'History Geek' Named Miss USA

Miss California Alyssa Campanella, a self-described “huge history geek,” was named Miss USA at the Las Vegas pageant last night. The 21-year-old formerly represented New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA contest in 2007, but moved to Los Angeles a year and a half ago and plans to stay. She will move on to the Miss Universe pageant in Brazil on Sept. 12.

Campanella, who was considered one of the favorites, is specifically interested in the Tudor and Stuart periods and likes the beheaded Mary, Queen of Scots. She gave what Reuters calls a “muddled” answer to a question about legalizing marijuana, and also tripped during the evening gown portion of the competition, but still managed to win over the crowd. The only question now is what "scandal" will come to the surface now that she’s been crowned? (More Miss USA stories.)