51 state titleholders hit the stage at the beginning of tonight's Miss USA telecast. Over the span of two hours, that number was whittled down to just one: your 2018 Miss USA, Miss Nebraska USA — or Sarah Rose Summers to her friends and family. At least until now, though, because IDK but if I won Miss USA I would refuse to be addressed by anything less than my full title. I would expect people to change how they have me saved in their phones' contact lists, come on now!



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Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

A child life specialist and pilates instructor, 23 year-old Summers works as a liaison between the families of hospitalized children and their doctors, and spoke movingly of her own childhood health issues during the pageant. That said, it's fair to say she punted both the questions thrown at her in both the pageant's Q&A round (final 5) and "final answer" (final 3), substituting gravitas for good ol' textbook pageant vaguery.

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She also wore a bikini, and notably advanced past the evening gown round even after being critiqued by hosts Carson Kressley and Lu Sierra for, wait for it, holding her gown's train too high! (Literally though, I would follow Lu Sierra's guidance anywhere.) Also, she didn't know the words to country singer Lee Brice's song at one point, as the singer crooned right up in the faces of the then-top 10 finalists, and it was awkward but also very funny.

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Summers — who was previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA in 2012 — triumphed over Miss North Carolina USA, Caelynn Miller-Keyes (1st runner up) and Miss Nevada USA, Carolina Urrea (2nd runner up). Miss Florida USA, Genesis Davila, and Miss South Dakota USA, Madison Nipe, rounded out the top 5 — Davila had been crowned Miss Florida USA in 2017, incidentally, but was dethroned before the national pageant after her fellow competitors at the state pageant complained she had sought professional help with her makeup, in violation of the rules.

Oh, and a special shout-out to top 10-placing Miss California USA, Kelley Johnson, who had previously placed as 2nd runner-up in the 2016 Miss America pageant (then competing as Miss Colorado) . You've got to love a beauty queen who wants the crown so badly she'll work both of the two major U.S. pageant circuits, after all. (Miss Louisiana USA, Lauren Vizza, and Miss Minnesota, Kalie Wright, had both also been state titleholders in previous Miss America pageants — for Louisiana in 2013 and Idaho in 2016 respectively — but neither placed in the national finals.)



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Alex Rees Deputy Editor of News I’m the news director here at Cosmopolitan.com, and I could really use a cup of tea right now.

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