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The 74th Miss USA pageant made history.
On Friday, October 24, at the Miss USA finals held at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, it was announced that the Miss Congeniality award will be renamed in honor of the late former Miss Universe Chelsi Smith.
Smith passed away at the age of 45 in September 2018, a year after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
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News of the historic name change was announced by Miss USA 2015 winner and pageant co-organizer Olivia Jordan. She co-hosted the event with sports analyst and former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
“We’re making history,” Jordan said. “We decided to rename the Miss Congeniality award after one of the most iconic beauty queens in history. In 1995, Chelsi Smith won Miss Texas USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe.”
With this win, Smith became the first and only woman from Texas to win both Miss USA and Miss Universe, and the first American woman to win the Miss Universe title in 15 years.
“She also won Miss Congeniality in almost every pageant she competed in,” Jordan continued. “In 2018, Chelsi lost her battle with cancer. The Miss USA organization would like to honor her legacy by renaming Miss Congeniality the Chelsi Smith Congeniality Award.”
This year’s Miss Delaware, Tetra Sheilis Shockley, won the award. Miss Nebraska Audrey Eckert has been named Miss USA 2025. Miss New Jersey Ivy Harrington was named the first runner-up.
The night’s judges included Nia Sanchez, who won the Miss USA title in 2014. She then participated in the 2014 Miss Universe pageant, where she came in first place and runner-up.
Jade Roper Tolbert, a contestant on Season 19 of The Bachelor who runs her own cosmetics company, also served as a judge.
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Rounding out the judges’ table were former Dancing with the Stars pro Sasha Farber, fashion designer Kenneth Burris, and model scout Hannah Edwards.
