Born in Florissant, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, Shandi Ren Finnessey represented the U.S. at Miss Universe 2004 and competed against 79 other candidates at the Centro de Exposiciones y Convenciones Mitad del Mundo (CEMEXPO) in Quito, Ecuador on June 1, 2004. She was runner-up to Jennifer Hawkins of Australia.
Including Finnesey’s coronation in 2004, Missouri currently has 26 Miss USA placements. The most recent one was in 2022 when Mikala McGhee finished in the Top 16.
Finnessey is the first and still the only Miss USA from Missouri. She turned 46 on June 9, 2024.
Miss Missouri USA 2025 predictions
On June 15, 2024, Ashleigh Lorene Bedwell of Kansas City, Missouri won Miss Missouri USA 2024 at Polsky Theater in Overland Park, Johnson County, Missouri. She competed against 26 other candidates.
Runner-up to Bedwell was Shae Addison Smith, who represented Route 66. The respective second, third and fourth runners-up were Francesca Mirabella DeStefane of Warson Woods, St. Louis County, Olivia Henson of Springfield, Greene County, Missouri and Jessica Janorschke of Westport, Kansas City.
On August 4, 2024, Bedwell represented Missouri at Miss USA 2024 and competed against 50 other candidates at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was unplaced.
On May 11, 2025, Bedwell will crown her successor at The Mansion Theater in Branson, Missouri. It is the 74th edition of the state-level beauty pageant that selects Missouri’s candidate for Miss USA, which selects the Miss Universe candidate of the U.S.
There are 21 women competing for the Miss Missouri USA 2025 title. I believe these five candidates will make it to the top:
predicted 4th runner-up
Heather Dorr (Poplar Bluff)
predicted 3rd runner-up
Keara Okolo (Capital City)
predicted 2nd runner-up
Latoya Sumner (Gateway St. Louis)
predicted 1st runner-up
Kinsey Sowell (Table Rock)
predicted Miss Missouri USA 2025
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