Miss USA, held in the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on August 3 and 4, was rigged. The winner was picked before the contestants showed up in The Biltmore Hotel to check in.

Now, it really shouldn’t surprise the masses because it seems most contests or competitions have a predetermined winner. At the very least, they know who will be left at the end of the contest. It was the same for Miss USA.

And this is not a good look for the Miss USA organization. Especially when one takes into consideration that the winners of 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA both resigned their positions earlier this year. One had to wonder why. I’ve read the stories (just search for them) and it is intriguing.

I have heard that one of the judges was biased long before the contest began. She was at the Miss Michigan state competition when Miss Michigan was crowned. This judge also was scrolling through her phone when she was supposed to be interviewing the contestants, as if it was already a forgone conclusion who she was going to vote for. Some people in the audience also saw this same judge taking selfies when she was supposed to be watching the young women on the stage, considering their poise and demeanor so she could objectively judge them.

The thing is, there were six judges. How could one judge carry that much weight in the decision making process if the other judges were not already on board with Miss Michigan as the winner?

The saddest part of all this is the cost to the other contestants, the mental, emotional and physical exhaustion, to prepare for the competition. The months of practicing in the six inch heels, fretting over dresses, gowns, outfits, and swimsuits. Practicing their answers to questions they might be asked during the interview process of Miss USA. All for nothing.

The other big cost was financial. They had to spend thousands of dollars on dresses, gowns, outfits for just walking around (because the competition wasn’t only on the stage), and the swimsuits. The money to hire someone to do their hair and makeup. Most, if not all, wore the same gown on Saturday and Sunday nights because they could only afford one.

It is possible some of the contestants knew that the winner, Miss Michigan, was predetermined, and they competed anyway. They deserve the greater honor for being honest and true to their states, for showing a tremendous amount of integrity.

The whole thing was a sham and debacle. Some contestants should’ve been in the top five, like Miss Mississippi and Miss Massachusetts, but were left out because they could’ve been the winner, too much of a contender, which is why Miss Tennessee and Miss Ohio made the top five finalists.

I feel for the 49 young women who spent so much on a lost cause. They worked hard and the best they could’ve hoped for was for a modeling scout would notice them.