Miss USA crowned: What did she say about race relations?
| Baton Rouge, La.
New Miss USA Olivia Jordan spoke of the need to discuss race relations en route to her pageant victory and hailed the diversity of women taking part in the contest during a post-pageant question about Donald Trump's comments on Mexican immigrants.
Jordan of Oklahoma was crowned Miss USA on Sunday, wearing a pink strapless dress with a full, flowing skirt as she smoothly navigated the interview portion of the competition to beat out 50 other contestants.
After weeks of controversy generated by Trump's comments bashing Mexican immigrants, the pageant passed with no mention of the real estate mogul who was not in attendance.
Instead, the focus was on women like Jordan and others who'd worked hard to get to the stage. There was also a special video segment highlighting the immigrant roots of some of the contestants.
The 26-year-old winner was followed by first runner-up Ylianna Guerra, 22, of Texas, and second runner-up Anea Garcia, 20, of Rhode Island. They were followed by 25-year-old Miss Nevada Brittany McGown as third runner-up and then Miss Maryland Mame Adjei, 23, rounding out the top five.
Jordan, who takes over from 2014 winner Nia Sanchez of Nevada, was a standout during the interview segment when each contestant was asked two questions and given 30 seconds to answer each. Where others flubbed or appeared unsure of what to say, Jordan appeared confident and polished when asked what the next big issue is that the U.S. needs to tackle; she answered race relations.
"We have not solved this issue," Jordan said. "We really need to work on being an accepting society."
During the second interview question about which woman should be put on the new $10 bill, she initially suggested Oprah Winfrey before ending by naming Harriet Tubman, a former slave who led other escaped slaves to freedom.
Asked afterward by The Associated Press about the Trump controversy, Jordan responded: "We have freedom of speech in this country, and immigration is certainly an important issue."
She added, "This organization is not one person. It's definitely not just me. It's a family. This organization celebrates diversity, and I think that was clear on the stage tonight, and I look forward to spreading a message of love and diversity and acceptance."
The annual contest, generally known for its gorgeous evening dresses, sexy swimsuits, and sky-high heels was this year under an uncomfortable spotlight due to comments made by Trump, the pageant's co-owner.
Trump slammed Mexican immigrants during his announcement that he was running for president. That led to widespread fallout against his business dealings, including the pageant.
Broadcasters, including NBC and Univision, dropped the pageant and a slew of celebrities lined up to perform, judge and host dropped out just as the pageant was kicking into high gear in Baton Rouge.
Pageant organizers rushed to fill the gap so the show could go on and the polished pageant showed little hint of the drama that proceeded it.
Satellite and cable channel Reelz television stepped in to air the show, while assuring people Trump would not benefit financially. It was also streamed live on the pageant's website. And former Miss USA and Miss Universe winners were recruited as judges.
The pageant featured an evening wear and swimsuit competition as well as the question and answer session. The preliminary contest was held earlier this week and then the number of women remaining was progressively narrowed during the course of Sunday evening's telecast.
Jordan, of Tulsa, Okla., attended Boston University, where she earned a B.S. in Health Science and was a group fitness instructor and a personal trainer. She has appeared in several national and international commercials and feature films, most recently, "Hot Tub Time Machine 2."
Jordan will hold the title for a year and will go on to represent the United States in the Miss Universe pageant. But first, she said she's looking forward to eating some popcorn and watching movies when she gets home.
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Santana reported from New Orleans.
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