Nia Sanchez (left) being crowned Miss USA 2014 by last year’s Erin Brady (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)
MISS USA 2014 NIA SANCHEZ OF NEVADA
The 63rd Miss USA has been crowned at the Baton Rouge River Center and she is none other than 24 year-old Nia Sanchez of Nevada who defeated 50 other state representatives in a longer (3 hours) pageant filled with quite a number of changes in presentation and introductions.
Her court of beauties include 1st Runner-Up Audra Mari of North Dakota, 2nd Runner-Up Tiana Griggs of Georgia, 3rd Runner-Up Brittany Guidry of Louisiana, 4th Runner-Up Brittany Oldehoff of Florida and 5th Runner-Up Carlyn Bradarich of Iowa. The 5’8″ Nia from Las Vegas will now be the US rep to Miss Universe 2014 to be held in a still-unannounced host city come December.
In the suspense-tinged announcement order of the Top 20 which took practically an hour of airtime, the calling-out was divided into five groups and a random number of ladies in each, as follows:
First Group
1. Virginia – Arielle Rosmarino
2. North Dakota – Audra Mari
3. Georgia – Tiana Griggs
4. Indiana – Mekayla Diehl
Second Group
5. Tennessee – Kristy Niedenfuer
6. Florida – Brittany Oldehoff
7. California – Cassandra Kunze
Third Group
8. Alabama – Jessica Ahlberg
9. Nevada – Nia Sanchez
10. Arizona – Jordan Wessel
11. Maryland – Taylor Burton
12. Minnesota – Haley O’Brien
Fourth Group
13. Oklahoma – Brooklynne Young
14. New Jersey – Emily Shah
15. Louisiana – Brittany Guidry
Fifth Group
16. Iowa – Carlyn Bradarich
17. Nebraska – Amanda Soltero
18. Wisconsin – Bishara Dorre
19. Pennsylvania – Valerie Gatto
20. South Carolina – Christina Zapolski
It’s a bummer that they did away with the showing of scores on the TV screen, but the other innovations made up for it in a way.
As is usual, Special Awards were handed out:
Miss Photogenic: California – Cassandra Kunze
Miss Congeniality: Rhode Island – Christina Palavra
Afterwards, 50% of the initial qualifiers were eliminated which left only the Top 10 to move on with the competition, and they are:
1. Florida – Brittany Oldehoff
2. North Dakota – Audra Mari
3. Georgia – Tiana Griggs
4. Maryland – Taylor Burton
5. California – Cassandra Kunze
6. South Carolina – Christina Zapolski
7. Iowa – Carlyn Bradarich
8. Wisconsin – Bishara Dorre
9. Nevada – Nia Sanchez
10. Louisiana – Brittany Guidry
At this point, the #SaveTheQueen winner (who was selected based on the most number of tweets) was being reminded as joining the next cut to the Top 5, which effectively made the magic circle a Top 6.
The Top 6:
Georgia – Tiana Griggs
Louisiana – Brittany Guidry
Nevada – Nia Sanchez
Florida – Brittany Oldehoff
North Dakota – Audra Mari
#SaveTheQueen tweet-winner is Iowa – Carlyn Bradarich
Nia outlasted them all
The Top-tier Honor Roll:
MISS USA 2014: Nia Sanchez of Nevada
1st Runner-Up: Audra Mari of North Dakota
2nd Runner-Up: Tiana Griggs of Georgia
3rd Runner-Up: Brittany Guidry of Louisiana
4th Runner-Up: Brittany Oldehoff of Florida
5th Runner-Up: Carlyn Bradarich of Iowa
Congratulations to all the winners!!! :-D
