholder who held the Miss USA 1964 title and has competed in the Miss Universe pageant.
After winning the Miss District ...
won
Miss USA 1964
Miss USA 1964 was the 13th Miss USA pageant, held in Miami Beach, Florida on July 29, 1964. This was the last Miss USA pageant to be held as an inclusive part of the Miss Universe event.
The pageant was won by Bobbi Johnson of the District of ...
.
*
Kansas earns the ''1st runner-up'' position for the second time. The last time it placed this was in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
.
*
Indiana earns the ''2nd runner-up'' position for the second time. The last time it placed this was in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
. Also had its highest placement since
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
.
*
Minnesota earns the ''3rd runner-up'' position for the first time and reaches its highest placement since
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
.
*
Connecticut earns the ''4th runner-up'' position for the first time and reaches its highest placement since
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
.
* States that placed in semifinals the previous year were
District of Columbia,
Rhode Island and
Texas. All of them made their second consecutive placement.
*
Alabama,
Kansas,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
South Carolina last placed in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
.
*
California and
Indiana last placed in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
.
*
Louisiana last placed in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
.
*
Minnesota last placed in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
.
*
Connecticut last placed in
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
.
*
Georgia breaks an ongoing streak of placements since
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
.
*
Tennessee breaks an ongoing streak of placements since
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
.
*
Michigan breaks an ongoing streak of placements since
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
.
Swimsuit controversy
Controversy erupted over the choice of swimsuits for the swimsuit final competition. Six of the 51 delegates chose an all-red one-piece, while the rest wore a two-piece option.
The New York Post reported one contestant, Tarah Marie Peters of
California, had points deducted by one judge because of her choice of a one-piece suit, thus eliminating her from the top five contestants. She was the only one of the top twelve who wore the one-piece option.
Crossovers
Ten delegates had previously competed in either the
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Mis ...
or
Miss America
Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
pageants, including the two Triple Crown winners who had competed in both. One delegate later won a Miss America state title.
Delegates who had previously held a Miss Teen USA state title were:
*Kelly Lloyd (Indiana) -
Miss Indiana Teen USA
The Miss Indiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Indiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant is currently produced by CROWN MOXIE, LLC headed by JScot Reid. It was formerly produced b ...
1993 (1st runner-up at Miss Teen USA 1993)
*Nicole Bigham (Pennsylvania) -
Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA
The Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant is independently conducted and produced by Proctor Productions based in Cincinna ...
1994
*
Allison Alderson
Allison Leigh Alderson DeMarcus (born January 18, 1977) is an American actress, TV host and beauty queen who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America pageants. Alderson is married to Jay DeMarcus, the bassist in the band Rascal ...
(Tennessee) -
Miss Tennessee Teen USA
The Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Greenwood Productions under the ownership of Miss Tennessee USA 1989, Kim ...
1994 (Top 6 finalist at Miss Teen USA 1994)
*
Melana Scantlin
Melana Scantlin (born December 4, 1977 Gladstone, Missouri) is an American entertainment journalist, sports journalist and former Miss Missouri USA, and reality TV star who also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants. In college, sh ...
(Missouri) -
Miss Missouri Teen USA
The Miss Missouri Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss Teen USA pageant. It is directed by Vanbros and Associates, based in Lenexa, Kansas. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros ...
1995 (Top 12 semi-finalist at Miss Teen USA 1995)
*
Tara Tucker (Alabama) -
Miss Alabama Teen USA
The Miss Alabama Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss Teen USA pageant and the name of the title held by that winner.
Alabama's success at Miss Teen USA has improved in recent ...
1997
*Alita Dawson (Connecticut) -
Miss Connecticut Teen USA 1997
*Elizabeth Arnold (Kentucky) -
Miss Kentucky Teen USA
The Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.
Gabriella Hembree of Carrollton was crowned Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2022 on March 26, 2022 at The Cente ...
1998
*Christine Olejniczak (Alaska) -
Miss Alaska Teen USA
Miss Alaska Teen USA is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alaska in the Miss Teen USA pageant and the name of the title held by that winner.
The pageant is part of the Miss Universe Organization which also holds the ...
2000
Delegates who had previously held a Miss America state title or would later win one were:
*Keely Gaston (Colorado) -
Miss Colorado 1998
*Heather Soriano (Mississippi) -
Miss Mississippi 1999
*Kelly Lloyd (Indiana) -
Miss Indiana 1999 (Albert A. Marks Jr. Interview award)
*
Allison Alderson
Allison Leigh Alderson DeMarcus (born January 18, 1977) is an American actress, TV host and beauty queen who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America pageants. Alderson is married to Jay DeMarcus, the bassist in the band Rascal ...
(Tennessee) -
Miss Tennessee
The Miss Tennessee competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss America Scholarship Competition.
Lauren Dickson of Parsons was crowned Miss Tennessee 2022 on June 25, 2022 at the Cannon Center ...
1999
*Audra Paquette (New Hampshire) -
Miss New Hampshire 2005
Delegates who participate in other beauty pageant later are:
*Brooke Elizabeth Angus (Vermont) - Representative of United States in
Miss World 2006.
Judges
*
Tom Brady
*
Joyce Brothers
*
Willa Ford
Amanda Lee Williford (born January 22, 1981), known by her stage name Willa Ford, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model, television personality and film actress. She released her debut album, ''Willa Was Here'', in 2001. Ford also ha ...
*
Jermaine Jackson
*
Kim Powers
*
Audrey Quock
Audrey Quock is an American model and actress.
Biography
Quock was born in New York, New York, in Manhattan and is of Chinese descent. She is perhaps most famous for being a swimsuit model for ''Sports Illustrated''. She has also modeled for ' ...
*
Victor Williams
*
Nikki Ziering
See also
*
Miss Universe 2002
References
External links
Miss USA official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Usa 2002
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
2002 beauty pageants
March 2002 events in the United States
2002 in Indiana