Miss California wins Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas
Miss
California USA, a New Jersey-born model and aspiring actress living in Los
Angeles, won the Miss USA pageant on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Alyssa Campanella 21, beat out a field of 50
other beauty queens and now will go on to represent the U.S. in the Miss
Universe contest. The striking redhead did more than parade on stage in
a bikini and evening gown. She also apparently won high marks from the judges
for her answer to a question about the legalization of marijuana, saying the
plant should not be legalized for general consumption but should be kept
available for medicinal use, according to the Associated Press.
Though she represented California in the contest, Campanella appears to still think of herself as an East Coaster. “Born and raised in the Garden State, Alyssa Campanella is not your typical Jersey girl, but New Jersey is where she calls home,” reads the welcome page on her website. The woman representing Tennessee was the first runner-up.
COMPETITION PHOTOS: BACKSTAGE
Miss Tennessee USA 2011, Ashley Durham, and Miss Washington USA 2011, Angelina Kayyalaynen prepare backstage before the LIVE
NBC broadcast of the 2011 MISS USA® Competition from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Theatre for the Performing Arts, in Las Vegas,
Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011 / Miss Massachusetts USA 2011, Alida D'Angona, Miss Nebraska USA 2011,
Haley Jo Herold, and Miss Delaware USA 2011, Katie Hanson.
Miss Virginia USA 2011, Nikki Poteet; Miss Connecticut USA 2011, Regina Turner; Miss North Dakota USA 2011, Brandi Lynn
Schoenberg; Miss Kansas USA 2011, Jaymie Stokes; and Miss Missouri USA 2011, Hope Driskill / Miss Utah USA 2011, Jamie Crandall;
Miss
Texas USA 2011, Ana Christina Rodriguez; and Miss Vermont USA 2011, Lauren
Carter
Miss
Iowa USA 2011, Rebecca Goldsmith
SWIMSUIT
Miss Florida USA 2011, Lissette Garcia from Miami, is a top 16
semifinalist vying for the title of Miss USA 2011 and the Diamond Nexus
Labs crown. She is wearing swimwear by Kandy Wrappers with shoes by Chinese
Laundry
as she models for the judges
Miss Georgia USA 2011, Kaylin Reque from Suwanee / Miss Hawaii USA 2011, Angela Byrd from Honolulu / Miss
New
Mexico USA 2011, Brittany Toll from Las Cruces
Miss
Missouri USA 2011, Hope Driskill from St. Louis
FINAL EIGHT IN EVENING GOWN
Miss Tennessee USA 2011, Ashley Durham, is announced as one of the top 8 finalists /
Miss
Texas USA 2011, Ana Christina Rodriguez.
FINAL FOUR
Miss Texas USA 2011, Ana Christina Rodriguez; Miss Alabama USA 2011, Madeline Mitchell; Miss Tennessee
USA
2011, Ashley Durham; and Miss California USA 2011, Alyssa Campanella are the
Final Four
WINNER
Miss Tennessee USA 2011, Ashley Durham is first runner up / The winner
reacts to the judges decision
Miss California USA 2011, Alyssa Campanella, is the winner
of
the 2011 MISS USA® Competition.
POST PAGEANT STAGE
Former Miss USA Titleholders pose on stage at the conclusion of the 60th Anniversary Miss USA 2011 Telecast.
