What's the difference between miss america and miss usa?

Miss USA and Miss America are both beauty pageants, but there are some differences between the two contests. As the Miss USA pageant gears up at the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas Sunday, learn what makes the two competitions stand apart. First, though, we'll talk about the parallels. read more

Miss Rhode Island, Olivia Culpo, went on to win Miss Universe in 2012. Miss America is mostly known for its scholarships and with good reason. The competition was founded as a scholarship program, unlike Miss USA, which was founded as by Catalina Swimsuits as part of a promotional tool. read more

Miss Louisiana USA 2015 Candice Bennatt, who competed in both pageants, explained it before the 2016 Miss USA pageant like this: Think of Miss USA and Miss America as Chevron and Exxon. They offer similar products, but they're still different companies. read more

Miss USA, on the other hand, actually started as something as a coup from the Miss America pageant — it was founded in 1951, after Miss America title-holder Yolande Betbeze refused to pose in a swimsuit in the newspaper. read more