5 ladies remain in running for Miss USA crown after gown competition at Las Vegas pageant

5 Miss USA contestants left after gown competition

LAS VEGAS — Five beauty queens remained in the running for the 2010 Miss USA title after the evening gown competition at the pageant in Las Vegas.

Four blondes and a brunette were set to face interview questions to determine who will replace Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and represent the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant later this year.

The women remaining in the competition were: Miss Michigan USA Rima Fakih, Miss Colorado USA Jessica Hartman, Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard, Miss Virginia USA Samantha Evelyn Casey and Miss Maine USA Katherine Ashley Whittier.

Most of the field of 51 contestants from around the country were eliminated just after the pageant began at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and the contestants danced onstage to “TiK ToK” by Ke$ha.

A panel of eight judges, including NBA star Carmelo Anthony and Treasure Island casino-hotel owner Phil Ruffin, were judging the girls throughout the night.

After 15 contestants strutted in swimsuits, five were eliminated. Another five were eliminated after the evening gown competition.

Fakih, 24, of Dearborn, Mich., nearly stumbled as she strutted a lengthy catwalk 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 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