Miss USA 1971

Miss USA 1971
Date	May 22, 1971 (1971-05-22)
Presenters	Bob Barker
Venue	Jackie Gleason Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Broadcaster	CBS
Entrants	51
Placements	12
Winner	Michele McDonald Pennsylvania
Congeniality	Diane Knaub
Photogenic	Brenda Miller

Miss USA 1971, the 20th Miss USA pageant, was televised live by CBS hosted by Bob Barker from the Jackie Gleason Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida on May 22, 1971.

The pageant was won by Michele McDonald of Pennsylvania, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Deborah Shelton of Virginia. McDonald was the first – and to date only – woman from Pennsylvania to win the Miss USA title, and went on to place as a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1971.

For the 1971 pageant, the number of semi-finalists called was reduced from 15 to 12. It would remain at this number until 1984, when it was cut again to 10.

Results

• Miss USA 1971: Michele McDonald (Pennsylvania)
• The runners-up were:
  • 1st runner-up: Brenda Box (Texas)
  • 2nd runner-up: Susanne Pottenger (Arizona)
  • 3rd runner-up: Nancy Rich (Missouri)
  • 4th runner-up: Patricia Barnstable (Kentucky)
• The semi-finalists were:
  • Karin Morrell (California)
  • Suzanne Pluskoski (District of Columbia)
  • Susan Deaton (Florida)
  • Carol Theis (Maryland)
  • Pat Glannan (Michigan)
  • Sandra Taft (Vermont)
  • Brenda Miller (Virginia)

Special awards

• Congeniality: Diane Knaub (Colorado)
• Photogenic: Brenda Miller (Virginia)

Delegates

The Miss USA 1971 delegates were:

External links

• Miss USA official website