New York, March 13, 2003 – Actress and model Daisy Fuentes and Billy Bush, host of Let's Make a Deal & Access Hollywood correspondent, will host the MISS USA® 2003 competition to be broadcast live from San Antonio, Texas on March 24, 2003, announced by Paula M. Shugart, President, the Miss Universe Organization today. The competition will be televised by the NBC Television Network (9 pm ET/delayed PT).

“The 52nd annual MISS USA competition will be a classy, elegant, primetime event,” said Executive Producer Phil Gurin. “We have all of the elements for great television; glamorous girls, a great location and a truly competitive pageant.”

Shauntay Hinton, Miss USA 2002, will crown her successor at the conclusion of the two-hour primetime telecast, before an estimated worldwide viewing audience of more than 200 million. Each contestant from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be judged in three categories, including swimsuit, evening gown and personality interview.

In addition, BURN THE FLOOR, one of the hottest, sexiest and the most entertaining theatrical dance sensations on the world stage, will perform during the telecast. In 2002, BURN THE FLOOR set box office records with its sell out seasons in Tokyo’s International Forum and Osaka’s Jo Hall, with 45,000 tickets sold in Osaka in five hours. In the United States over 250,000 people, across 23 cities, saw performances of BURN THE FLOOR.

The Miss Universe Organization, producers of the MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® Pageants, is a Donald J. Trump and National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC) partnership. Utilizing its nationwide grass roots infrastructure, the Miss Universe Organization is committed to increasing awareness of breast and ovarian cancers. By forging relationships with organizations committed to research and education, such as the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Gilda’s Club and the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, Miss USA is armed to impact women today.

DAISY FUENTES
From model to actress to TV host, Daisy Fuentes is a household name with viewers across the world. The first crossover VJ to appear on both the Spanish language MTV Latino and the original MTV, Fuentes has co-hosted several programs on the cable music network, including "One on One with Michael Jordan" and "Fashionably Loud." She has been a host on MTV Internacional and MTV Latino, as well as host of MTV's "House of Style."

BILLY BUSH
Billy Bush is currently the host of “Let’s Make A Deal,” a new game show based on the classic Monty Hall version, as well as the east coast correspondent for Access Hollywood, the daily entertainment newsmagazine show currently in its sixth season of providing comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television. Bush has been with the newsmagazine since December 2001. In addition, Billy is a contributor to NBC’s top rated morning news program Today.

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PRESS CONTACTS:
Esther Swan/Erin Cooney
The Miss Universe Organization
(212) 373-4870, (212) 373-4868
eswan@missuniverse.com
ecooney@missuniverse.com

Dara Busch/Jill Dortheimer
Rubenstein Public Relations
(212)843-8079, (212)843-9201
dbusch@rubensteinpr.com
jdortheimer@rubensteinpr.com