The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the

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. ...

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 Crystle Stewart Sebrechts ( Stewart) (born September 20, 1981) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder. Stewart began her acting career in 2011, when she played real estate agent Leslie Morris on the OWN/ TBS comedy-drama televisi ...

, herself a Miss USA for 2008. The pageant is currently held in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. It has previously been hosted by

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

South Padre Island South Padre Island is a barrier island in the U.S. state of Texas. The remote landform is located in Cameron County, Willacy County, and accessible by the Queen Isabella Causeway. South Padre Island was formed when the creation of the Port Ma ...

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

and Laredo. It was televised from 1971 to 2009. The current titleholder is Taylor Lauren Davis of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas, was crowned Miss Texas USA 2025 on May 3, 2025, at Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel in

, Texas. She will represent Texas at

Miss USA 2025 Miss USA 2025 will be the 74th Miss USA pageant, to be held in 2025. Alma Cooper of Michigan will crown her successor at the end of the event. Her successor will represent the United States at Miss Universe 2025 on November 21, 2025 in Thailand ...

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 Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

devastated the pageant's host city,

; and the 2021 pageant was held in September 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, exactly a year originally planned for September 2020. Ten Miss Texas USA titleholders have won the Miss USA title, including

Chelsi Smith Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith (August 23, 1973 – September 8, 2018) was an American actress, singer, TV host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss USA 1995 and Miss Universe 1995. Smith was the third Miss USA of African-American origin, after Ca ...

, has been crowned

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

. 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 The Miss Texas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Texas in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant is part of the Miss USA organization. Texas is in the top 5 most successful states at Miss ...

winners, six, competed for the Miss Texas USA 2002 title.

Texas Aces

Prior to the 1980s, no other state had won more than two

pageants in succession (the only two states to win twice in succession were

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in 1969-1970 and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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 Miss California USA is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Crown Diva Productions. California's mos ...

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: *1985 - Laura Martinez-Herring (Miss USA, Top 10 at Miss Universe 1985) *1986 -

Christy Fichtner Christy Fichtner (born October 28, 1962) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1986. As Miss USA, Fichtner represented the United States at Miss Universe 1986 and finished as the first runner-up. Early ...

(Miss USA, 1st runner-up at Miss Universe 1986) *1987 -

Michelle Royer Michelle Renee Royer-Jefferson (born January 5, 1966) is an American television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1987 and second runner-up to Miss Universe 1987. Early life Prior to competing in Miss Texas USA, Jeffer ...

(Miss USA, 2nd runner-up at Miss Universe 1987) *1988 -

Courtney Gibbs Courtney Ann Gibbs-Mokarow (née Gibbs; born August 20, 1966) is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1988 and Top 10 semifinalist at Miss Universe 1988. Miss USA Born to Charles Gaylord Gibbs and Susan Eck ...

(Miss USA, Top 10 at Miss Universe 1988) *1989 -

Gretchen Polhemus Gretchen Lynn Polhemus-Jensen (born May 12, 1965) is an American actress, journalist, tv host and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1989 and second runner-up to . Early life Prior to competing in Miss Texas USA, Jensen was working as a ...

(Miss USA, 2nd runner-up at Miss Universe 1989)

Gallery

File:Miss Texas USA Logan Lester at 3-16th FA's Battalion Ball.jpg, Logan Lester, Miss Texas USA 2018 File:Lauren Guzman, Miss Texas USA.jpg, Lauren Guzman,

2008 and Miss Texas USA 2014 File:Crystle Stewart 2014.jpg,

, Miss Texas USA 2008 and

Miss USA 2008 Miss USA 2008 was the 57th Miss USA pageant, held at The AXIS in Paradise, Nevada, on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart of Texas was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder Rachel Smith of T ...

(pictured in 2014) File:Stephanie Guerrero headshot.jpg, Stephanie Guerrero, Miss Texas USA 2004 File:Nicole OBrian.png, Nicole O'Brian,

2000 and Miss Texas USA 2003 File:KandaceKrueger1cropped.jpg,

Kandace Krueger Kandace Gayle Krueger Matthews (born May 27, 1976) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2001 and represented the United States in the Miss Universe 2001 where she was a finished second runner-up. Pageants Miss Texas USA ...

, Miss Texas USA 2001 and

Miss USA 2001 Miss USA 2001 was the 50th Miss USA pageant, held at the Genesis Convention Center in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Miss Texas USA, Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Miss Tenness ...

File:MichelleRoyer.jpg,

, Miss Texas USA 1987 and

Miss USA 1987 Miss USA 1987 was the 36th Miss USA pageant, televised live on February 17 from Albuquerque, New Mexico on CBS. The ceremonies were hosted for the last time by Bob Barker. At the conclusion of the final competition, Michelle Royer of Texas was ...

File:ChristyFichtner.jpg,

, Miss Texas USA 1986 and

Miss USA 1986 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. In ...

File:Laura Harring 2011.jpg, Laura Martinez Harring, Miss Texas USA 1985 and

Miss USA 1985 Miss USA 1985 was the 34th Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Lakeland Civic Auditorium in Lakeland, Florida on May 13, 1985, in honor of the city's centennial anniversary with a special cameo appearance by Mayor Thomas R. Shaw. At the con ...

(pictured in 2011) File:Lisa Allred Miss Texas USA 1983.png, Lisa Allred, Miss Texas USA 1983

Results summary

Placements

*Miss USAs:

Kimberly Tomes Kimberly Louise Tomes (born August 20, 1955) is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1977. Tomes won the Miss Texas USA title in 1976 and later represented Texas in the Miss USA 1977 pageant held in Charlest ...

(1977), Laura Martinez Herring (1985),

(1986),

(1987),

(1988),

(1989),

(1995),

(2001),

(2008),

R'Bonney Gabriel R'Bonney Nola Gabriel (; born March 20, 1994) is an American fashion designer and beauty pageant titleholder best known for winning the tile of Miss Universe 2022, becoming the ninth competitor from the US to win the title, as well as the old ...

(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), Aareianna Ware (2024) *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 57 placements at

, 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),

(2022) * Best in Swimsuit: Chelsi Smith (1995), Lluvia Alzate (2023)

Winners

;Color key

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Texas Usa

Texas culture Women in Texas Recurring events established in 1952 1952 establishments in Texas Annual events in Texas