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| (Jeff Bottari/AP Photo) |
Erin Brady, Miss Connecticut USA, has won Miss USA 2013!. She won the beauty pageant Sunday night after strutting in a white sparkly gown and answering a question about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding widespread DNA tests.
She beat out 51 other beauty queens every U.S. state and Washington D.C. at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip to take the title from outgoing champion Miss Maryland Nana Meriwether.
Before Brady won tonight, Nana Meriwether was reigning Miss USA. Meriwether took the title when Olivia Culpo, the winner of last year's competition, advanced to win Miss Universe. Both competitions, under the umbrella of the Miss Universe Organization, are headed up by Donald Trump. Tonight Culpo announced the next Miss Universe competition will make its home in Moscow this November.
This year's Miss USA judges included actress Wendie Malick, singer and TV host Christina Milian, reality show star-actress NeNe Leakes and fashion designer-turned-reality star Betsey Johnson.
Miss Alabama USA was first runner-up in the field of 51 Miss USA contestants, a group that became progressively smaller over the two-hour contest, pageant pros strutting their stuff and answering questions about privacy concerns, treason, swimsuits and packing during the Las Vegas pageant.
Erin Brady, 25, is from East Hampton, Conn. She works as a financial accountant and earned a finance degree at Central Connecticut State University, where she minored in criminal justice.
As Miss USA, Brady gets the crown and a New York apartment for one year. She is expected to spend her title reign on a nationwide speaking tour and raising breast and ovarian cancer awareness, the organization's official cause.
Brady will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow this winter.
The animal rights organization People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals is using the pageant to stage a protest of fur and the tradition of awarding furs to winners of some state pageants.
PETA has made a provocative ad featuring four nude former Miss USA winners. The tagline is: "Feel Beautiful in Your Own Skin, and Let Animals Keep Theirs."
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Yvette Cruz contributed to this report.
Hannah Dreier can be reached at http://twitter.com/hannahdreier
As Miss USA, Brady gets the crown and a New York apartment for one year. She is expected to spend her title reign on a nationwide speaking tour and raising breast and ovarian cancer awareness, the organization's official cause.
Brady will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow this winter.
The animal rights organization People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals is using the pageant to stage a protest of fur and the tradition of awarding furs to winners of some state pageants.
PETA has made a provocative ad featuring four nude former Miss USA winners. The tagline is: "Feel Beautiful in Your Own Skin, and Let Animals Keep Theirs."
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Yvette Cruz contributed to this report.
Hannah Dreier can be reached at http://twitter.com/hannahdreier
