Miss USA Pageant Winner 2021 and Miss Kentucky : Elle Smith

Miss USA Pageant | Beauty Pageant | Miss Kentucky

Who Is Elle Smith? Meet Miss USA Pageant Winner 2021 and Miss Kentucky

Elle Smith was crowned the winner of the 2021 Miss USA pageant on November 29.

Elle Smith, who entered the competition as Miss Kentucky, battled it out with 50 other contestants to claim the top title.

Smith currently works as a journalist at WHAS11 in Louisville and is a 2020 graduate from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Political Science.

Elle Smith aka Miss Kentucky is officially the 2021 Miss USA!

how old is Elle Smith ?

The 23-year-old beauty was crowned the winner during the live television event at the Paradise Cove Theater of River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, OK on Nov. 29, and appeared to be thrilled about her new title.

After an intense competition against every other U.S. state winner, Elle is now stepping into her new role as a successful and hardworking woman that’s ready to take on the duties of representing the entire country in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Eilat, Israel next month. Before that takes place, however, let’s find out more about Elle and her journey to the Miss USA crown below!

Elle is the first ever winner of Miss Kentucky and Miss USA from Germantown.

The previous 2015-2020 winners were all from Louisville, so she’s definitely not only making her state proud, but her city too! She graduated from the University of Kentucky’s School of Journalism and Media in May 2020 and earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science, according to CONAN Daily.

Congratulations to 2020 #UKGrad Elle Smith — Miss USA 2021! ?? https://t.co/57F9aWuBKI
— University of Kentucky (@universityofky) November 30, 2021

ELLE SMITH OF KENTUCKY WINS MISS USA 2021

Miss Kentucky Elle Smith has been crowned the winner of Miss USA 2021

Smith spoke about honesty and sustainability during the pageant’s question and answer round.
She works full-time as a reporter and said being a journalist is “a role I take very seriously.”
The next Miss USA is a proud journalist from Kentucky.
Elle Smith took the crown on Monday night at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Smith was crowned by Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch, and will go straight to Israel to compete at the Miss Universe pageant on December 12.

During the Miss USA question and answer round, Smith revealed that her “most important core value” was honesty.

She also spoke on sustainability and encouraging businesses to be more environmentally conscious.

“We’ve got to look at it from a macro and also a micro level,” Smith said. “So at the macro level, companies need to switch to green energy — I think that’s something we can all agree on.”

“But then, at the micro level, we all know how to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and those are all things we can implement in our daily life,” she added.

Smith may seem like a seasoned pro, but she actually competed in her very first pageant just six months ago.

The 23-year-old got her first taste of the Miss USA stage on Sunday night during the State Costume Contest.

What is Miss USA ?

Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant.

The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, when the organization announced it was licensing operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, Miss USA for 2008.

The pageant was owned by Donald Trump from 1996 to 2015 and was previously broadcast on NBC. In September 2015, WME/IMG purchased the pageant from Trump.[2] In 2020, for the first time, the FYI network broadcast the competition.

The current Miss USA is Elle Smith of Kentucky who was crowned on November 29, 2021 at the Paradise Cove Theater, River Spirit Casino Resort, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A Shawnee High School graduate is the new Miss USA.

Former Springfield resident Ellen Smith, who goes by Elle, competed as Miss Kentucky to capture the crown Monday night during the 70th Miss USA pageant.

She now will go on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Israel.

Smith’s mother, Lydia, said that prior to this year, her daughter had never competed in a pageant.

However, she was inspired to do so after seeing her former classmate, Brittany Reid, win the Miss Ohio Teen USA pageant.

Ellen made it her New Year’s resolution to train for and compete in the Miss Kentucky pageant.

Meet women competing for the crown, including Miss Alabama USA

The two-hour pageant includes a swimsuit competition, evening gown competition and onstage question segment. Rapper Ja Rule will perform at the event.

Judges for Miss USA are Chloe Flower, Haley Kalil, Pasqal Mouwad, Natalia Barulich, Oliver Trevena, Sophie Elgort and Ty Hunter.

Miss USA 2020, Asya Branch, will crown her successor at the conclusion, and the new title holder will begin a yearlong reign. Branch, formerly Miss Mississippi USA, is the first Black woman from her state to hold the Miss USA title.

All 51 contestants for Miss USA are the winners of state pageants held earlier this year. Flanigan, 25, won the title of Miss Alabama USA in January, competing as Miss Cullman. She’s the first Black woman to win the state title as Miss Cullman.

Here’s Flanigan’s biographical statement for the Miss USA pageant:

“My name is Alexandria Flanigan and this is my first year in pageantry. I love this journey and it has made me a better leader, friend, and woman. I come from a large family and I have seven siblings. My family means the absolute world to me. They are the reason I love people the way I do. I believe in servant leadership and finding a need and being the answer
“I am a passionate person that is determined to achieve my goals with grace. I do not hold myself to the standard of perfection but I hold myself to the standard of always being the best I can be. I always look at life with a ‘glass half full’ mindset. I choose this perspective because life is a gift and it truly is what you make it.”

Three other Miss USA contestants, Cassidy Jo Jacks (competing as Miss Arizona USA), Cora Griffen (competing as Miss Georgia USA) and Caroline Pettey (competing as Miss South Dakota) have Alabama ties.

Jacks, 27, is from Springville. She’s a University of Alabama graduate who previously competed in the Miss Alabama pageant, which is affiliated with Miss America. Griffen, 25, is a graduate of Auburn University who also competed in the Miss Alabama pageant. Pettey, 27, is a Decatur native and Auburn graduate.

Finals for the 2021 Miss Teen USA pageant were held on Saturday, also at the River Spirit Casino Resort.

Breanna Myles, who competed as Miss Florida Teen USA, was the winner.