Audrey Eckert Wins Miss USA Under New Ownership | JQJO

Audrey Eckert of Nebraska was crowned Miss USA on Friday as the scandal-hit pageant returned under new ownership in Reno, Nevada. The 22-year-old digital safety advocate topped 50 contenders, with New Jersey’s Ivy Harrington and Oregon’s Chantéa McIntyre named first and second runners-up. Eckert fell to her knees amid gold streamers as reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig placed the crown, with last year’s winner absent. After months of upheaval and lawsuits, former titleholder Noelia Voigt appeared as an online host. The finale streamed via a pageantry platform, not television.