Twenty Two year-old Kristen Dalton took the top spot at the 58th Annual Miss USA competition Sunday night. She is currently the reigning Miss N.C. USA, and was formerly Miss Greater Wilmington 2006.
Kristen’s mother Jennie Dalton served as Miss N.C. USA in 1982 and her sister Julia Dalton was Miss N.C. Teen USA in 2008 and second runner-up in the Miss Teen USA pageant.
Contestants from all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia were judged for their performance in a swimsuit and evening gown modeling contest and their answers to a question asked onstage. The show, broadcast live from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino was aired on NBC, at 7 p.m.
The former Miss USA 2008, 27-year-old Texan Crystle Stewart was dethroned by Dalton.
With the title Dalton will get one year’s use of a New York apartment, her own public relations team, an undisclosed salary and a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy.
In August she will travel to the Bahamas to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. American contestants haven’t had much luck in the Miss Universe competition in recent years.
