Baton Rouge shines in Miss USA event

The 2014 Miss USA competition took over downtown Baton Rouge last night. Nia Sanchez, Miss Nevada USA, took home the crown as Miss Louisiana USA Brittany Guidry took the third runner-up spot and fourth overall.

The event kicked off at 7 p.m. at the River Center and aired live on NBC. Approximately 70 countries saw the broadcast. Kristen Traina with the River Center says the event went well, and the facility looked its best for its primetime network television debut. She added that nearly 5,000 people were in attendance, but no final count has been given yet.

Mayor Kip Holden, who attended the event, was impressed with how the broadcast highlighted the city.

“The production company needs to be highly complimented for the way they put Baton Rouge in the spotlight,” Holden says. “They kept talking about visit[ing] Baton Rouge, and you kept hearing that expression. It is almost like being hypnotized.”

Moreover, Holden says he heard great things about the city’s hospitality.

“Over and over again, you kept hearing people saying these are the friendliest people in the world,” he says. “The people of Louisiana responded tremendously. We’re going to go further. Once we keep adding [these events and businesses to the city], what you get in return, you can’t put a value on it.”

Other Baton Rouge officials such as Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer and Visit Baton Rouge CEO Paul Arrigo say they too have only heard good things about the competition.

In March, Arrigo estimated the pageant would fill somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000 additional hotel rooms. Arrigo did not have a final figure by press time.

During the Sunday night event, a record number of downtown restaurants opted to stay open, accommodating visitors and attendees. While restaurant owners saw an opportunity for business, Rhorer sees the bustle as a step toward the future of downtown.

“I saw so many people eating at downtown restaurants and walking over to the River Center,” he says. “That’s all by our master plan design, making downtown convenient to the visitor of our city. We’re in a transformative state in our city. We’re taking the next step.”

Rhorer also told Business Report this morning that the city shined bright on the big stage.

“Everybody handled this thing so professionally,” he says. “The long-term effect is tenfold. We can now compete in the big leagues.”

Contestants were judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. Judges included former NBA star Karl Malone, actor Ian Ziering, singer Lance Bass, actress Rumer Willis, television personality Allie LaForce, fitness expert Dolvett Quince, entrepreneur and Miss Universe 1986 Barbara Palcios and actor and former six-time UFC champ Randy Couture.

#MissUSA #selfie w/fellow judges Karl Malone @Randy_Couture @Followtheblonde! #hoopster I could take him right? Haha pic.twitter.com/194sZIPFDS

— Allie LaForce (@ALaForce) June 8, 2014

The show also included performances from country band Florida Georgia Line with R&B/hip hop star Nelly, singer-songwriter Marc Broussard, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s horn section and Latin Grammy award winners Camila.

For the past two weeks, contestants have been making appearances around Baton Rouge. At a karaoke contest at Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s last week, Miss Rhode Island Christina Palavra told 225 that the contestants “got a crash course on Louisiana culture.”

Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Organization, arrived in the Capital City Saturday.

Just toured Baton Rouge, Louisiana – GREAT PEOPLE, fantastic place, doing really well. Miss USA Pageant totally sold out.Tomorrow night, NBC

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2014

When Trump announced the event in March on The Today Show, he noted Baton Rouge’s growing film industry in his decision to bring the pageant here.

Holden says he’s already working with officials to get the event back in Baton Rouge.

“We already started planning on it last night,” he says. “Trump said he would like it to come here again. I intend to continue negotiations. You can’t afford to let something like this go away because of the magnitude and exposure for Baton Rouge and its people as well.”