This past weekend, Las Vegas was more than just a summer hot spot for bottle service and laying poolside in a cabana. The Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino on Sunday night.
Miss Hawaii Angela Byrd. Credit: Miss Universe L.P., LLLP/Patrick Prather.
Miss Hawaii Angela Byrd made it past the swimsuit competition and earned herself a spot in the top 10. Credit: James Otoa/EverettMaking it to the top 10 was Miss Hawaii, Angela Byrd. The 23-year-old English-Scottish Korean sauntered across the stage in a shimmery blue string bikini and nude strappy stilettos during the swimsuit competition. Then she donned an embellished off-white evening gown before she was thrown out of the competition when the judges selected the top four. Despite the loss, Byrd–who also works as a model–plans on continuing her education to become a physician assistant.
The new Miss Hawaii USA, Angela Byrd, being crowned.
This year’s Miss USA Pageant, which will air in May on NBC, is a biggie: it’s the 60th anniversary. And while we find too few Asian faces represented in the national competition, we can usually count on Hawaii to put up an Asian American contestant. Hawaii was the most recent state to join the Miss USA competition (in 1962), and four Miss Hawaii USA winners (including eventual Miss Universe winner Brook Lee) have gone on to win the national title of Miss USA, while Chinese-Filipino-Hawaiian American actress Kelly Hu went on to win the Miss Teen USA competition in 1985.
