The annual Miss LSU-USA Pageant, sponsored by Delta Zeta Sorority, took place at the LSU Student Union Theater on Sunday, March 22. Twenty-two women competed for the title of Miss LSU, all beautiful and all unique. The morning of the pageant, the ladies went through a judged interview for which they all received their scores by the time of the show. The evening began with the national anthem, sung by Miss LSU 2014, Deandra De Napoli. Following the anthem, the contestants performed their opening number: "Purple Reign." After the contestants and Napoli introduced themselves, the show began.
The first portion was the swimsuit competition. Each contestant had to strut her stuff in a swimsuit of their choice with a shawl wrapped around their waist at their entrance. If there was an award for best competitor in the swim suit portion, my choice would have to be contestant number 18, Jessica Walters; she was 5'10" and wore a dark pink swim suit that flattered her tan skin -- she looked Victoria Secret model worthy!
After the swim suit portion, the men's a cappella group, the Tiger Tenors, performed two song medleys of "Stand By Me" with "Beautiful Girls" and "Uptown Funk" with "Brick House." The crowd sang along as they got ready for the evening gown portion.
The evening gown portion was scored on overall appearance, style, and sense of confidence. All the gowns were different and each girl displayed her own style. Contestant number one, Darby Jarratt, graced the stage with a flowy, full, white dress. She had an elegant and slow walk that made her presence memorable. Contestant number 10, Ashley Barbier, took over the stage with a flawless white dress that had a sparkly top and white flowy bottom that trailed behind her. Contestant number 20, Kaelah Cobb, wore a green dress that had a sparkly top and creased bottom that moved with her every step. She was not only memorable because of her look, but she was a crowd favorite. Every entrance she made the crowd roar and scream her name.
At the end, the top five competitors were contestant numbers 2 (Sara Reams), 5 (Elizabeth Heinen),10 (Ashley Barbier),18 (Jessica Walters), and 20 (Kaelah Cobb). Each of the top five contestants had to draw a question from a fishbowl containing questions that each contestant had come up with. All of the contestants answered their questions with intelligence and poise. The competition was intense!
After saying good bye to Napoli, it was time for the new Miss LSU-USA to be crowned. The 2015 Miss LSU-USA is -- drumroll please -- Ashley Barbier!
The show was a great success and a wonderful performance for all to enjoy. Congratulations, Delta Zeta, for another great show and congratulations to our new Miss LSU, Ashley Barbier!
