The Miss USA Opening Was More Than Ridiculous

Who's ready to party? Everyone on tonight's Miss USA pageant certainly seems ready to get the party started. After a little montage soaring over the 50 U.S. states and one territory represented in the competition, hosts Giuliana Rancic and Thomas Roberts seemed a little too excited to kick off this year's competition. But I was on board.

That was until the ladies took the stage to introduce themselves and the states they're representing, which is no news here since this happens in just about every competition. But this opening, which was oozing with Louisiana flavor, was a bit too over-the-top for my tastes, even for a pageant.

Louisiana's own southern soul singer Marc Broussard kicked things off with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and some dancers in colorful costumes in the background. The music and the dancing was all good and well. It seemed like a nice, local touch to the competition taking place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after having been held in Las Vegas for the past six years. But then things got weird.

The contestants entered in this large Mardi Gras-decorated float thing with a giant gold gate and a huge Jester head. It wasn't really a float, but more like a little pen that opened up to release the kraken, I mean, the Miss USA contestants. Let's just say that float-like contraption is going to give me nightmares tonight.

Then the ladies approached the mic to announce their names and the states they're repping. But they did this in a style that was different than other pageants. The ladies had colorful masks covering their faces like they were at a masquerade ball. When it came time to introduce themselves, they removed the masks, some with more success than others. It seemed to be an added distraction to the probably already-nervous contestants. Not to mention, it totally messed up some of their perfectly-coiffed 'dos.

All in all, I applaud Miss USA for trying to put a different twist on this pageant staple. But it was a little like an outfit with too many accessories. Maybe next time remember to take one piece of jewelry off before you leave the house?

Image: Twitter/@MissUniversenews