Miss USA 1981 was the 30th Miss USA pageant, held at the Gulf Coast Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi on May 21, 1981.
| Miss USA 1981 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kim Seelbrede, Miss USA 1981 | |
| Date | May 21, 1981 |
| Presenters | Bob Barker |
| Venue | Gulf Coast Convention Center, Biloxi, Mississippi |
| Broadcaster | CBS |
| Entrants | 50 |
| Placements | 12 |
| Winner | Kim Seelbrede Ohio |
| Congeniality | Cynthia Kerby California |
| Photogenic | Cynthia Kerby California |
At the end of the event, Jineane Ford of Arizona crowned Kim Seelbrede of Ohio as Miss USA 1981.[1] It is the second victory of Ohio in the pageant's history. Seelbrede later competed at Miss Universe and was named one of the twelve semi-finalists.
This year also marked the first year since 1957 that a runner-up of Miss USA was sent to Miss World. Holli Dennis, the first runner-up from Indiana, was supposed to compete at Miss World, but chose to marry instead. Due to this, Lisa Moss, the second runner-up from Louisiana, was appointed as the representative of the United States to Miss World. Moss later competed at Miss World and was named one of the seven finalists.
Contestants from forty-nine states and the District of Columbia competed in the pageant. The competition was hosted by Bob Barker.
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss USA 1981 | |
| 1st runner-up | |
| 2nd runner-up | |
| 3rd runner-up |
|
| 4th runner-up | |
| Top 12 |
Pageant
Format
Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The twelve semi-finalists competed in the evening gown and swimsuit competitions and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final look.[2]
Selection committee
Final telecast
- Cindy Adams – American gossip columnist and writer[2]
- Joey Adams – American comedian and author[2]
- John Mack Carter – American women's magazine editor[2]
- Dwight Clark – American professional football player[2]
- Wesley Eure – American singer, actor, and producer[2]
- Jim Fowler – American zoologist and host of television show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom[2]
- Mary Therese Friel – Miss USA 1979 from New York[2]
- Gary Graffman – American pianist[2]
- Patrice Munsel – American opera singer[2]
- Freda Payne – American singer and actress[2]
- Phil Roura – Editor at the New York Daily News[2]
Contestants
Fifty contestants competed for the title.[3][4]
| State | Contestant | Age[a] | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | JoAnne Henderson[5] | 21 | Tuscaloosa | |
| Alaska | Shelley Brunaugh[3] | 18 | Fairbanks | |
| Arizona | Cassie Hill[6] | 23 | Phoenix | |
| Arkansas | Lynnanne Derryberry[7] | 18 | Jerusalem | |
| California | Cynthia Kerby[8] | 18 | Westlake Village | |
| Colorado | Shannon Davidson[3] | 19 | Boulder | |
| Connecticut | Kelly Thompson[4] | 20 | Monroe | |
| Delaware | Natalie Diane Ramsey[9] | 21 | Wilmington | |
| District of Columbia | Belinda Johnson[4] | 23 | Martinsville, Virginia | |
| Florida | Valerie Lundeen[4] | 24 | Miami | Married to "Tarzan" actor Ron Ely, murdered by their son Cameron Ely at their Southern California home on October 15, 2019 |
| Georgia | Lisa Joyce Condrey[10] | 20 | Decatur | |
| Hawaii | Teri Ann Linn[11] | 20 | Honolulu | Later became an actress, starred in The Bold and the Beautiful |
| Idaho | Lori Ditch[3] | 21 | Boise | |
| Illinois | Leslie K. Renfrow[12] | 21 | Chicago | |
| Indiana | Holli Rene Dennis[3] | 21 | Fort Wayne | Initially appointed as Miss World USA but chose to marry instead |
| Iowa | Jennifer Lynn Wimpey[13] | 19 | Coralville | |
| Kansas | Missy Kaser[14] | 18 | Wichita | |
| Kentucky | Denise Gibbs[15] | 20 | Kevil | |
| Louisiana | Lisa Lynn Moss[16] | 23 | Shreveport | Later Miss World USA 1981 Finalist at Miss World 1981 |
| Maine | Judy Lynn Footer[17] | 24 | Bath | |
| Maryland | Linda Lambert[4] | 22 | Baltimore | |
| Massachusetts | Jo Ann Savery[18] | 22 | Bridgewater | |
| Michigan | Karen Eidson[4] | 21 | Hazel Park | |
| Minnesota | Polly Peterson[19] | 22 | Edina | Sister of Miss USA 1976 Barbara Peterson[19] |
| Mississippi | Angela Ashmore[20] | 20 | Muscle Shoals, Alabama | |
| Missouri | Karyn Marie Smagacz[3] | 19 | Fulton | |
| Montana | Cathi Jo Locati[21] | 19 | Billings | |
| Nebraska | La Donna Hill[22] | 21 | Seward | |
| Nevada | Mary Lebsock[3] | 23 | Las Vegas | |
| New Hampshire | Cynthia Lee Graves[3] | 21 | North Conway | |
| New Jersey | Christy Garthwaite[3] | 19 | Tuckerton | |
| New Mexico | Lise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet[23] | 23 | Las Cruces | |
| New York | Deborah Ann Fountain[4] | 25 | Bronx | Previously Miss North Carolina World 1979 Finalist at Miss World America 1979 Disqualified after wearing a padded bra in the swimsuit competition[24] |
| North Carolina | Lisa Colleen Swift[4] | 22 | Southport | |
| North Dakota | Laurie Saarinen[25] | 20 | Jamestown | Later Miss Minnesota 1982 |
| Ohio | Kimberly Seelbrede[4] | 20 | Germantown | Semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1981 |
| Oklahoma | Stacey Loach[4] | 17 | Oklahoma City | |
| Oregon | Dawn Michele Lewis[4] | 22 | Portland | |
| Pennsylvania | Nena Stone[3] | 21 | Bethel Park | |
| Rhode Island | Patti Reo[3] | 20 | Cranston | |
| South Carolina | Zade Denise Turner[26] | 21 | Myrtle Beach | |
| South Dakota | Joan Abbott[27] | 19 | Irene | |
| Tennessee | Sharon Kay Steakley[3] | 24 | Winchester | Mother of Alexandra Harper, Miss Tennessee USA 2018 |
| Texas | Diana Durnford[28] | 22 | El Paso | |
| Utah | Tonya Anderson[4] | 20 | Orem | |
| Vermont | Jeannette Wulff[4] | 21 | Middlesex | |
| Virginia | Pam Hutchens[29] | 22 | Newport News | General District Court Judge in Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Washington | Leila Wagner[30] | 20 | Seattle | |
| West Virginia | Kelly Carr[4] | 19 | Scherr | |
| Wisconsin | Dawn Marie Spreeman[31] | 18 | Kaukauna | |
| Wyoming | Deborah Aspinwall[4] | 23 | Riverton |