(KLTV) -
Last night was the 62nd annual Miss USA pageant held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Contestants from all 50 states and territories of the United States went heel to heel on stage at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Miss Connecticut, Erin Brady, ended up walking away with the grand title of Miss USA, but it was Miss Utah who really stood out from the rest of the competitors.
Each lovely lady is asked one question during the on-stage interview round of the pageant. The questions usually pertain to either national or international current events. Basically, if you half-way know what is going on in the world and can think of three coherent sentences to say on the topic then you pass the round with flying colors.
Miss Utah, Marissa Powell, glided on stage poised to answer which ever question the judges might throw at her. Powell's perfect, pearly white teeth shone behind her confident and well-rehearsed smile. She reaches her hand in the clear bowl and grabs one of several folded pieces of paper. Each slip of paper contains a judge's name and Powell draws reality TV star Nene Leakes' name. Then comes the question that has now been heard across the web:
"A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society," asks Leakes.
Without thought or hesitation Miss Utah begins reciting what at first appears to be a coherent response, but then takes a turn for the, well, confusing.
"I think we can relate this back to education and how we are continuing to try to strive to...figure out how to create jobs right now. That is the biggest problem and, I think, especially the men are seen as leaders of this, so we need to...create education better so we can solve this problem," answers Powell.
The awkward response almost makes the viewer want to look away. During the first long pause, a few cheers come from the crowd offering encouragement for Miss Utah. Throughout her baffling response, Powell maintains a radiant smile, beaming at the judges and the audience. Co-host Giuliana Rancic thanked Miss Utah as she walks to resume her place alongside the other contestants in the top five.
Despite being at a loss for words, Powell still ended up a third runner-up in the Miss USA pageant. Maybe the judges gave her a bit of credit for remaining poised despite how she had done on the interview question. Regardless, videos of Miss Utah's flubbed interview are popping up and trending across the internet. She has yet to release a statement regarding her response.
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