10 ladies remain in running for Miss USA crown after swimsuit competition at Las Vegas pageant

10 Miss USA hopefuls remain after swimsuit portion

LAS VEGAS — Ten beauty queens remained in the running for the 2010 Miss USA title on Sunday after a swimsuit competition at the pageant in Las Vegas.

The remaining contestants strutted a lengthy catwalk in evening gowns to face a panel of eight judges, thousands of pageant fans and a live television audience.

Five will go on to face an interview question before a winner is crowned at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The women remaining in the competition were: Miss Michigan USA Rima Fakih, Miss California USA Nicole Michele Johnson, Miss Colorado USA Jessica Hartman, Miss Tennessee USA Tucker Perry, Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard, Miss Missouri USA Ashley Strohmier, Miss Alabama USA Audrey Moore, Miss Virginia USA Samantha Evelyn Casey, Miss Mississippi USA Courtney Breanne Ponder and Miss Maine USA Katherine Ashley Whittier.

Fakih, 24, of Dearborn, Mich., nearly stumbled as she ended her walk in a white strapless gown, but she recovered without falling. She said the gown that looked like a wedding dress made her look like a mermaid.

Comedian Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, singled out Fakih, Johnson and Woolard to compliment their white dresses. But Joan Rivers gave no such praise to Strohmier, who wore a beige-topped, yellow-bottomed chiffon gown.

“I hate the dress,” Rivers said. “It’s like she was dipped in Gatorade.”

Miss Nebraska USA Belinda Renee Wright won the Miss Congeniality award, roughly one week after her father was killed in a farm accident. Miss Alabama USA Audrey Moore won Miss Photogenic after an online fan vote.

The eventual title winner will replace Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and represent the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant later this year.

The pageant aired live to East Coast viewers on NBC. The network owns the pageant in a joint venture with Donald Trump.

The competition, which is not affiliated with the Miss America pageant, was hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone and NBC correspondent Natalie Morales.

On the Net:

www.missuniverse.com/missusa