Miss USA Contestants Reveal the Pageant Rules That Shocked Them the Most (Exclusive) Zoey LyttleOctober 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM 0 Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Miss USA 2024 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Aug. 4, 2024.
- - Miss USA Contestants Reveal the Pageant Rules That Shocked Them the Most (Exclusive)
Zoey LyttleOctober 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM
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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Miss USA 2024 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Aug. 4, 2024. -
The Miss USA has made many changes to its rulebook in recent years, including allowing married women, mothers and women over the age of 28 to compete
The organization — which will hold its 2025 pageant in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 24 — does still enforce certain regulations on contestants and titleholders
PEOPLE polled several Miss USA hopefuls to find out which current and previous pageant rules they were surprised to learn
The Miss USA organization has evolved with the times since its inception in the early '50s, and recent years have seen major reforms in response to shakeups and leadership changes.
Still, the storied pageant system has its rules, some of which are more obvious than others. Even some current state winners are still learning new guidelines as they approach the national competition, which will be held in Reno, Nev., on Saturday, Oct. 24.
This year will see multiple returning contestants, several of whom are coming back after years-long hiatuses, and they're now facing a new set of rules. In fact, there are women who are actually able to compete at Miss USA again because the organization lifted its age cap and now allows contestants over the age of 28.
Ahead of Miss USA 2025, PEOPLE polled contestants to find out which current and previous pageant rules caught them by surprise.
Jenny Ting Crawford, Miss Idaho USA
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Jenny Ting Crawford.
In 2024, the Miss USA organization repealed a rule that prohibited women over the age of 28 from participating in the pageant. Now, the competition is open to any woman over the age of 18. (Teenagers can qualify for the younger sister pageant, Miss Teen USA.)
Jenny Ting Crawford will represent Idaho at Miss USA this year, but it's not her first time competing on a stage under the Miss USA umbrella. She placed as the second runner-up at Miss California USA in 2012. Now, at 37, the former Los Angeles Laker Girl dancer says it's tough to believe the former age restriction ever existed.
"That was surprising because pageants are built on a platform of championing women to succeed, and I know age does not limit a women's ability to be successful," she tells PEOPLE ahead of the 2025 pageant. "I am extremely proud to be able to compete again 13 years later! And 10 years above the age limit from that old rule."
Lou Schieffelin, Miss Florida USA
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Lou Schieffelin.
Miss Florida USA Lou Schieffelin was shocked to learn about another rule that's since been reformed by Miss USA leadership: crowned winners were once contractually banned from appearing on reality shows during their title-holding reign.
"So that meant no [Bachelor Nation] roses, no Survivor islands, no cameos. But with the new leadership team shaking things up, who knows," Schieffelin tells PEOPLE. "A Miss USA reality series might just be the next big thing…stay tuned."
MonaLesa Brackett, Miss New Hampshire USA
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MonaLesa Brackett.
Crawford isn't the only previous Miss USA participant able to return to the world of pageantry thanks to the age cap removal. MonaLesa Brackett did "age out" of the system at one point, but after a 10-year hiatus, she says she's "now living a dream" and returning to the stage at 35.
"I'm grateful that the Miss USA Organization continues to evolve, reflecting the diversity of the United States," says Brackett. "As a modest Muslim Hijabi woman, I appreciate the inclusivity that welcomes women of all ages, marital statuses, motherhood experiences and identities."
If she is crowned winner on Saturday, Oct. 24, when this year's Miss USA finals will be held in Reno, Nev., Brackett tell PEOPLE that she "will proudly represent the unrepresented and continue supporting the organization and lead with inclusion and progress."
Hannah Klein, Miss Ohio USA
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Hannah Klein.
Prior to entering a Miss USA pageant, Ohio's Hannah Klein admits that she didn't realize the daily demands and restrictions placed on contestants once the competition commences.
"You can't have visitors, and you aren't allowed to leave your room," Klein notes. "We're on such a tight schedule that it makes sense, but I definitely get in a FaceTime or two before bed!"
Issha Rose Mata, Miss Hawaii USA
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Issha Rose Mata.
Issha Rose Mata tells PEOPLE that she stalled her love life a bit before Miss USA started allowing married women to compete in 2023.
"I held off being engaged for years because I wasn't quite done with my pageant career as a miss," says the 2025 winner of Miss Hawaii USA. "Now, as a newly engaged woman, I can stand confidently on stage in love without judgment."
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