Miss USA

We might have a full-blown pageant enthusiast in the White House, but even so, beauty-based competitions no longer occupy a place at the forefront of our national consciousness.

Every once in a while, however, a contestant comes along that captures the hearts and minds of the American public.

Two days after Great Britain gave folks a look behind the lives of those involved with its crown, the United States went ahead and did something similar.

Kind of. Sort of. In a way, we guess.

On Sunday night, Kára McCullough was crowned Miss USA.

It was a pretty neat win, considering that Kára is a nuclear scientist beauty queen, but when comments that she'd made during the competition began circulating widely ...

A new Miss USA has been crowned.

But not without the sort of controversy that often accompanies beauty pageants of this nature.

Samantha "Sami" Edwards, a former Miss USA contestant from North Dakota, was found dead on Tuesday in her home in Minnesota.

She was just 37 years old.

For several years now, it's been safe to say that Washington D.C. has been a loser.

Just look at the Wizards. At the performance of the Capitals in the NHL playoffs. At the insistence of the Redskins to continue to be known as the "Redskins."

She might be only 17-years-old, but Savannah Chrisley of the hit reality show Chrisley Knows Best has a lot of accomplishments under her belt.

The teen launched to stardom with the release of her show.  And now she has been crowned Miss Tennessee Teen USA!!