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Miss Kentucky USA

Beauty pageant competition

Field	Value
name	Miss Kentucky USA
formation
type	Beauty pageant
headquarters	Cincinnati
location	Ohio
membership	Miss USA
language	English
key_people	Melissa Proctor-Pitchford (State Pageant Director)
website

The ** Miss Kentucky USA **competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. It is currently directed by Proctor Productions and it was formerly directed by Connie Clark Harrison, Miss Kentucky USA 1976.

Tara Conner became the first Kentucky delegate to win Miss USA, after being crowned Miss USA 2006. She later finished as fourth runner-up at Miss Universe 2006. Elle Smith later became the second Kentucky delegate to win Miss USA, being crowned Miss USA 2021.

Four Miss Kentucky USA titleholders have also held the Miss Kentucky Teen USA title and competed at Miss Teen USA, including Conner. Two Miss Kentucky USA titleholders have also competed at Miss America, with one representing Wyoming.

Mattie Barker of Bowling Green was crowned Miss Kentucky USA 2025 on July 19, 2025, at The Vern Riffe Center for the Arts Shawnee State University in Portsmouth. She represented Kentucky at Miss USA 2025.

Media coverage

In 2006, it was reported that Miss Kentucky USA 2002, Elizabeth Arnold, was in a relationship with celebrity Nick Lachey. That same year Tara Conner became the first Kentucky delegate to win the Miss USA title, putting Kentucky in the top five for the second consecutive year, after Kristen Johnson placed 2nd runner-up in 2005. She later came under intense scrutiny when it was revealed that she had been drinking underage, tested positive for the use of cocaine, and kissed Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, among other things. Conner was allowed to keep her title, but was ordered into rehab for one month. After her rehab session, she resumed her reign until her year was completed.

In 2008, Miss Kentucky USA Alysha Harris was involved in an incident involving photos in which she was photographed dancing with New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss in a manner some saw as sexually suggestive.

Results summary

Placements

Miss USA: Tara Conner (2006), Elle Smith (2021)
1st runners-up: Connor Perry (2024)
2nd runners-up: Kristen Johnson (2005)
3rd runners-up: Julie Andrus (1965)
4th runners-up: Johanna Reid (1964), Patricia Barnstable (1971), Lisa Devillez (1980), Kristina Chapman (1982), Maria Montgomery (2009)
Top 6: Tiffany Tenfelde (1990), Angela Hines (1992)
Top 11/12: Carol Wallace (1975), Mitzi Jones (1995), Katie George (2015)
Top 15/20: Mary Ann Stice (1953), Marcia Chumbler (1961)

Kentucky holds a record of 17 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

Miss Congeniality: Julia Pinkley (1968), Connie Clark (1976), Kia Hampton (2011)
Miss Photogenic: Robyn Overby (1985)
Best State Costume: Charlesy Gulick (1974)

Winners

;Color key

Declared as Winner
Ended as runner-up
Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age1	Local title	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2025	Mattie Barker	Bowling Green	22	Miss Run For The Roses
2024	Connor Perry	Lexington	23	Miss Heart of Lexington	1st Runner-up
2023	Madalyne Kinnett	Lexington	21	Miss Greater Lexington
2022	Elizabeth "Lizzy" Neutz	Louisville	22	Miss Greater Louisville
2021	Elle Smith	Louisville	23	Miss Germantown	Miss USA 2021
2020	Lexie Iles	Louisville	23	Miss Louisville
2019	Jordan Weiter	Louisville	22	Miss Bluegrass
2018	Braea Tilford	Louisville	25	Miss Jefferson County
2017	Madelynne Myers	Louisville	22	Miss Louisville
2016	Kyle Hornback	Louisville	20	Miss Louisville
2015	Katie George	Louisville	21	Miss Louisville	Top 11		Advanced to top 11 as fan vote winner
2014	Destin Kincer	Whitesburg	21	Miss Keeneland
2013	Allie Leggett	McCreary County	19	Miss Lake Cumberland			December 2017 Playboy Playmate of the Month
2012	Amanda Mertz	Louisville	25	Miss Louisville			Monster Energy Girl
2011	Kia Hampton	Louisville	21			Miss Congeniality	Later Pussycat Dolls member
2010	Kindra Clark	Mt. Washington	19
2009	Maria Montgomery	Danville	19		4th runner-up
2008	Alysha Harris	Carrollton	20
2007	Michelle Banzer	Louisville	24				First minority woman to win state pageant
2006	Tara Conner	Russell Springs	20		Miss USA 2006
2005	Kristen Johnson	Slaughters	23		2nd runner-up
2004	Lauren Stengel	Louisville	22
2003	Lori Mitchell	Scottsville	21				Reporter for WRCB in Chattanooga
2002	Elizabeth Ann "Lizzie" Arnold	Columbia	24
2001	Jo Pritchard	Hardin	20
2000	Jolene Youngster	Glasgow	18
1999	Lori Menshouse	Ashland	25
1998	Nancy Bradley	Franklin	23
1997	Rachyl Hoskins	Liberty	22
1996	Lorie Bennett West	Campbellsville	22
1995	Mitzi Jones	White Plains	22		Semi-finalist, finishing in 8th Place
1994	Kim Buford	Paducah	26
1993	Karen Gibson	Kevil
1992	Angela Hines	Maysville			Finalist, finishing in 5th place
1991	Susan Farris	Benton	24			Runner-up state costume
1990	Tiffany Tenfelde	Lakeside Park			Top 6 finalist
1989	Veronica Hensley	Danville
1988	Suzanne Pitman	Murray
1987	Beth Ann Clark	Mayfield	21				Guinness Beer Spokesmodel, Swimwear Illustrated Cover Model of the Year 1989, Mrs. Kentucky United States 1999, Mrs. Georgia America 2001
1986	Jackie Taylor	Paducah
1985	Robin Overby	Calvert City				Miss Photogenic
1984	Tammy Melendez	Murray	25
1983	Lee Ann Austin	Benton
1982	Kristina Leah Chapman	Owensboro	19		4th runner-up
1981	Denise Gibbs	Paducah
1980	Lisa Louise Devillez	Owensboro	19	Miss Owensboro Hydrofair	4th runner-up
1979	Linda Passmore	Hopkinsville
1978	Linda Woodruff	Louisville
1977	Sandy Smith	Princeton
1976	Connie Clark	Benton				Miss Congeniality	Former director of the Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA pageants under her married name, Connie Clark-Harrison
1975	Carol June Wallace	Somerset	23		Semi-finalist
1974	Charlesy Gulick	Williamstown				Best State Costume
1973	Nancy Jane Coplen	Mayfield
1972	Tamara Branstetter	Summer Shade
1971	Patricia Barnstable	Louisville			4th runner-up
1970	Joanna Smith	Morgantown
1969	Regina Pryor
1968	Julia Kay Pinkley					Miss Congeniality
1967	Debbie Dibble
1966	Jennifer Burcham
1965	Julie Andrus	Mayfield			3rd runner-up
1964	Johanna Reid				4th runner-up
1963	Mary Ann Arnold
1962	Sally Margaret Carter	Lowes
1961	Marcia Chumbler	Mayfield			Semi-finalist
1960	Barbara Joan Lovins
1959	Sherree Owens
1958	Shannon Beasley
1955-57	Did not compete
1954	Nikki Horner
1953	Mary Stice				Semi-finalist
1952	Jean Tingle

1 Age at the time of the Miss Kentucky USA pageant

References

"Producers". Miss Kentucky USA.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20071020002244/http://www.starmagazine.com/celebrity_news_gossip/ STAR'S WORLD EXCLUSIVE: THE FATHER OF NICK LACHEY'S NEW GIRL SAYS SHE AND NICK ARE "VERY CLOSE"], Star Magazine (accessed 6 May 2006)
[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/celebrities/3827583.html Nick Lachey: poster boy for the brokenhearted], Houston Chronicle, 28 April 2006 (accessed 6 May 2006)
Piazza, Jo. "Queen is way out of line". NY Daily News.
(5 May 2008). "Randy Moss Drafts Wide Receiver - TMZ.com".
(2008-05-07). "C.J.: Randy Moss' naughty dance moves photographed at Derby party". Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Clarke, Norm. (2008-05-08). "'Idol' contestant set to go country". [[Las Vegas Review-Journal]].
"Playboy's November/December 2017 Collector's Edition".
(2017-04-19). "NASCAR's Monster Energy Girl Amanda Mertz perfectly shuts down outfit critics". For The Win.
Shastry, Tejas. (2007-03-20). "Cardinal to compete for Miss USA crown". The Louisville Cardinal.
(16 May 1980). "South Carolina coed is new Miss USA". [[Hattiesburg American]].
(1976-09-10). "Home state girls hard to find". Kingman Daily Miner.
(16 April 1968). "Miss Kentucky". The Paducah Sun.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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