The Miss USA organization has evolved with the times since its inception in the early ’50s, and recent years have seen major reforms in response to shakeups and leadership changes.
Still, the storied pageant system has its rules, some of which are more obvious than others. Even some current state winners are still learning new guidelines as they approach the national competition, which will be held in Reno, Nev., on Saturday, Oct. 24.
This year will see multiple returning contestants, several of whom are coming back after years-long hiatuses, and they’re now facing a new set of rules. In fact, there are women who are actually able to compete at Miss USA again because the organization lifted its age cap and now allows contestants over the age of 28.
Ahead of Miss USA 2025, PEOPLE polled contestants to find out which current and previous pageant rules caught them by surprise.
Jenny Ting Crawford, Miss Idaho USA
In 2024, the Miss USA organization repealed a rule that prohibited women over the age of 28 from participating in the pageant. Now, the competition is open to any woman over the age of 18. (Teenagers can qualify for the younger sister pageant, Miss Teen USA.)
Jenny Ting Crawford will represent Idaho at Miss USA this year, but it’s not her first time competing on a stage under the Miss USA umbrella. She placed as the second runner-up at Miss California USA in 2012. Now, at 37, the former Los Angeles Laker Girl dancer says it’s tough to believe the former age restriction ever existed.