New Miss California USA Yet to Say Anything Controversial
But she was crowned just last night
By JONATHAN LLOYD
Updated 3:03 PM PST, Thu, Jan 7, 2010
A 24-year-old beauty representing Ventura County was crowned 2010 Miss California USA.
And now, we wait.
Nicole Johnson was chosen over 133 contestants Sunday night at a pageant at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage.
"I think it was my presentation," Johnson said. "I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown. So I think maybe that was it."
Johnson beat out the apparent crowd favorite, Nana Meriwether, who represented Beverly Hills, the Desert Sun reported on its website. Meriwether was chosen runner-up and would fill in for Johnson if she were unable to fulfill her Miss California duties.
Sound familiar?
The Miss California USA pageant was won last year by Carrie Prejean of San Diego, who was stripped of her title in June for allegedly missing scheduled appearances and for showing up at ones that were not approved by pageant officials.
Prejean sued the pageant and its officials, claiming her crown was taken away because of her religious beliefs, which include opposition to same-sex marriage, which she articulated in a response to a question from celebrity blogger and pageant judge Perez Hilton.
The pageant countersued Prejean in October, asking to be reimbursed for her breast implants.
The two sides quickly settled after pageant officials showed Prejean and her mother they had a racy video of the beauty contestant, TMZ.com reported.
Along with a few references to Prejean, this year's event included 30 seconds of free ad time for the state's largest gay rights group. Equality California aired a spot that featured a teenage girl with two mothers.
Pageant Director Keith Lewis said Prejean could have the same amount of time if she wanted to provide a pre-taped message. The pageant aired live on CW and My Networkt TV.
First Published: Nov 23, 2009 6:37 AM PST
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