8 contestants who made history at the Miss USA 2025 pageant

In September 2023, the Miss Universe Organization — which oversees the Miss USA pageant — announced that it was lifting the age limit for contestants, giving all women 18 and over a chance at the crown. Miss USA 2024 was the first time in the pageant’s history that women over 28 were allowed to compete.

On Friday, Miss Delaware 2025 Tetra Shockley became the oldest woman to ever compete at Miss USA. The married mother of two, who is a licensed attorney and minister, also won this year’s Miss Congeniality award.

Due to leadership turmoil behind the scenes of the Miss USA Organization, multiple state directors who had resigned or left the organization were never replaced. This meant that eight state pageants for Miss USA were never held, and eight Miss USA state titleholders still needed to be crowned.

In September, new CEO Thom Brodeur announced that the organization was holding an open casting call to find the eight titleholders. The winners were announced on September 29, three weeks before the Miss USA 2025 pageant began.

Although they had little time to prepare, four contestants from the open casting call placed in the top 20: Miss Idaho Jenny Crawford, Miss New Hampshire MonaLesa Brackett, Miss Oregon Chantea McIntyre, and Miss Vermont Victoria Chuah.

Miss USA 2024 might have been the first year women over 28 were eligible to compete, but no contestant over 27 made it to the top 20.

Seventeen of 51 contestants were older than 28 at Miss USA 2025, and five of them placed in the top 20. They included Crawford, 37; Brackett, 36; McIntyre, 43; Miss Rhode Island Brianna Vega, 29; and Miss New Jersey Ivy Harrington, 30.

McIntyre ultimately placed second runner-up, while Harrington was named first runner-up.

In August 2022, the Miss Universe Organization announced that married women and mothers would be eligible to compete at all national pageants starting in 2023.

Crawford — a former Los Angeles Lakers Girl and San Diego Chargers Girl — told the Miss USA audience after she made it to the top 20 that she had a 2-year-old and planned to try her first-ever peanut butter and jelly sandwich with him someday. She won this year’s People’s Choice Award at the pageant.

McIntyre, a mother of four, became the first married woman and the first mother to make it to the top five at Miss USA. She is also an author, model, and owner of a clothing brand.

In a previous interview, Brackett said she felt “so fly” competing in a burkini at pageants.

“So many people thought, ‘How will the judges know you’re fit?'” she added. “The way I stand, the way I walk, the way I talk, you know I have abs.”

The 22-year-old is now using her platform to raise awareness for alopecia. During the preliminary competition on Wednesday night, Sickler wore a bejeweled cap instead of her wig to spotlight the condition.

She walked onstage with Brackett, who was wearing her hijab, as they both made history.