Miss USA crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert the winner as scandal -hit pageant heralds ‘new era’

Miss USA

Audrey Eckert from Nebraska was named Miss USA on Friday, as the scandal-hit annual pageant returned under new ownership.

The 22-year-old digital safety advocate beat 50 other contestants to claim the crown at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Ivy Harrington from New Jersey and Chantéa McIntyre from Oregon were named first and second runners-up.

The event capped almost 18 months of turbulence for the long-running contest, which underwent an acrimonious change in leadership following the resignation of Miss USA 2023, Utah’s Noelia Voigt, amid allegations of mistreatment.

With the event’s new organizers heralding a “new era,” Friday’s finale concluded five days of events spanning swimwear competitions, eveningwear parades and Q&As with judges.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjkY4oXafOw

Eckert, a former cheerleader and graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, fell to her knees when her victory was announced, overcome with emotion in a blizzard of gold streamers.

In a break from tradition, she was crowned by reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig rather than by last year’s winner, Alma Cooper of Michigan, who was not in attendance. Voigt meanwhile made a surprise return to the pageant as a host for the official online broadcast, having co-hosted one of the preliminary competitions on Wednesday.

Cre: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/25/style/miss-usa-winner-announced-hnk-intl