Miss Utah USA

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

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]

Miss Utah USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Salt Lake City
Location	Utah
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Exec. Director	Shanna Moakler
Website	Official website

Heather Anderson, Miss Utah USA 2007

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	Previously Miss Utah's Outstanding Teen 2014^[2] Previously Miss Utah 2017^[3] Shortest reigning Miss Utah USA at 9 months and 7 days
2020	Rachel Slawson	Park City	25			Previously Miss Utah Earth 2019 First openly LGBT person to compete in Miss USA Longest reigning Miss Utah USA at 1 year, 7 months and 3 days
2019	Amanda Renée Giroux^[citation needed]	Riverdale	22
2018	Narine Ishhanov	Bluffdale	24			Born in Turkmenistan
2017	Baylee Lynn Jensen	South Jordan	22			Daughter of Miss USA 1989 Gretchen Polhemus
2016	Teale Shawn Murdock	Salt Lake City	26			Joining under the Miss USA system on her 9th consecutive year, including 1 appearance in Miss Texas Teen USA and 8 straight appearances in Utah as Miss, before winning the title in 2016
2015	Nicol Elizabeth Powell	Salt Lake City	21			Sister of Marissa Powell, Miss Utah USA 2013
2014	Angelia Nichole Layton	Salt Lake City	22			Previously Miss Utah Teen USA 2010 and 3rd runner-up at Miss Teen USA Contestant on Survivor: Philippines
2013	Marissa Powell^[4]	Salt Lake City	20^[5]	3rd runner-up	Miss Photogenic	Sister of Nicol Powell, Miss Utah USA 2015
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

1. Charlotte Sheffield was 1st runner-up at Miss USA, but succeeded the title when Mary Leona Gage was dethroned.
2. Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

1. "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.
2. "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.
3. "Winners of 2017 Miss Utah". KUTV.com. June 17, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
4. "Marissa Powell Crowned Miss Utah USA 2013". Beauty Pageant News. October 28, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
5. "KUTV2 News "Person 2 Person": Marissa Powell". October 14, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
6. "Miss Outstanding Teen chasing national dream".

External links

• Official website