Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo wins Miss USA title

Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo waves to the audience after being crowned Miss USA during the 2012 Miss USA pageant on June 3, 2012, in Las Vegas.

/ AP

(CBS/AP) LAS VEGAS - Updated 11:10 p.m. EDT

A 20-year-old cellist from Rhode Island won the Miss USA crown and will represent the United States in this year's Miss Universe pageant.

Olivia Culpo topped a field of 51 beauty queens on Sunday to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a purple bikini and a purple evening gown with sparkly belt.

Pictures: Miss USA pageant 2012
Pictures: Miss USA 2012 contestants

She answered a question posed by judge Rob Kardashian about transgender contestants by saying it would be fair for a man who became a woman to be named Miss Universe. Her response was met with wild applause from the audience

The pageant had three competitions: swimsuit, evening gowns and interview question. Midway through the contest, pop band Cobra Starship performed as the beauty queens modeled their string bikinis.

Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella from California crowned Culpo her successor at the end of the night.

The judges' panel includes chef Cat Cora, TV personality Arsenio Hall, singer Joe Jonas and reality TV star Kardashian. The show also featured performances from Akon and Cobra Starship. Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic were the hosts.

The pageant had three competitions: swimsuit, evening gown and interview question. Contestants from 50 states and the District of Columbia were whittled to 15 after the show's opening number, based on competitions and interviews during the week before the telecast.

Culpo will represent the United States at the 61st Miss Universe pageant. An American has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.

The Miss Universe Organization is co-owned by NBC and Donald Trump. The competition is not affiliated with the Miss America pageant.

21 Photos

Miss USA 2012

[ralphing]

You have to save the swimsuit pictures of the winner of these pageants because you will never see them wear anything like that again. What's the point in using the swimsuit as a criteria to win when they pretty much forbid the winner from showing much skin????

[mari1963]

She is a beautiful young woman. Congrats to her. But next year, please leave Ms. Rancic at home. She is not a good hostess. Yuck.

[credibility2]

Once again issues like transgender surgery, same-sex marriage and other types of social choice issues are used to bait anyone to declare their openness or opinion against. It doesn't matter how many surgeries a person has to change their appearance. A person will never be able to change their DNA to conform to their gender preference. Just once I wish an intelligent person gave this correct answer to this type of question. It is all about choice and preference to change something that an individual has psychological issues in dealing with.

[fedup12]

I wonder how long before the tape comes out.

[jcnbma]

A truly sexist cultural event. Women are sex objects on this thing.

[RealiteBites]

Trump always throws in these 'hot button' questions to get himself press - remember that Carrie Prejean thing? What an opportunist ... ugh ...

Glad for her that she won - they're all so beautiful, but it was kind of cool that the two who made final two did it based on their answers to some very tricky questions.

[nohater]

have them all appear without any makeup then choose the best looking one. no one who really uses a swimsuit has the hair perfectly set, nor makeup perfectly made up.

[bodettes]

I "COMPLETELY, COMPLETELY" agree with you. Even I don't look bad when I put makeup on.

[jsmrdf]

Just tuned in to the last 15 mins. WHAT A JOKE-Arsenio is a judge? That explains why Trump was kissing his ass on celebrity apprentice-what a loser. It looked like a club scene and the question about IF a tranny competed she said yes and the host said she "nailed" the answer-WHO THE HELL ARE THEY TO COMMENT IF SHE nailed IT OR Not? MISS USA IS FOR A MISS NOT A MISS TAKE!!!!

[davimarie]

They are all so beautiful, how can you possibly choose...