Miss New Jersey USA 2020 Gina Mellish, 21, of Oceanport, New Jersey, United States will crown her successor at the Hilton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey on August 1, 2021. It will be the 70th edition of the state-level beauty pageant that selects New Jersey’s candidate for Miss USA, which selects the Miss Universe candidate of the U.S.

Currently, New Jersey has 19 Miss USA placements. In 2020, Mellish finished in the Top 20.

New Jersey has yet to win a Miss USA crown. Representing the state, Charlotte Ray and Chhavi Verg were Miss USA first runner-up in 1991 and 2017, respectively.

A total of 126 women will compete for the Miss New Jersey USA 2021 crown on August 1, 2021. If facial beauty is the only criterion, these will be my Top 21 candidates:

#30. Rosa Alvarez

Rosa Alvarez

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#29. Teni Bello

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#28. Lucy Brice

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#27. Mirella Fefer

Mirella Fefer

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#26. Alexis Costello

Alexis Costello

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#25. Summer Dorando

Summer Dorando

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#24. Jillian Haggerty

Jillian Haggerty

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#23. Jennifer Elliott

Jennifer Elliott

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#22. Donyelle Hayes

Donyelle Hayes

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#21. Rachel Eng

Rachel Eng

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#20. Rishann Grant

Rishann Grant

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#19. Alyssa Kessel

Alyssa Kessel

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#18. Jabili Kandula

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#17. Kristen Kowalski

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#16. Nicole Lucatorto

Nicole Lucatorto

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#15. Anglesea Newman

Anglesea Newman

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#14. Alexandra Lakhman

Alexandra Lakhman

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#13. Christina Oh

Christina Oh

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#12. Laura Torres

Laura Torres

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#11. Erica Sunstein

Erica Sunstein

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#10. Mayelin de la Cruz

Mayelin De La Cruz

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#9. Ellen Jean Lee

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#8. Celinda Ortega

Celinda Ortega

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#7. Vritti Patel

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#6. Bryahna Rivera

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#5. Phoebe Yankowski

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#4. Zena Aldabagh

Zena Aldabagh

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#3. Jennifer Woods

Jennifer Woods

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#2. Rashmi Naik

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#1. Shege Hoti