Miss USA kicks off today June 19, 2011 live on NBC

Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih

Miss USA 2011 kicks off today June 19 at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program will be aired live on NBC and the show will be hosted by "E! News co-anchor Giuliana Rancic and Bravo's "Watch What Happens:Live" host and network's Executive President of Original Programming and Development, Andy Kohen.

The President of the Miss Universe Organization Paula M. Shugart and owner of NBC and Miss Universe Organization Paula M. Shugart made the announcement of this grand show.

Miss USA 2010 is crowned by Miss USA 2009
Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton

The 51 contestants have been living in Las Vegas all month, preparing for the event and OnTheRedCarpet.com caught up with the ladies before their big day. The beginning number is very complex, especially for a large group of 51 people. Rehearsing in the hotel rooms, the chance to learn the moves all depends on the ladies. After getting the routine, the contestants have to practice and they have to move in unison while hitting the marks noted on the carpet. As they rehearse again and again, it becomes easier (and it also creates a few blisters as this isn’t easy work by any means.) The end result is what the audience will see on live television. For the first time ever, one of the sixteen semifinalists will be selected exclusively by fans via online voting and SMS messaging. The competition formats are changed to Top 16, Top 8 and Top 4 (Miss USA 2011,1st runner-up, 2nd runner-up, 3rd runner-up). Miss USA 2011 will represent the United States at the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011.

Over the past two weeks contestants have been in Las Vegas in one of the biggest pageants on the planet. Living, working and breathing Miss US Pageant, it all comes down to the final day and live show to see who wins. OnTheRedCarpet.com host Rachel Smith, who was voted Miss USA 2007, asked the girls about their bikini contest preparations, rooming situations and what kind of drama has gone down behind the scenes, but the ladies insisted that this year's group has been diva free. "Even I expected the girls to be really catty when I got here but the girls are really awesome," said Miss Vermont, Lauren Carter. "There are really no huge divas, there's no crazy cutting of gowns or anything. Everybody's pretty awesome, we're all friends." Miss Tennessee, Ashley Elizabeth Durham also agreed that the contestants are more laid-back than they were when she competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2006. "It's a lot different, the girls are very competitive but we have a pretty laid-back group this year, we're having a lot of fun," Durham said. "But tomorrow's prelims, so we'll see when the claws come out."

Meanwhile, former Miss USA Rima Fakih, who will surrender her crown during the Sunday's Miss USA pageant, is weighing her options for the future. Fakih said that she plans on "sleeping for a week" following the end of her reign but offered some words of advice for the next Miss USA. "This is Miss USA, this is not just any beauty pageant - there are beauty pageants and then there's Miss USA," she said. "What I would want [aspiring contestants] to know is to remember every year, have a scrapbook, know that the crown you're going to wear doesn't mean you're the most beautiful girl in the United States - you're an ambassador."

The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant and this year it is 60 th anniversary of this contest. The Miss Universe Organization operates both Miss USA Beauty pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA. The state that wins Miss USA as many as nine times is  Texas in 1977,1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001 and 2008. Miss USA 2010 won by Rima Fakih, the current titleholder, who competed as Miss Michigan USA. Michigan won the title two more times in 1990 and 1993. Other leading states are California 5 times, New York, Hawaii and Illinois 4 times, Lousiana, South Carolina and aforesaid Michigan each for 3 times.

This year 51 contestants are:

1. Alabama USA, Madeline Mitchell

2.Alaska USA, Jessica Chuckran

3.Arizona USA, Brittany Dawn Brannon

4. Arkansas USA, Lakynn McBride

5. California USA, Alyssa Campanella

6. Colorado USA, Blair Adair Griffith

7.Connecticut USARegina Turner

8. Delaware USA, Katie Hanson

9. District Of Columbia USA, Heather Danelle Swann

10. Florida USA, Lissette Garcia

11. Georgia USA, Kaylin Reque

12. Hawaii USA, Angela Byrd

13. Idaho USA, Erza Haliti

14. Illinois USA, Angela Sparrow

15. Indiana USA, Jillian Wunderlich

16. Iowa USA, Rebecca Goldsmith

17. Kansas USA, Jaymie Stokes

18. Kentucky USA, Kia Ben-et Hampton

19. Louisiana USA, Page Pennock

20. Maine USA, Ashley-Lynn Marble

21. Maryland USA, Allyn Rose

22. Massachusetts USA, Alida D'Angona

23. Michigan USA, Channing Pierce

24. Minnesota USA, Brittany Lee Thelemann

25. Mississippi USA, Keeley Patterson

26. Missouri USA, Hope Driskill

27. Montana USA, Brittany Wiser

28. Nebraska USA, Haley Jo Herold

29. Nevada USA, Sarah Chapman

30. New Hampshire USA, LacyJane Folger

31. New Jersey USA, Julianna White

32. New Mexico USA, Brittany Toll

33. New York USA, Amber Marie Collins

34. North Carolina USA, Brittany Leigh York

35. North Dakota USA, Brandi Lynn Schoenberg

36. Ohio USA, Ashley Nicole Caldwell

37. Oklahoma USA, Kaitlyn Smith

38. Oregon USA, Anna Prosser

39. Pennsylvania USA, Amber-Joi Watkins

40. Rhode Island USA, Kate McCaughey

41.South Carolina USA, Courtney Hope Turner

42.South Dakota USA, Chandra Rae Burnham

43. Tennessee USA, Ashley Elizabeth Durham

44. Texas USA, Ana Christina Rodriguez

45. Utah USA, Jamie Lynn Crandall

46. Vermont USA, Lauren Carter

47.Virginia USA, Nikki Poteet

48. Washington USA, Angelina Kayyalaynen

49. West Virginia USA, Whitney Veach

50. Wisconsin USA, Jordan Marie Morkin

51. Wyoming USA, Kaitlyn Davis

All  Winners of Miss USA