Tanya Wilson

Who is Tanya Wilson?

Tanya Wilson is a beauty queen from Honolulu, Hawaii who held the Miss USA 1972 title.

Wilson placed second runner-up in the Miss Nevada pageant in 1969 and also competed in 1970. After moving to Honolulu with her mother, Wilson won the Miss Hawaii USA title in early May 1972. Two weeks later she represented her state in the Miss USA 1972 pageant, held in Dorado, Puerto Rico and won the Miss USA title. She was crowned by Michele McDonald of Pennsylvania, Miss USA 1971. Wilson was the second of four women from Hawaii to win the Miss USA title.

This was the first time in the twenty-year history of the Miss USA pageant that it was held outside the continental United States and the only time that it has been held in a United States territory. The event was marred by bomb explosions in the host hotel during the pageant which caused the coronation ball to be cancelled but no injuries were reported.

Wilson represented the United States in the Miss Universe pageant broadcast from the same city two months after winning her national title. As with the Miss USA pageant, this was the first time that Miss Universe had been held outside the United States. Wilson placed in the semi-finals in the pageant, which was won by Kerry Anne Wells of Australia.