Miss Missouri USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss Missouri.

The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Vanbros and Associates, based in Lenexa, Kansas. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system.

Miss Missouri USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Lenexa
Location	Missouri
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Key people	John M. Vannatta Jason Vannatta Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher, State Pageant Director
Website	Official website

Missouri has had only one Miss USA, Shandi Finnessey, who placed as 1st runner-up to Jennifer Hawkins of Australia in the Miss Universe 2004 pageant. The most recent placement was Mikala McGhee in 2022, placing Top 16. Three Miss Missouri USAs have competed at Miss America, including Finnessey. Six former Miss Teen USA delegates have also won the title, equalling Indiana and Virginia for the most crossovers, although both Indiana and Missouri have had titleholders who competed in a different state at Miss Teen USA.

Mikala McGhee of St. Louis was crowned Miss Missouri USA 2022 on May 1, 2022 at The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts in Branson, Missouri. She represented Missouri for the title of Miss USA 2022, placed at the top 16.

Gallery of titleholders

•  

  Larissa Meek, Miss Missouri USA 2001

•  

  Shandi Finnessey Miss Missouri USA and Miss USA 2004

•  

  Amber Seyer, Miss Missouri USA 2007

•  

  Candice Crawford, Miss Missouri USA 2008

•  

  Katie Kearney, Miss Missouri USA 2012

Results summary

Placements

• Miss USA's: Shandi Finnessey (2004)
• 2nd runners-up: Carolyn Carlew (1952), Sandra Lee Marlin (1963), Melanie Breedlove (1998)
• 3rd runners-up: Nancy Rebecca Rich (1971), Sandra Percival (1984), Dawn Fonseca (1987)
• 4th runners-up: Karen Hendrix (1967)
• Top 5: Larissa Meek, (2001)
• Top 10/12: Dorothy Ann McElven (1974), Nancy LaRose (1975), Donna Hibbitts (1976), Amy Ruth Coverdale (1985), Shelly Lehman (1994), Britt Powell (1995), Amber Seyer (2007), Candice Crawford (2008), Ashley Strohmier (2010), Sydnee Stottlemyre (2016), Bayleigh Dayton (2017)
• Top 15/16/20: Alice Jean Porritt (1954), Barbara Jayne Stell (1959), Marilyn Jean Stalcup (1960), Hope Driskill (2011), Megan Renee Kelly (2020), Mikala McGhee (2022)

Missouri holds a record of 26 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

• Miss Congeniality: Bayleigh Dayton (2017)

Winners

Color key

•   Declared as Winner
•   Ended as runner-up
•   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age^[a]	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2023	Miss Missouri USA 2023 will be crowned on May 21, 2023^[1]
2022	Mikala McGhee	St. Louis	28	Top 16		Appeared on MTV reality show Made
2021	Joye Forrest	Spanish Lake	25			Former professional cheerleader of Laker Girls
2020	Megan Renee Kelly	Seymour	22	Top 16
2019	Miriah Ludtke	St. Louis	24
2018	Victoria "Tori" Kruse	Osage Beach	26
2017	Bayleigh Dayton	Lee's Summit	23	Top 10	Miss Congeniality (tied with Miss Wyoming USA 2017 Mikaela Shaw)	Later a 2x HouseGuest on Big Brother First ever African-American Miss Missouri USA Later a contestant in The Challenge: Total Madness
2016	Sydnee Stottlemyre	Chesterfield	21	Top 10		Triple crown winner Previously Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen 2008 4th runner-up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2009 Miss Missouri Teen USA 2011 4th runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2011
2015	Rebecca Dunn	Columbia	23			Game Day Host for the Missouri Mavericks and Entertainment Host for Fox 22. Former anchor at Newsy.com.
2014	Erica Sturdefant	Springfield	23			Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 2010
2013	Ellie Holtman^[2]	Montgomery City	20
2012	Katie Kearney	St. Louis	23
2011	Hope Driskill	Jefferson City	21	Top 16		Contestant of Survivor: Caramoan as a part of "fans" tribe Cousin of Hayden Brax, Miss Kansas USA 2020
2010	Ashley Strohmier	Jefferson City	21	Top 10		ABC 17 KMIZ Evening News Anchor
2009	Stacey Smith	Florissant	22
2008	Candice Crawford	Columbia	21	Top 10		Sister of actor Chace Crawford and wife of NFL quarterback Tony Romo.
2007	Amber Seyer	Oran	20	Top 10		Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 2003 Wife of baseball pitcher Barry Zito
2006	Kristi Capel	Springfield	22			Weather presenter at WBRE
2005	Andrea Ciliberti	Kansas City	21			Contestant on Beauty and the Geek, season 3
2004	Ashley Litton	Columbia	20	Did not compete		Top 15 semi-finalist at Miss Missouri USA 2004 Assumed the state title after 1st runner-up Danielle Crafton (when she already crowned a title unrelated to Miss USA system) declined the title when Shandi Finnessey won Miss USA title
	Shandi Finnessey	Florissant	25	Miss USA 2004		1st runner-up at Miss Universe 2004 Previously Miss Missouri 2002 3rd runner-up at Miss Oktoberfest 2000
2003	Tara Bollinger		23
2002	Melana Scantlin	Gladstone	24			Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 1995 Top 12 at Miss Teen USA 1995 Reality TV star competed in Average Joe
2001	Larissa Meek	St. Louis	23	Top 5		Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 1997 Reality TV star competed in Average Joe
2000	Denette Roderick
1999	Teri Bollinger					Previously Miss Illinois Teen USA 1990
1998	Melanie Breedlove		22	2nd runner-up		Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 1993
1997	Amanda Jahn	St Joseph	25
1996	Aimee Rinehart		24
1995	Britt Powell	Kansas City		Semi-finalist		Later Mrs. Arizona America 2004 under her married name, Britt Boyse;^[3] Current director of Arizona pageants in Miss and Teen divisions.
1994	Shelly Lehman			Semi-finalist
1993	Stephanie Nunn	Marshfield				Mother of Miss Missouri Teen USA 2016 Dallas Ezard
1992	Tonya Snodgrass					Mother of Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2016 Makenzie Sexton
1991	Tiffany Hazel
1990	Lori Suschnick	Liberal				Mother of Miss Missouri Teen USA 2018 Chloe Bartlett
1989	Rhonda Hoglan					Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 1985 3rd runner-up at Miss Teen USA 1985
1988	Alecia Workman
1987	Dawn Fonseca	Independence	22	3rd runner-up
1986	Barbara Webster	Kansas City				Previously Miss Missouri 1983 Top 10 semifinalist for Miss America 1984
1985	Amy Coverdale	Columbia		Semi-finalist
1984	Sandra Percival	Sunrise Beach	20	3rd runner-up		Later Miss International USA 1984 and competed at Miss International 1984, did not place
1983	Robin Riley	Columbia				Later Miss Missouri 1987, top 10 semifinalist for Miss America 1988
1982	Susan Heiman	Kansas City
1981	Karyn Smagacz	Fulton
1980	Kelly Laxson	Kansas City
1979	Virginia Dean
1978	Paula Taylor
1977	Connie Ast					Successor to crown; Competed at Miss USA 1977
	Leigh Middleton			Did not compete		Won the title of Miss Missouri USA 1977, but due to car accident, was unable to continue her reign or compete at Miss USA
1976	Donna Hibbitts			Semi-finalist
1975	Nancy LaRose	Marshall		Semi-finalist
1974	Dorothy McElven			Semi-finalist
1973	Camilla Crist
1972	Janet Potter
1971	Nancy Rich			3rd runner-up
1970	Suzette Grinham	Independence
1969	Sherry Hoffman
1968	Jan Barton	Macon
1967	Karen Hendrix			4th runner-up
1966	Martha Taylor
1965	Barbara Brooks
1964	Sandy Bawol					4th runner up in Miss World USA 1963
1963	Sandra Marlin			2nd runner-up
1962	Mikee Campbell
1961	Joan Roberts
1960	Marilyn Stalcup			Semi-finalist
1959	Barbara Stell			Semi-finalist
1958	Beverly Wright
1957	Judith Murback	Sikeston, Missouri
1956	Carol Thrower
1955	Bennie Pritchard
1954	Alice Porritt			Semi-finalist
1953	Donna Gardner
1952	Carolyn Carlew			2nd runner-up

1. Age at the time of crowning

References

1. "Event Information". Miss Missouri USA. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
2. "Miss Missouri USA 2013 is Ellie Holtman". Beauty Pageant News. November 5, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
3. . Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.

External links

• Official website