The 59th Miss USA pageant will take place Sunday night from Las Vegas with the early betting odds
favorite being Miss California, Nicole Michele Johnson.
Sunday’s 2010 Miss USA pageant takes place at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas with 51 contestants vying for the crown. Several sports books are taking action on the spectacle and Miss California
, Nicole Michele Johnson, has been the early betting favorite.
Bookmaker.com opened odds on Ms. Johnson at 18/1
, and it only took two days of wagering for her to become 3/1 chalk in the event. The 24-year-old beauty hopes to succeed current Miss USA Kristen Dalton and become the first winner from California since 1992.
Check out the Miss USA betting odds in the SBRsportsbook
Johnson graduated from USC in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, and dated Olympics icon Michael Phelps at one point. She worked at ESPN as a production assistant for the 2007 and 2008 ESPY Awards before accepting a job in 2009 for Mercedes Benz as a Sales Consultant.
The Westlake Village brunette was recently promoted to Finance Assistant at her dealership, and has enjoyed tutoring children in her spare time.
Other top contenders in Vegas
Miss Texas
, Kelsey Moore, has been the public’s second betting choice. The 19-year-old blonde opened at 20/1
odds and has been bet down to 15/2. Moore hopes to become the youngest Miss USA since Shanna Moakler (1995). Texas has had two Miss USA victors in the past decade with Kandace Krueger (2001) and Crystle Stewart (2008).
Big 12 country has two more of its rival states, Oklahoma and Nebraska, with its Miss USA contestants as solid 8/1 choices. Miss Oklahoma
, Morgan Elizabeth Woolard, and Miss Nebraska
, Belinda Wright were initially 23/1
long shots but have caught the betting public’s eye. Neither state has ever had a winner in the Miss USA pageant.
The northern part of the country has its best chances with Miss Idaho
, Jessca Cathleen Hellwinkel, and Miss Wisconsin, Courtney Lopez, who are currently at 10/1
odds. Hellwinkel and Lopez opened as 22/1
and 24/1 long shots, respectively. Idaho had its only titleholder in 1997 when Boise’s Brandi Sherwood took over the crown after Hawaii’s Brook Lee became Miss Universe. Wisconsin has had no winners.
East long shots worth a look
The East Coast has its share of dark-horse long shots for Miss USA, and some might be overlooked overlays worth a small investment.
Miss Pennsylvania
, Gina Cerilli, has held at steady 22/1
odds and brings looks more loaded than a Philly cheese steak to Vegas. The brown-eyed 24 year old is also a certified personal trainer and an instructor at the Barbizon School of Modeling. Cerilli volunteers at her local nursing home and is a former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader.
Miss Florida
, Megan Clementi (23/1
), and Miss Maine, Katie Whittier (30/1), are two of the contest’s oldest challengers at 26 years of age, but will have both ends of I-95 in a firm hunt for the crown. Clementi is a grad of UCF, where she majored in electrical engineering, and a former Orlando Magic dancer. Whittier was a top basketball player at the University of Maine and eventually joined a pro league in Switzerland.
Miss Rhode Island
, Kristina Primavera (28/1
), works in product development for a jewelry company and could be the pageant’s hidden gem. The 23-year old blonde is a grad of Fordham University and has studied abroad throughout Europe and India.
More on Sunday’s showdown
Miss Michigan
, Rima Fakih, has had a bit of betting support having her odds
drop from 21/1 to 39/2. The University of Michigan alum will have Kim Kardashian fans noticing a resemblance.
Alaska has its former governor Sarah Palin in the news frequently, but could have a new Sarah grabbing the nation’s spotlight. Miss Alaska
, Sarah Temple, is a 32/1
long shot and at 21 years old is the youngest to represent the nation’s 49th state since Cari Layva in 2004.
The contest’s most improbable winner is Miss District of Colombia
, MacKenzie Green. Bookmaker.com opened her odds at 35/1
, and other sports books have offered 100/1
or higher. Green has done her share of charity work, but seems better fit for a part in a remake of Michael Jackson's “Thriller” than winning this pageant.
NBC will televise the competition beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). Co-hosting the event will be Curtis Stone and Natalie Morales. Judges include NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, Olympian Johnny Weir, model Melania Trump, and actor Oscar Nuñez.