Miss USA 1981


Miss USA 1981 was the 30th Miss USA pageant, held at the Gulf Coast Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi on May 21, 1981.
At the end of the event, Jineane Ford of Arizona crowned Kim Seelbrede of Ohio as Miss USA 1981. It is the second victory of Ohio in the pageant's history. Seelbrede later competed at Miss Universe and was named one of the twelve semi-finalists.
This year also marked the first year since 1957 that a runner-up of Miss USA was sent to Miss World. Holli Dennis, the first runner-up from Indiana, was supposed to compete at Miss World, but chose to marry instead. Due to this, Lisa Moss, the second runner-up from Louisiana, was appointed as the representative of the United States to Miss World. Moss later competed at Miss World and was named one of the seven finalists.
Contestants from forty-nine states and the District of Columbia competed in the pageant. The competition was hosted by Bob Barker.

Results

Placements

Pageant

Format

Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The twelve semi-finalists competed in the evening gown and swimsuit competitions and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final look.

Selection committee

Final telecast

Fifty contestants competed for the title.
ContestantAgeHometownNotes
AlabamaJoAnne Henderson21Tuscaloosa
AlaskaShelly Brunaugh18Fairbanks
ArizonaCassie Hill23Phoenix
ArkansasLynnanne Derryberry18Jerusalem
CaliforniaCynthia Kerby18Westlake Village
ColoradoShannon Davidson19Boulder
ConnecticutKelly Thompson20Monroe
DelawareNatalie Diane Ramsey21Wilmington
District of ColumbiaBelinda Johnson23Martinsville, Virginia
FloridaValerie Lundeen24MiamiMarried to "Tarzan" actor Ron Ely, murdered by their son Cameron Ely at their Southern California home on October 15, 2019
GeorgiaLisa Joyce Condrey20Decatur
HawaiiTeri Ann Linn20HonoluluLater became an actress, starred in The Bold and the Beautiful
IdahoLori Ditch21Boise
IllinoisLeslie K. Renfrow21Chicago
IndianaHolli Rene Dennis21Fort WayneInitially appointed as Miss World USA but chose to marry instead
IowaJennifer Lynn Wimpey19Coralville
KansasMissy Kaser18Wichita
KentuckyDenise Gibbs20Kevil
LouisianaLisa Lynn Moss23ShreveportLater Miss World USA 1981
Finalist at Miss World 1981
MaineJudy Lynn Footer24Bath
MarylandLinda Lambert22Baltimore
MassachusettsJo Ann Savery22Bridgewater
MichiganKaren Eidson21Hazel Park
MinnesotaPolly Peterson22EdinaSister of Miss USA 1976 Barbara Peterson
MississippiAngela Ashmore20Muscle Shoals, Alabama
MissouriKaryn Marie Smagacz19Fulton
MontanaCathi Jo Locati19Billings
NebraskaLa Donna Hill21Seward
NevadaMary Lebsock23Las Vegas
New HampshireCynthia Lee Graves21North Conway
New JerseyChristy Garthwaite19Tuckerton
New MexicoLise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet23Las Cruces
New YorkDeborah Ann Fountain25BronxPreviously Miss North Carolina World 1979
Finalist at Miss World America 1979
Disqualified after wearing a padded bra in the swimsuit competition
North CarolinaLisa Colleen Swift22Southport
North DakotaLaurie Saarinen20JamestownLater Miss Minnesota 1982
OhioKimberly Seelbrede20GermantownSemi-finalist at Miss Universe 1981
OklahomaStacey Loach17Oklahoma City
OregonDawn Michele Lewis22Portland
PennsylvaniaNena Stone21Bethel Park
Rhode IslandPatti Reo20Cranston
South CarolinaZade Denise Turner21Myrtle Beach
South DakotaJoan Abbott19Irene
TennesseeSharon Kay Steakley24WinchesterMother of Alexandra Harper, Miss Tennessee USA 2018
TexasDiana Durnford22El Paso
UtahTonya Anderson20Orem
VermontJeannette Wulff21Middlesex
VirginiaPam Hutchens22Newport NewsGeneral District Court Judge in Virginia Beach, Virginia
WashingtonLeila Wagner20Seattle
West VirginiaKelly Carr19Scherr
WisconsinDawn Marie Spreeman18Kaukauna
WyomingDeborah Aspinwall23Riverton