Miss Montana Shut Out Again at Miss USA Pageant

If you watched it on television last night, you saw Miss Nevada, Nia Sanchez win the Miss USA pageant.  Sadly, Miss Montana has never won been crowned Miss USA or Miss America.

In fact, in its 53 year history, Miss Montana has only finished in the top 10 of the Miss USA pageant once.  And that was way back in 1952, when Valerie Jackson was a semi-finalist. Miss Texas has won the pageant 9 times and Miss California has been crowned 6 times.  The District of Columbia can lay claim to a Miss USA title, and they're not even a state.

Interestingly enough, although she didn't place in the 2005 Miss USA pageant, Billings native Amanda Kimmel finished in the top 8 of the Miss World Pageant.  Kimmel later gained fame as a contestant on the television series Survivor.

Of the 53 Miss Montana's who went on to compete in the Miss USA pageant, 7 of them were Billings residents.  The most recent Billings native to win the Miss Montana crown was Elizabeth Anne Anseth in 2010.