A special look back at previous pageants. A new pageant will be featured each month.
Theme Song
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
Right in the middle
Right in the middle
We're right in the middle of heartland USA
Hey, diddle diddle
Right in the middle
We're solving the riddle who'll be Miss USA
From the East, and the West, and the North and the South
We're here to stay
We're fifty one and tonight when we're done,
only one, Miss USA
Right in the middle
Right in the middle
We're right in the middle of heartland
"Oh yes, we love to stay!"
Heartland
Wichita, Kansas
USA
Right in the middle!
Best State Costume - Miss Indiana
"Sunrise on the Plains"
Tidbits about the pageant
8 of the 11 semi finalists came from the South; Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky and Virginia.
Based on the prelimenary scores, Miss Texas, Katie Young, was the judges' favorite. Shannon Marketic had one, if not, the lowest average score of the 11 semi finalists.
First runner up, Miss Alabama, Candace Brown has the same birthday as guest commentator, Deborah Shelton, a former Miss USA herself.
Miss Oklahoma, Maya Walker competed as Miss Colorado in the Miss America Pageant in 1988.
Miss Arizona, Kris Keim also represented Arizona in the very first Miss Teen USA Pageant in 1983.
Miss North Carolina, Tess Elliot, almost foretold her future on her taped comment during the swimsuit segment of the pageant when she said, "My philosphy is that you can't really determine when or where, how you'll leave this place so I like to live it up while I'm here and make everything count." Shortly after the pageant, Tess died in a skydiving accident.
Tess is not the only contestant from this batch to die early. Miss West Virginia, Vicki Meyers passed away on January 28, 2007 at her home in Parkersburg.
Winner, Shannon Marketic filed a $90 million lawsuit in 1997 against the Sultan of Brunei for allegedly being held against her will and was forced to do inappropriate acts, after her original modeling contract ended.
