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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Magen Ellis
The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. This pageant is part of the Miss USA Organization, owned by Texas native Crystle Stewart, herself a Miss USA for 2008.

The pageant is currently held in Houston. It has previously been hosted by El Paso, San Antonio, South Padre Island, Lubbock and Laredo. It was televised from 1971 to 2009.

The current titleholder is Aarienna Ware of Dallas, Texas, was crowned Miss Texas USA 2024 on June 22, 2024, at Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas. She will represent Texas at Miss USA 2024.

Background

Unlike the rest of Miss and Teen state pageants in the Miss USA system have annually scheduled at the same time, this Miss and Teen pageants in Texas are held separately in different months, the Miss pageant goes first and is held on first Sunday of September every year. Those events have affected from the regular September schedule such as the 2018 pageant was held in January 2018 due to Hurricane Harvey devastated the pageant's host city, Houston; and the 2021 pageant was held in September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exactly a year originally planned for September 2020.

Ten Miss Texas USA titleholders have won the Miss USA title, including Chelsi Smith, has been crowned Miss Universe. In the 1980s Texas won the Miss USA title five consecutive years from 1985 to 1989, a streak known as the "Texas Aces". Prior to this no state had ever won the Miss USA pageant more than two times in succession. Past state directors have included Richard Guy and Rex Holt, "GuyRex" and Al and Gail Clark of "The Crystal Group".

Contestants enter by winning local pageants or may choose to compete "at large" with an assigned title. In 2001 a record number of former Miss Texas Teen USA winners, six, competed for the Miss Texas USA 2002 title.

Texas Aces

Prior to the 1980s, no other state had won more than two Miss USA pageants in succession (the only two states to win twice in succession were Virginia in 1969-1970 and Illinois in 1973–1974). The five Texan Miss USA winners were all coached by "GuyRex", Richard Guy and Rex Holt, who held the Texas franchise from 1975. The term was first used in 1988 after Gibbs became their fourth consecutive titleholder, with Guy referring to the four queens as "four aces in a deck of cards", with their fifth titleholder, Kim Tomes (1977) as the "wildcard". The following year Gretchen Polhemus became the fifth and final "ace". The term is still in use.

As well as directing the Texas pageant, GuyRex also acquired the Miss California USA franchise in 1986. In 1988, Diana Magaña of California placed first runner-up to Gibbs, the fourth ace. The two had both undergone extensive preparation by GuyRex, and even lived together prior to the pageant.

The five Aces were:

Gallery

Results summary

Placements

  • Miss USAs: Kimberly Tomes (1977), Laura Martinez Herring (1985), Christy Fichtner (1986), Michelle Royer (1987), Courtney Gibbs (1988), Gretchen Polhemus (1989), Chelsi Smith (1995), Kandace Krueger (2001), Crystle Stewart (2008), R'Bonney Gabriel (2022)
  • 1st runners-up: Carelgean Douglas (1959), Diane Balloun (1964), Brenda Box (1971), Luann Caughey (1982), Lisa Allred (1983), Ylianna Guerra (2015)
  • 2nd runners-up: Barbara Horan (1978), Nicole O'Brian (2003)
  • 3rd runners-up: Betty Lee (1954), Ana Rodriguez (2011)
  • 4th runners-up: Jo Dodson (1956), Aundie Evers (1975), Alexandria Nugent (2013), Lluvia Alzate (2023)
  • Top 5/6/8: Christine Friedel (1994), Amanda Little (1997), Holly Mills (1998), Victoria Hinojosa (2021)
  • Top 10/11/12: Lavonne McConnell (1973), Candace Gray (1976), Anne Hinnant (1979), Barbara Buckley (1980), Diana Durnford (1981), Laura Shaw (1984), Stephanie Kuehne (1990), Katie Young (1992), Angie Sisk (1993), Kara Williams (1996), Kasi Kelly (2002), Lauren Lanning (2006), Magen Ellis (2007), Brooke Daniels (2009), Brittany Booker (2012)
  • Top 15: Joan Bradshaw (1953), Mary Daughters (1955), Gloria Hunt (1957), Linda Daugherty (1958), Jackie Williams (1962), Phillis Johnson (1965), Dorothy Pickens (1966), Bonnie Robinson (1967), Sandy Drewes (1969), Diane Swendeman (1970), Stephanie Guerrero (2004), Tyler Willis (2005), Logan Lester (2018)

Texas holds a record of 56 placements at Miss USA, being placed first overall.

Awards

  • Miss Congeniality: Diane Swendeman (1970), Chelsi Smith (1995)
  • Miss Photogenic: Susan Peters (1972), Lisa Allred (1983), Laura Shaw (1984), Tyler Willis (2005)
  • Best State Costume: Lavonne McConnell (1973), Kimberly Tomes (1977), Barbara Horan (1978), R'Bonney Gabriel (2022)
  • Best in Swimsuit: Chelsi Smith (1995), Lluvia Alzate (2023)

Winners

Color key
  •   Declared as Winner
  •   Ended as runner-up
  •   Ended as finalist or semifinalist
Year Name Hometown Local Title Age Placement at Miss USA Special awards at Miss USA Notes
2024 Aarienna Ware Dallas Miss Dallas 26 TBA
2023 Lluvia Alzate Houston Miss Houston 26 4th runner-up Best in Swimsuit
2022 Allison Drake Dallas Miss Dallas 26 Originally second runner-up, assumed title when Gabriel won Miss Universe
(Sydni Leonard, the first runner-up, declined the offer)
R'Bonney Gabriel Houston Miss Friendswood 28 Miss USA 2022 Best State Costume
  • Miss Universe 2022
  • First Asian American Miss Texas USA
2021 Victoria Hinojosa McAllen Miss South Texas 22 Top 8 Granddaughter of U.S. Representative TX-15 Rubén Hinojosa
2020 Taylor Kessler Houston Miss Lone Star 23
  • Previously Miss Grand USA 2017
  • Longest reigning Miss Texas USA (2 years and 3 days) and also the longest reigning Miss USA state titleholder under three calendar years in the organization's history
2019 Alayah Benavidez San Antonio Miss San Antonio 23

Later a contestant on season 24 of The Bachelor

2018 Logan Lester Houston Miss Harris County 23 Top 15 Shortest reigning Miss Texas USA (7 months and 27 days)
2017 Nancy Gonzalez Freeport Miss Kemah 27
2016 Daniella Rodriguez Laredo Miss Central Webb County 19
2015 Ylianna Guerra McAllen Miss Tropics of Texas 22 1st runner-up
2014 Lauren Guzman Laredo Miss Central Laredo 24
2013 Alexandria "Ali" Nugent Dallas Miss North Texas 19 4th runner-up Fan Vote Winner Niece of rock musician Ted Nugent
2012 Brittany Booker Friendswood Miss Houston 21 Top 10
2011 Ana Rodriguez Laredo Miss Central Laredo 24 3rd runner-up
2010 Kelsey Moore El Paso Miss El Paso 19
2009 Brooke Daniels Tomball Miss Harris County 22 Top 10
2008 Crystle Stewart Missouri City Miss Fort Bend County 26 Miss USA 2008
2007 Magen Ellis Tyler Miss Houston 19 Top 10
2006 Lauren Lanning Friendswood Miss Houston 22 Top 10
2005 Tyler Willis Lubbock Miss Central Plains 25 Top 15 Miss Photogenic
2004 Stephanie Guerrero Lake Jackson Miss Houston 23 Top 15
2003 Nicole O'Brian Friendswood Miss Bay Area 20 2nd runner-up
2002 Kasi Kelly Bridgeport Miss DFW 20 Top 12
2001 Kandace Krueger Austin Miss Austin 24 Miss USA 2001
2000 Heather Ogilvie Houston Miss Southeast Texas 22
1999 Carissa Blair Houston Miss Southeast Texas 23
1998 Holly Mills San Antonio Miss San Antonio 22 Top 5
1997 Amanda Little Wylie Miss Metroplex 20 Top 6
1996 Kara Williams Houston Miss Harris County 23 Top 10
Title vacant
1995 Chelsi Smith† Deer Park Miss Galveston County 21 Miss USA 1995 Miss Congeniality and Best in Swimsuit
  • Miss Universe 1995
  • First African American Miss Texas USA
1994 Christine Friedel El Paso Miss El Paso 22 Top 6
1993 Angie Sisk Houston Miss Fort Bend County 21 Top 12
1992 Katie Young Fort Worth Miss Fort Worth 19 Top 11
1991 Chris Bogard Tomball Miss North Harris County 23
1990 Stephanie Kuehne Missouri City Miss Houston 22 Top 12 Miss Wonderland 1989
1989 Gretchen Polhemus Fort Worth Miss Fort Worth 23 Miss USA 1989
1988 Courtney Gibbs Fort Worth Miss Metroplex 21 Miss USA 1988
1987 Michelle Royer Keller Miss Keller 21 Miss USA 1987
1986 Christiane "Christy" Fichtner Dallas Miss Dallas County 23 Miss USA 1986
1985 Laura Martinez Herring El Paso Miss El Paso County 21 Miss USA 1985
1984 Laura Shaw Burleson Miss Burleson 19 Top 10 Miss Photogenic
1983 Lisa Allred Fort Worth Miss Fort Worth 20 1st runner-up Miss Photogenic
1982 Luann Caughey Abilene Miss Abilene 22 1st runner-up
1981 Diana Durnford El Paso Miss Sun City 21 Top 12
1980 Barbara Buckley Midland Top 12
1979 Anne Hinnant Houston Miss Harris County Top 12
1978 Barbara Horan Dallas 2nd runner-up Best State Costume
1977 Kimberly Tomes Houston 21 Miss USA 1977 Best State Costume
1976 Candace Gray† El Paso Top 12 Died in a scuba diving accident in 1981
1975 Aundie Evers El Paso 4th runner-up
1974 Debra Cronin McDade
1973 Lavonne McConnell Fort Worth 19 Top 12 Best State Costume
1972 Susan Peters Austin Miss Photogenic
1971 Brenda Box Amarillo 1st runner-up
1970 Diane Swendeman San Antonio Top 15 Miss Congeniality
1969 Sandy Drewes Dallas Top 15
1968 Jeannie Wilson Dallas
1967 Bonnie Robinson Houston Top 15
1966 Dorothy Pickens Edinburg Top 15
1965 Phillis Johnson Houston Top 15
1964 Diane Balloun Houston 1st runner-up
1963 Cheryl Wilburn Houston
1962 Jackie Williams Waxahachie Miss Lake Whitney Top 15
1961 Sheila Wade Dallas Miss Lake Whitney
1960 Pat Cloud Houston
1959 Carelgean Douglas Houston 1st runner-up
1958 Linda Daugherty Houston Top 15
1957 Gloria Hunt Houston Top 15
1956 Jo Dodson Houston 4th runner-up
1955 Mary Daughters Houston Top 15
1954 Betty Lee Houston 3rd runner-up
1953 Joan Bradshaw Houston 17 Top 15
1952 Charlene McClary Houston
  1. ^ Age at the time of the pageant