Miss Missouri USA
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. 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 Bayleigh Dayton in 2017, placing Top 10. 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 will represent Missouri for the title of Miss USA 2022.
beauty contest
female beauty pageant