The Miss Kansas USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 in the Miss USA

Miss USA

The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...

 pageant.

Kansas did not place at Miss USA

Miss USA

The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...

 until 1973, the third-to-last state to make their first placement. From then, no delegate from Kansas made the cut until 1991, when Kelli McCarty

Kelli McCarty

Kelli McCarty is an American model, actress and adult film performer who was crowned Miss USA in 1991.-Career:McCarty won the Miss USA beauty contest in 1991, competing as Miss Kansas USA...

 won the crown. McCarty's win makes Wichita

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 the only state to host one Miss USA and Miss Teen USA to win in their home state. In 1992 the state joined the Vanbros group, which led to a surge in placements in the 1990s and early 2000s. This included two first runners-up, one second runner-up, one third runner-up and one fourth runner-up, among others. All but three of Kansas's ten placements have been runners-up.

Three former Miss Kansas Teen USA

Miss Kansas Teen USA

The Miss Kansas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss Teen USA pageant.This pageant has been part of the Vanbros organisation since 1992, and in 2006 celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary with a reunion of former titleholders at...

s went on to win the Miss title, and also two Miss Missouri USA

Miss Missouri USA

The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....

s (Missouri is also a Vanbros state).

Placements

• Winners: Kelli McCarty
  Kelli McCarty
  Kelli McCarty is an American model, actress and adult film performer who was crowned Miss USA in 1991.-Career:McCarty won the Miss USA beauty contest in 1991, competing as Miss Kansas USA...
  
   (1991)
• 1st runners-up: Danielle Boatwright
  Danni Boatwright
  Danni Boatwright , a beauty queen and model from Kansas, won $1,000,000 on Survivor: Guatemala, the eleventh season of the reality television show Survivor...
  
   (1996), Lindsay Douglas (2002)
• 2nd runners-up: Tavia Shackles (1993), Cara Gorges
  Cara Gorges
  Cara Renee Gorges is a beauty queen from Clearwater, Kansas who competed in the Miss USA pageant in 2007.Gorges won the Miss Kansas USA 2007 title in state pageant held in Lawrence, Kansas on December 17, 2006. This was her first attempt at the title. Gorges was crowned by outgoing titleholder...
  
   (2007)
• 3rd runners-up: Tiffany Meyer (2000)
• Top 6 Finalist: Kimberlee Girrens (1992)
• Top 12: Brenda Kopmeyer (1973), Carol Hovenkamp
  Carol Grow
  Carol Ann Hovenkamp-Grow is a former beauty queen, model and actress.In 1993, Hovenkamp won the Miss Kansas USA title in 1993 and went on to represent Kansas in the Miss USA 1994 pageant broadcast live from South Padre Island, Texas on February 11, 1994...
  
   (1994)
• Top 15: Bethany Gerber
  Bethany Gerber
  Bethany Gerber is an American beauty pageant winner who is also an industrial engineering major at the University of Oklahoma.Gerber chose industrial engineering to make things more efficient and effective...
  
   (2010)

Awards

• Best State Costume: Tavia Shackles (1993)
• Most Beautiful Eyes: Tavia Shackles (1993)
• Best in Swimsuit: Danielle Boatwright
  Danni Boatwright
  Danni Boatwright , a beauty queen and model from Kansas, won $1,000,000 on Survivor: Guatemala, the eleventh season of the reality television show Survivor...
  
   (1996)

Titleholders

Year	Name	Hometown	Age1	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2011 Miss USA 2011 Miss USA 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at the end...	Jaymie Stokes	Lenexa	20			Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA Miss Kansas Teen USA The Miss Kansas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss Teen USA pageant.This pageant has been part of the Vanbros organisation since 1992, and in 2006 celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary with a reunion of former titleholders at...  2007, top 10 finalist at Miss Teen USA 2007 Miss Teen USA 2007 Miss Teen USA 2007, the 25th Miss Teen USA pageant, was held on August 24, 2007 in Pasadena, California. At the conclusion of the final night of the competition Hilary Cruz of Colorado was crowned Miss Teen USA 2007 by outgoing titleholder Katie Blair of Montana.This was the first time the pageant...
2010 Miss USA 2010 Miss USA 2010, the 59th edition of the Miss USA pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2010. Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina, crowned her successor, Rima Fakih of Michigan as Miss USA 2010 at the...	Bethany Gerber Bethany Gerber Bethany Gerber is an American beauty pageant winner who is also an industrial engineering major at the University of Oklahoma.Gerber chose industrial engineering to make things more efficient and effective...	Winfield	21	Top 15, Finishing in 13th Place
2009 Miss USA 2009 Miss USA 2009, the 58th Miss USA pageant was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009...	Courtney Courter	Olathe Olathe, Kansas Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...	23
2008 Miss USA 2008 Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...	Michelle Gillespie	Mission Hills Mission Hills, Kansas Mission Hills is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,498. The city is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, which is adjacent to the east, across the aptly named State Line Road. Mission Hills was originally developed by noted Kansas...	22
2007 Miss USA 2007 Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee....	Cara Gorges Cara Gorges Cara Renee Gorges is a beauty queen from Clearwater, Kansas who competed in the Miss USA pageant in 2007.Gorges won the Miss Kansas USA 2007 title in state pageant held in Lawrence, Kansas on December 17, 2006. This was her first attempt at the title. Gorges was crowned by outgoing titleholder...	Clearwater Clearwater, Kansas Clearwater is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,481.-Geography:Clearwater is located just southwest of Wichita, Kansas at...	19	2nd runner-up
2006 Miss USA 2006 Miss USA 2006, the 55th Miss USA pageant, was held at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky...	Ashley Aull Ashley Aull Ashley Erin Aull is a beauty queen from Lansing, Kansas who has competed in the Miss USA pageant.Aull won the Miss Kansas USA 2006 title in a state pageant held in late 2005. It was her second attempt at the title as she had placed fourth runner-up to Rachel Saunders in 2005. Aull comes from...	Lansing Lansing, Kansas Lansing is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Leavenworth County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,265...	20
2005 Miss USA 2005 Miss USA 2005, the 54th Miss USA pageant, was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 11, 2005. It was won by Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title of Miss USA in the Hippodrome Theatre on April 11, 2005...	Rachel Saunders Rachel Saunders Rachel Saunders is a beauty queen who has held the title Miss Kansas USA 2005 and competed at Miss USA. She is also known as 'Bissy' or 'Mwissy' but her official title is now Mrs Sunshine....	Tonganoxie Tonganoxie, Kansas Tonganoxie is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,996.-Geography:Tonganoxie is located at...	21
2004 Miss USA 2004 The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...	Lisa Forbes Lisa Forbes Lisa Marie Forbes is a beauty queen from Overland Park, Kansas who competed in the Miss USA pageant and went on to compete at Miss Earth 2007.-Pageants:...	Overland Park Overland Park, Kansas -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...	22			Later Miss Earth USA 2007, USA representative to Miss Earth 2007 Miss Earth 2007 Miss Earth 2007, the seventh Miss Earth beauty pageant, was held on November 11, 2007 at the UP Theater in Quezon City, Philippines. The delegates also visited Nha Trang, Vietnam. 88 delegates competed for the title, making 2007 the largest edition of delegates for Miss Earth. The pageant was... .
2003 Miss USA 2003 The Miss USA 2003 pageant was held in San Antonio, Texas March 24, 2003, the first time it had been held in this state since 1996 when the pageant was held in South Padre Island...	Alicia Cabrera	Leawood Leawood, Kansas Leawood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The city is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 31,867.-History:...	23
2002 Miss USA 2002 The Miss USA 2002 pageant was held in Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2002. The event was won by Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia, who was crowned by outgoing queen Kandace Krueger of Texas....	Lindsay Douglas	Lawrence Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...	23	1st Runner-up
2001 Miss USA 2001 Miss USA 2001, the 50th edition of the Miss USA pageant was held at the Genesis Convention Center, Gary, Indiana on March 2, 2001. The event was won by Kandace Krueger of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lynnette Cole of Tennessee....	Kristie Knox	Hutchinson Hutchinson, Kansas Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...	25
2000 Miss USA 2000 Miss USA 2000, the forty-ninth Miss USA pageant, was held in Branson, Missouri at The Grand Palace on February 4, 2000.At the conclusion of the final competition, Lynnette Cole of Tennessee was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kimberly Pressler of New York....	Tiffany Meyer	Lawrence	23	3rd Runner-up		Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA Miss Missouri Teen USA The Miss Missouri Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant has been directed by Vanbros since 1993....  1994 and finished 5th at Miss Teen USA 1994, 2nd runner up at Miss Oktoberfest 2001 as Miss Missouri
1999 Miss USA 1999 Miss USA 1999, the forty-eighth Miss USA pageant, was held at the Grande Palace Theatre in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 1999.At the conclusion of the final competition, Kimberly Pressler of New York, was crowned by outgoing titleholder Shawnae Jebbia of Massachusetts...	Amanda Carraway Amanda Carraway Amanda Renae Carraway-Marsh is a beauty queen and model from Manhattan, Kansas who was crowned Miss Kansas USA 1999. She competed in the Miss USA 1999 pageant but was unplaced. She was also Miss Kansas Teen USA 1996.-Personal life:...	Manhattan Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...	21			Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA Miss Kansas Teen USA The Miss Kansas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss Teen USA pageant.This pageant has been part of the Vanbros organisation since 1992, and in 2006 celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary with a reunion of former titleholders at...  1996
1998 Miss USA 1998 Miss USA 1998, the 47th Miss USA pageant, was held in Shreveport, Louisiana in March, 1998. The preliminary competition was held on 6 March 1998 and the final competition on 10 March 1998...	Cammie Morisseau
1997 Miss USA 1997 Miss USA 1997, the forty-sixth Miss USA pageant, was held at Shreveport, Louisiana in January and February, 1997. Delegates arrived in the city on January 19, the preliminary competition was held on February 2, 1997 and the final competition on February 5, 1997...	Kathryn Taylor	Overland Park	24
1996 Miss USA 1996 Miss USA 1996, the forty-fifth Miss USA pageant, was held at South Padre Island, Texas culminating in the final competition and crowning on February 2, 1996....	Danielle Boatwright Danni Boatwright Danni Boatwright , a beauty queen and model from Kansas, won $1,000,000 on Survivor: Guatemala, the eleventh season of the reality television show Survivor...	Tonganoxie	20	1st Runner-up	Best in Swimsuit	Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA Miss Kansas Teen USA The Miss Kansas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss Teen USA pageant.This pageant has been part of the Vanbros organisation since 1992, and in 2006 celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary with a reunion of former titleholders at...  1992 2nd runner up at Miss Teen USA 1992, sports broadcaster and winner of Survivor: Guatemala Survivor: Guatemala Survivor: Guatemala — The Maya Empire, commonly referred to as Survivor: Guatemala, is the eleventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the Yaxhá-Nakúm-Naranjo National Park near the more popular Tikal National Park, located in...
1995 Miss USA 1995 Miss USA 1995, the forty-fourth Miss USA pageant, was held at South Padre Island, Texas culminating in the final competition and crowning on February 10, 1995....	Deborah Daulton	Salina Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
1994 Miss USA 1994 Miss USA 1994, the 43rd Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the South Padre Island Convention Centre on South Padre Island, Texas on 11 February 1994...	Carol Hovenkamp Carol Grow Carol Ann Hovenkamp-Grow is a former beauty queen, model and actress.In 1993, Hovenkamp won the Miss Kansas USA title in 1993 and went on to represent Kansas in the Miss USA 1994 pageant broadcast live from South Padre Island, Texas on February 11, 1994...			Top 12 Semi-finalist, Finishing in 11th Place
1993 Miss USA 1993 Miss USA 1993, the 42nd Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on 19 February 1993.At the conclusion of the final competition, Kenya Moore of Michigan was crowned by outgoing titleholder Shannon Marketic of California...	Tavia Shackles	Shawnee		2nd Runner-up	Best State Costume & Most Beautiful Eyes Award	Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA Miss Missouri Teen USA The Miss Missouri Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Missouri in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant has been directed by Vanbros since 1993....  1990 and top 12 at Miss Teen USA 1990
1992 Miss USA 1992 Miss USA 1992, the 41st Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on 7 February 1992.At the conclusion of the final competition, Shannon Marketic of California was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kelli McCarty of Kansas...	Kimberlee Girrens	Wichita Wichita, Kansas Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...		Top 6 Finalist, Finishing in 4th Place		Previously Miss Kansas Teen USA Miss Kansas Teen USA The Miss Kansas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss Teen USA pageant.This pageant has been part of the Vanbros organisation since 1992, and in 2006 celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary with a reunion of former titleholders at...  1986, Later Mrs. Kansas America 2004 under her married name, Kimberlee Easter.
1991 Miss USA 1991 Miss USA 1991, the 40th Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on 22 February 1991.At the conclusion of the final competition, Kelli McCarty of Kansas was crowned by outgoing titleholder Carole Gist of Michigan...	Kelli McCarty Kelli McCarty Kelli McCarty is an American model, actress and adult film performer who was crowned Miss USA in 1991.-Career:McCarty won the Miss USA beauty contest in 1991, competing as Miss Kansas USA...	Liberal Liberal, Kansas Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,525.- History :S.S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving water to weary travelers...		Winner		Top 6 finalist at Miss Universe 1991 Miss Universe 1991 Miss Universe 1991 was held at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on the Las Vegas Strip, USA on May 17, 1991.Lupita Jones of Mexico was crowned as Miss Universe 1991... Starred as Beth Wallace Beth Wallace Beth Wallace was a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Beth was played by Kelli McCarty from August 23, 1999 until July 18, 2005 and from May 12 to July 14, 2006. The role was contract from October 14, 2002 until May 12, 2004....  in the NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...   show Passions Passions Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
1990 Miss USA 1990 Miss USA 1990, the 39th Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on March 2, 1990.At the conclusion of the final competition, Carole Gist of Michigan was crowned by outgoing titleholder Gretchen Polhemus of Texas...	Rebecca Porter
1989	Nancy Burris
1988	Cynthia Decker
1987	Martina Castle	Overland Park
1986	Audra Ockerman	Wichita
1985	Jill Denzin	Leawood
1984	Elizabeth Johnson Elizabeth Johnson Elizabeth A. Johnson is a Christian feminist theologian. She is a Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University, a Jesuit institution in New York City. She is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood....	Prairie View Prairie View, Kansas Prairie View is a city in Phillips County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 134.-Geography:Prairie View is located at...
1983	Renee Ruch	Mission Mission, Kansas Mission is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 9,727 at the 2000 census. The city is a first-tier suburb in the Kansas City Metro. In 2003, Mission absorbed the neighboring city of Countryside.- History :...
1982	Stefani Larson	Overland Park
1981	Missy Kaser	Wichita
1980	Lisa Boyd	Wichita
1979	Linda Shields	Lawrence
1978	Mary Bell	Wichita
1977	Sherry Brane	Wichita
1976	Deborah Vitera
1975	Robbin Loomas	Overland Park
1974	Lorraine Breckenridge
1973	Brenda Kopmeyer			Semi-finalist
1972	Mona Guesnier
1971	Nancy Bishop
1970	Norma Decker	Tecumseh Tecumseh, Kansas Tecumseh is an unincorporated community situated along the Kansas River in eastern Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although official populations are not compiled for...
1969	Molly McGugin
1968	Anne Layton
1967	Regina Wolfe
1966	Pat Ravenscroft
1965	Linda Bergsten
1964	Barbara Ford
1963	Diane Stoker
1962	Linda Light
1961	Dixie Cook
1960	Peggy Patterson
1955-59	No Representative
1954	Sue Ravencroft
1953	No Representative
1952	Bette Renick

¹ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant