Remarkable Achievements: When Texas won Miss USA 5 years in row

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Texas is known to be a powerhouse state and by far the record holder with 10 Miss USA victories. From the mid 80s to the end of the 80s, this state dominated the Miss USA Pageant with 5 winners in a row. Texas was just unbeatable and there has never been a repeat of this or even any state coming close to it. Let's take a look at this unbelievable streak: 

1985: Laura Harring 

It all started with a young woman from New Mexico, Laura Harring. She first won Miss El Paso USA. Then she went on to win the Miss Texas USA title and in May 1985, she won Miss USA in Lakeland, Florida. Harring represented the USA at Miss Universe where she achieved a top 10 placement. 

1986: Christy Fichtner 

The hot streak of Texas continued in 1986 when Christy Fichtner won the Miss USA title. Among the delegates she defeated was her first runner-up, Halle Berry from Ohio. She went on as the mega favourite to win Miss Universe when she entered the semi-finals in 1st place. Christy Fichtner ended up being the runner-up to Miss Universe 1986. 



1987: Michelle Royer 

The pride of Keller, Michelle Royer, went on to win Miss Texas USA. With back to back victories, there was a lot of pressure on her and she did not let that stand in her way. So on the night of the final, Texas did it again for the third consecutive year. Michelle Royer then went on to represent the USA at Miss Universe in 1987. She finished first in the preliminary competition and on the final night she finished as 2nd runner-up to Miss Universe. 



1988: Courtney Gibbs 

With 3 winners in a row, it was almost inconceivable that Texas could do it again but once again they sent a stunner in the form of Courtney Gibbs. Low and behold, she held her nerve and Texas won for the 4th time in a row. At the Miss Universe Pageant in Taipei, Taiwan, Courtney finished in first place. Her luck was not so good on the final night and she only finished in 8th place. 



1989: Gretchen Polhemus

For their 5 consecutive victory, it was a slam dunk. Gretchen Polhemus dominated the Miss USA Competition. Not only did she finish in 1st place in the preliminaries but on the final night, she also finished 1st in all three categories and the flaming hot Texas streak kept going. She went in as firm favourite to win the Miss Universe crown and finished as the 2nd runner-up to Miss Universe 1989. 

The 5 in a row Texas streak is something that was not a fluke. It was due to great state license holders and exceptional training. Will we see this again? Probably not! 

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