The CW dropped Miss USA from its broadcast schedule. All 51 state winners will compete Aug. 27 on the Queen Beauty Network streaming platform. Contestants span nursing, military service, finance, and fashion.
Alpha Score of 48 reflects weak overall profile with moderate momentum, weak value, weak quality, moderate sentiment.
The Miss USA 2026 final will stream on the Queen Beauty Network on Aug. 27 after The CW dropped the pageant from its broadcast schedule. The network confirmed Thursday that neither the Miss USA nor the Miss Teen USA finals would air on its platform, leaving the 51 contestants to compete for the crown in a streaming-only format from the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami.
The shift marks the second straight year the pageant has lost its broadcast partner. The CW aired the 2025 competition under a multi-year deal struck in 2023. Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert will crown her successor in the swimwear, evening wear, and interview rounds, all available at 8 p.m. ET on the Queen Beauty Network, a streaming platform focused on the pageant industry.
The contestants come from every state and the District of Columbia. Their professional backgrounds range widely: an ICU nurse, a transmission engineer, a former NFL dancer turned financial advisor, a dental hygienist, a surface warfare officer, and a fashion designer who began sewing at age six.
Several candidates carry platforms tied to personal loss or advocacy. Emily Lenser of Missouri, a neonatal ICU nurse inspired by "Grey's Anatomy," founded Embracing Imperfections to address speech impediments. Holly Huber of Alaska serves on the board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and has received a congressional honor for suicide-prevention work. Aileen Cerchiara of Connecticut became a registered nurse after watching her father undergo cancer treatment and speaks for the National MDS Foundation on rare blood cancers.
Military backgrounds are common. Jaeden Hamelly of Louisiana holds a master's in social work, lost over 100 pounds to join the Army, and serves as a staff sergeant and combat medic. Jade Kircus of Hawaii graduated from the Naval Academy, served eight years as a surface warfare officer, and is competing in her first pageant at age 36. Eniola Oke of Indiana is the first Air Force member to win Miss Indiana and hopes to become a physician assistant in the service.
The oldest contestant is Amber Uhler, 41, a TV host and mother of three who lost 170 pounds and gave TEDx talks on drowning prevention after surviving a childhood drowning. The youngest is Alexis Maxine Fuetsch, 21, who became an NBA photographer at 16, opened a studio at 19, and plans to enter law school after the pageant.
Several contestants have existing public platforms. Brijet Finister of Kentucky, a former NFL and NBA dancer, founded Pretty Pensions to teach financial literacy to women and published the book "Good Grief" after losing her father to cancer. Kayelin Tiggs of Ohio authored legislation requiring menstrual products in Ohio prisons. Victoria Vesce of Rhode Island, a former NBA dancer and brain tumor survivor, co-founded an undergraduate fashion law program.
The Queen Beauty Network, owned by the pageant organization's parent company, has streamed preliminary rounds throughout the competition season. The CW did not give a reason for dropping the broadcast.
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