Miss USA 2012
Miss USA 2012, the 61st Miss USA pageant, was held on June 3, 2012, at The AXIS in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alyssa Campanella of California crowned her successor Olivia Culpo of Rhode Island at the end of the event. Culpo represented the United States at Miss Universe 2012 and became the eighth American to win the Miss Universe title.
After Culpo's Miss Universe win, first runner-up Nana Meriwether of Maryland inherited the Miss USA title. Meriwether became the second woman from Maryland to hold the Miss USA title; the first, Mary Leona Gage, was dethroned shortly after winning.
The 50 states and the District of Columbia competed for the prestigious title. The pageant was televised live on NBC in the U.S.A. The full preliminary round, as well as highlights from the event, is available over Xbox Live via their YouTube and MSN applications.
For the first time, a question was solicited from Twitter for the final question asked of one of the five finalists. That question picked by the pageant organizers - "Would you feel it would be fair that a transgender woman wins the Miss USA title over a natural-born woman?" - was answered by the winner, Culpo.
Results
| Final Results | Contestant |
| Miss USA 2012 |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |  Maryland – Nana Meriwether ∞ |
| 2nd Runner-Up |  Ohio – Audrey Bolte |
| 3rd Runner-Up |  Nevada – Jade Kelsall |
| 4th Runner-Up |  Georgia – Jazz Wilkins |
| Top 10 |  Alabama – Katherine Webb Colorado – Marybel Gonzalez New Jersey – Michelle Leonardo Oklahoma – Lauren Lundeen Texas – Brittany Booker |
| Top 16 |  Arkansas – Kelsey Dow ‡ Louisiana – Erin Edmiston Maine – Rani Williamson Michigan – Kristen Danyal South Carolina – Erika Powell Tennessee – Jessica Hibler |
Rhode Island – Olivia Culpo∞ Culpo won Miss Universe 2012. Due to protocol, Culpo resigns her title as Miss USA 2012. 1st runner-up, Nana Meriwether, replaces her as Miss USA.
Special awards
Order of announcement
Top 16
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Ohio
- Michigan
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Texas
- Colorado
- Oklahoma
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- Rhode Island
- Nevada
- Arkansas
Top 10
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Ohio
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- Rhode Island
- Nevada
Top 5
- Georgia
- Nevada
- Rhode Island
- Maryland
- Ohio
Delegates
Judges
Preliminary Judges- Michael Agbabian
- Cindy Barshop
- Stefan C. Campbell
- Renee Simon
- Alison Taub
- Kim Wagner
- Randall Winston
- Sol Vargas
- Ali Fedotowsky
- Arsenio Hall
- Marilu Henner
- Joe Jonas
- Rob Kardashian
- George Kotsiopoulos
- Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008 from Venezuela
Background music
- Opening Fashion Show – "Turn Up the Radio" by Madonna, and "LaserLight" by Jessie J featuring David Guetta
- Swimsuit Competition – "#1Nite " and "You Make Me Feel..." by Cobra Starship
- Evening Gown Competition – "Lights" by Ellie Goulding
- Top 5 Final Look – "America's Most Wanted" by Akon
Historical significance
- Rhode Island wins the competition for the first time, surpasses its previous highest placement in 2007 and becoming the 31st state who does it for the first time. Would go on to win Miss Universe 2012 in December of that year as USA.
- Maryland earns the 1st runner-up position for the second time. The last time it placed this was in 1968. Also became the second woman from Maryland to win the Miss USA title. Prior to this Mary Leona Gage, outright winner of Miss USA 1957, was disqualified after discovered she had been married and had two children. She finished as 1st runner-up, but succeeded as Miss USA 2012 after Olivia Culpo won Miss Universe.
- Ohio earns the 2nd runner-up position for the first time and reaches its highest placement since Halle Berry in 1986.
- Nevada earns the 3rd runner-up position for the first time and reaches its highest placement since 2007.
- Georgia earns the 4th runner-up position for the sixth time. The last time it placed this was in 1989.
- States that placed in the top 16 the previous year were Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
- Tennessee made its seventh straight placement.
- Alabama and Maine placed for the third consecutive year.
- Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas made their second consecutive placement.
- Ohio last placed in 2006.
- Louisiana and Nevada last placed in 2007.
- New Jersey and Rhode Island last placed in 2008.
- Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan and Oklahoma last placed in 2010. Arkansas
Kelsey Dow made it past the first elimination due to new media technology. - California breaks an ongoing streak of placements since 2005 after Natalie Pack failed to place in the semifinals.
- Missouri breaks an ongoing streak of placements since 2010.