The Miss Idaho USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss USA pageant and the name of the title held by that winner. It is currently produced by Pageants NW Productions based in Puyallup, Washington since 2007.
| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Puyallup |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | Maureen Francisco |
| Website | Official website |
Idaho's first placement at Miss USA came in 1964 with Dorothy Johnson, the first African-American semi-finalist.[1] Their second placement came in 1997 when former Miss Idaho Teen USA and Miss Teen USA 1989 Brandi Sherwood placed first runner-up. She later became the first woman to be crowned both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA when she succeeded winner Brook Lee who became Miss Universe. Sherwood has since pursued a career as an actress, and is a rotating model on The Price Is Right. The third came in 2004 when former Miss Idaho Teen USA 1999 Kimberly Glyn Weible made the Top 10. Their fourth was in 2009, when Melissa Weber placed in the Top 15.
Idaho is currently third tied with North Carolina in number of former teens have competed in this pageant: ten, including Sherwood, and they are all from the same state. It is the largest former Teens competed in this pageant from the same state without being won the Teen title previously from other states. In addition, three have also competed at Miss America.
Kaitlyn Widmyer of Coeur d'Alene was crowned Miss Idaho USA 2024 on June 23, 2024 at Red Lion Hotel Templin's on the River in Post Falls, Idaho. Widmyer will represent Idaho at the Miss USA 2024.
Gallery of titleholders
-
Lori Otter, Miss Idaho USA 1991 -
Elizabeth Prelogar, Miss Idaho USA 2001 & Miss Idaho Teen USA 1998 -
Kimberly Weible (right), Miss Idaho USA 2004
Results summary
Placements
- 1st Runner-Up: Brandi Sherwood (1997),[a] Kim Layne (2020)
- Top 10: Kimberly Weible (2004)
- Top 15: Dorothy Johnson (1964), Melissa Weber (2009)
Idaho holds a record of 5 placements at Miss USA.
Awards
- Miss Congeniality: Sandra Baldwin (1967)
Titleholders
- Color key
- Declared as Winner
- Ended as runner-up
- Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age[b] | Local title | Placement at Miss USA | Special awards at Miss USA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kaitlyn Widmyer | Coeur d'Alene | 28 | Miss Downtown Coeur d'Alene | |||
| 2023 | Hannah Menzner | Boise | 27 | Miss Capital City |
| ||
| 2022 | Jordana Dahmen | Boise | 26 | ||||
| 2021 | Katarina Schweitzer | Boise | 26 | Top 10 at National Sweetheart 2019 representing Idaho, placed in Top 10 | |||
| 2020 | Kimberly "Kim" Layne | Nampa | 25 | 1st Runner-up |
| ||
| 2019 | Shelby Brown | Boise | 24 | Contestant on The Proposal | |||
| 2018 | Téa Draganović | Boise | 20 | ||||
| 2017 | Cassandra "Cassie" Lewis | Moscow | 25 | ||||
| 2016 | Sydney Halper | Moscow | 21 | ||||
| 2015 | Claira Hollingsworth | Preston | 22 |
| |||
| 2014 | Yvette Bennett | Boise | 23 | ||||
| 2013 | Marissa Wickland | Boise | 20 |
| |||
| 2012 | Erna Palić | Boise | 24 | ||||
| 2011 | Erza Haliti | Meridian | 20 | Sister of Lorena Haliti, Miss Idaho Teen USA 2013 | |||
| 2010 | Jessica Hellwinkel | Boise | 19 | ||||
| 2009 | Melissa Weber | Boise | 27 | Top 15 | |||
| 2008 | Tracey Brown | Post Falls | 21 |
| |||
| 2007 | Amanda Rammell | Rexburg | 21 |
| |||
| 2006 | Allyson Swan | Twin Falls | 22 | ||||
| 2005 | Sade Aiyeku | Boise | 24 | ||||
| 2004 | Kimberly Weible | Eagle | 22 | Top 10 |
| ||
| 2003 | Lana Wright | Pocatello | 25 | ||||
| 2002 | Hilary Ball | Nampa | 23 | ||||
| 2001 | Elizabeth Barchas | Boise | 20 | Solicitor General of the United States appointed in 2021.[2]
| |||
| 2000 | Brooke Gambrell | Boise | 26 |
| |||
| 1999 | Amy Ambrose | Boise | 18 |
| |||
| 1998 | Melinda Grassmick | Boise | 18 | ||||
| 1997 | Calley Slagle | Boise | 18 | did not compete | Originally first runner-up, assumed the title when Brandi Sherwood inherited the Miss USA title | ||
| Brandi Sherwood | Idaho Falls | 26 | 1st runner-up |
| |||
| 1996 | Tracy Yarbrough |
| |||||
| 1995 | Amy Tolzmann | Coeur D'Alene | |||||
| 1994 | Trenna Wheeler | Idaho Falls | |||||
| 1993 | Natalie Nukaya | Idaho Falls | |||||
| 1992 | Cheryl Myers | Boise | 25 | ||||
| 1991 | Lori Easley | Kimberly | 23 | Wife of Idaho Governor Butch Otter[3] | |||
| 1990 | Cindy Estey | ||||||
| 1989 | Kelli Bean | Nampa | |||||
| 1988 | Kay Kinsey | Idaho Falls | Wife of former NBA player Karl Malone[4] | ||||
| 1987 | Vicki Hoffman | Idaho Falls | Mother of Madison Andreason, Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen 2021 | ||||
| 1986 | Kelli Catron | Coeur D'Alene | |||||
| 1985 | Sheri Rose | Boise | |||||
| 1984 | Valencia Bilyeu | Pocatello | |||||
| 1983 | Kerry Damiano | Coeur D'Alene | |||||
| 1982 | Valerie Stephan | Boise | |||||
| 1981 | Lori Ditch | Boise | |||||
| 1980 | Marta Vincen | Boise | |||||
| 1979 | Lori Jukich | Boise | |||||
| 1978 | Suzette Sanford | Pocatello | |||||
| 1977 | Leslie Kingon | Coeur D'Alene | |||||
| 1976 | Cheryl Gilbert | Boise | |||||
| 1975 | Charlene McArthur | Pocatello | |||||
| 1974 | Darla Jan Dowden | Pocatello | |||||
| 1973 | Karen Hammond | Rexburg | |||||
| 1972 | Lianne Fulmer | Coeur D'Alene | |||||
| 1971 | Kris Riordan | Nampa | |||||
| 1970 | Kathy Cravens | Nampa | |||||
| 1969 | Karen Ryder | Rigby | |||||
| 1968 | Anna Evanson | Post Falls | |||||
| 1967 | Sandra Baldwin | Coeur D'Alene | Miss Congeniality | ||||
| 1966 | Did not compete | ||||||
| 1965 | Did not compete | ||||||
| 1964 | Dorthy Johnson | Pocatello | Semi-finalist | ||||
| 1963 | Did not compete | ||||||
| 1962 | Kinne Holland | Nampa | 18 | ||||
| 1961 | Delcene Rositer | ||||||
| 1960 | Margie Davis | ||||||
| 1959 | Pat Sherburne | ||||||
| 1958 | Jeanette Ashton | ||||||
| 1954-1957 | Did not compete | ||||||
| 1953 | Patricia Carter | ||||||
| 1952 | Cherrie Jean Lindsey | ||||||
Notes
- ^ Brandi Sherwood was 1st runner-up at Miss USA, but succeeded the title when Brook Lee was crowned Miss Universe.
- ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant
References
- ^ "Miss USA a calm, lovely math whiz from the East". The Post-Crescent. 1964-06-30. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ a b Jones, Jim (18 August 2021). "Idaho-grown lawyer nominated by President Joe Biden to become next U.S. solicitor general". Idaho Capital Sun. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Newsmakers: Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter looks back at his time leading Idaho". East Idaho News. 30 December 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "The Malones". The Salt Lake Tribune. 17 October 1993. p. 71. Retrieved 9 August 2023.