Kandace Krueger took the top spot on the judges' scorecards. This still photo was taken during the video session shot in a Gary steel mill prior to the live finals.

Hoping to inject the spark into a new economy, Gary, Indiana, played host to the 50th Anniversary Miss USA Pageant. Grab your hard hat and join us in examining the Golden Anniversary event.

By Derek Miller

From a new production team to a newly installed
management team, the 2001 Miss USA pageant tried hard to throw a party worthy of its 50-year history. The 51 delegates, called "steel magnolias," would compete for the title of Miss USA and the opportunity to compete for the crown of Miss Universe. The contestants had spent nearly two weeks in the shadows of once-productive steel mills in Gary, Indiana, preparing for the "big show," as co-owner Donald Trump referred to it. But what would the "big show" have to offer the legions of fans attending and tuning in to view the March 2 telecast on CBS?

LIFE IMITATES ART William Shatner hosts the finals, a role he played in 'Miss Congeniality.'

From the opening credits, the show proved to be anything but the usual fare. With Hall of Fame football coach and motivational speaker Mike Ditka pumping the girls into a feverish pitch reminiscent of his days down the road with the NFL Chicago Bears, the show promised all of the heat and high-voltage energy a steel town could muster. As the opening credits gave way to the raucous crowd in attendance, former Star Trek hero Captain Kirk and emcee William Shatner--recently in the pageant blockbuster hit film Miss Congeniality (in which Pageantry magazine was featured as the bible of the industry)--bounded onto the stage to reprise his movie role as the real-life emcee of the golden anniversary Miss USA pageant. As in the past few years, the pageant, or "competition," as we were informed, once again would attempt to reinvent itself as a current and valuable cultural icon.

Youthful and full of energy--this would be the face of the new Miss USA in her golden anniversary year.

Immediately deviating from Miss USA's traditional opening "Parade of States," the show instead began with a musical performance by the brothers Evan and Jarod, in which the contestants surrounded the stage in a look strikingly similar to a musical awards show. Following the performance, the audience was treated to a taped MTV-style contestant introduction as the 51 delegates prepared themselves for the announcement of the top 10. These delegates who had dedicated themselves to representing their home state during the Miss USA finals were afforded no live screen time to introduce themselves to their supporters.

In the interest of political correctness, viewers were informed that this was not a pageant, it was a competition. These were not girls, these were delegates. These were not skimpy swimsuits, these were submergible marine attire.

More familiar to veteran viewers was the top 10 announcement, as 10 delegates advanced from the preliminary competition to compete before a nationwide audience. To the thundering cheers of their supporters, the 10 semifinalists excitedly descended onto the stage, including: Miss Oklahoma Cortney Amaretta Phillips, Miss Tennessee Lisa Tollett, Miss Georgia Tiffany Fallon, Miss Rhode Island Yanaiza Alvarez, Miss Nevada Gina Giacinto, Miss Oregon Endia Abrante, Miss District of Columbia Liane Angus, Miss Texas Kandace Krueger, Miss Michigan Kenya Howard, and Miss Missouri Larissa Meek. All of the sacrifice and hard work endured by these goal-oriented young women would culminate in the crowning of one of them as Miss USA 2001, the 50th woman to wear the crown.

In one of the few acknowledgments to past tradition, two titleholders were present to feature within the telecast. After a couple of years in which the current reigning queens within the Miss Universe organization were excluded from participating in the festivities of their sister pageants (Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA), at least the current Miss Universe Laura Dutta and former Miss Teen USA and rising actress Vanessa Manillo were on hand to share firsthand knowledge of what the contestants were feeling and thinking behind the scenes. In a break from tradition, the show attempted to take on the appearance of other prime-time broadcasts--those of the numerous music, movie, and TV awards specials. In the interest of political correctness, viewers were informed that this was not a pageant, it was a competition. These were not girls, these were delegates. These were not skimpy swimsuits, these were submergible marine attire. With this clarified and with the first of several self-deprecating skits performed by Vanessa and the wildly humorous Tommy Davidson (comedian from the show In Living Color) completed, the show thankfully then proceeded into the first true pageant segment of the evening--swimsuit competition.

This was part traditional, part refined. Lasting until the end of the first hour of the two-hour special, the swimsuit competition featured a new but vaguely familiar up-close-and-personal video segment which showcased the top 10 delegates introduced through video imagery taped earlier within a local steel mill. The actual swimsuit competition was interspersed with more self-parodying humor clips, leaving many to wonder precisely who was the show's intended target audience.

In another departure from tradition, the organization decided to lead off the evening gown competition with one of the more controversial send-ups of the pageant industry--a behind-the-scenes parody depicting an overly flamboyant runway coach teaching contestants to walk the fashion "catwalk." The live audience responded with nervous laughter. As within the swimsuit segment, the producers abandoned familiarity in the elegant evening gown competition by introducing up-tempo fashion designer runway beat music. Perhaps familiar to those of us who attend the various fashion markets, the runway segments must have surprised many in attendance who were expecting what traditionally is a poised, elegant, and glamorous portion of the show.

THE FIVE FINALISTS: Miss Nevada Gina Giacinto (L-R), Miss Missouri Larissa Meek, Miss Texas Kandace Krueger, Miss District of Columbia Liane Angus, and Miss Georgia Tiffany Fallon.

With swimsuit and evening gown segments complete, the celebrity panel of judges further reduced the finalist list to five. Continuing to the on-stage interview portion of the competition were Miss Nevada, Miss Missouri, Miss Texas, Miss District of Columbia, and Miss Georgia. These five young women would answer questions provided by the celebrity judges, allowing each contestant to present her unique personality to the judges and audience. The on-stage interview, which can exert an immediate influence on the final outcome of the event, covered a broad range of social and personal issues, including whether money could buy justice, whether more rigorous testing would improve our educational system, and the ambiguous question of whether the media's need for controversy is bad for sports.

And then, there were three. The on-stage interview had provided the impetus needed to once again narrow the field. Advancing to the final question would be Miss District of Columbia, a 24-year-old rehabilitation therapist and personal trainer, Liane Angus. Joining her would be Miss Texas, a 24-year-old senior journalism student at Texas A&M University, Kandace Krueger. The trio would become complete with the addition of Miss Georgia, a 26-year-old flight attendant, Tiffany Fallon. As the final three contestants prepared for the final question of the evening--the same question would be posed to all three--which would determine the identity of the new Miss USA, two special awards were announced. Miss Congeniality (the award, not the movie), chosen by her sister delegates, went to Miss North Carolina Monica Palumbo. The Clairol-sponsored award for best hair was bestowed upon Miss Maryland Megan Gunning.

The opportunity to become Miss USA would come down to the final answers to the question of allowing or encouraging human cloning. How would the three anxious young women react? Would they have different opinions, or would the three agree in principle? Human cloning received a resounding "No" from each of the contestants. While each made mention of the possible medical benefits, all three agreed that this was not an endeavor we should pursue at this time. With each contestant virtually providing the same answer, the final decision would have to be based upon the intangibles--the conviction and believability projected by each finalist.

As the celebrity judges, telecast audience, and home viewers contemplated who should wear the crown of Miss USA, the lovely Miss USA 2000 Lynette Cole was finally introduced for her final walk as Miss USA. As the heartfelt applause for Lynette Cole subsided, the final decision of the judges was rendered to William Shatner. Second runner-up would be Miss Georgia. First runner-up would be Miss District of Columbia. That left a disbelieving Miss Texas Kandace Krueger as the 50th anniversary Miss USA, with the right to represent the United States in the Miss Universe Pageant. It was a record-setting eighth time that a Texas contestant would win the coveted crown.

Looking back at the show and ahead to Miss USA's next 50 years, some questions are left for future pageant officials to ponder. Not only was the target audience possibly confused, but the entire focus of the show was questionable. Was this a comedy or a network special event? Glamour or schtick? Did the changes create a new audience or alienate supporters? Was this unbalanced format accepted or considered as heresy by the industry? If the show's producers wonder how the public responded, perhaps they can gleen some meaning by looking at the early and final audience totals reported by the Nielsen ratings. Industry watchers and long-time organization supporters, however, can only hope the uneven production was an aberration, left over from the previous management team, and that the next 50 years for Miss USA will indeed be golden.

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