Miss USA 2017 winner is Miss District Of Columbia Kara McCullough [PHOTOS]

Miss USA 2016 Deshauana Barber crowned Miss District Of Columbia Kara McCullough as the winner of Miss USA 2017. Miss District Of Columbia Kara McCullough, who is the 66^th Miss USA, will represent the country at the global Miss Universe 2017 pageant that will be held later this year.

Miss District Of Columbia Kara McCullough won the crown after beating 50 ravishing contestants representing different states, while Miss New Jersey Chhavi Verg was announced as the first runner-up and Miss Minnesota Meridith Gould was adjudged the second runner- up.

Also Read: Miss USA 2017: Contestants look stunning in evening gowns and swimsuits [VIDEO]

Kara McCullough, who was born in Italy, and raised in Virginia, is a chemist working for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 25-year-old has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Radiochemistry from South Carolina State University. She has personal community outreach program for children, which is called Science Exploration for Kids (SE4K).

Earlier, show hosts Julianne Hough and Terrence J  revealed the top 10 contestants. However, only five of them were able to move further to the semi-final round.

Top five contestants: Miss Minnesota USA, New Jersey USA, Miss South Carolina USA, Miss District of Columbia USA and Miss Illinois USA.

The top 10 contestants in no particular order are Miss Minnesota USA, New Jersey USA, Miss Missouri USA, Miss Tennessee USA, Miss California USA, Miss District of Columbia USA, Miss South Carolina USA, Miss New York USA, Miss Illinois USA and Miss Alaska USA.

The Miss USA 2017 grand finale was held on Sunday night at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Julianne Hough and Terrence J hosted the beauty pageant, while the judging panel comprised Halima Aden, a 19-year-old model who took the fashion world by storm, Carson Kressley, Emmy Award-winning TV personality, fashion designer and New York Times best-selling author, former Miss Universe Brook Lee, Nancy Lublin, Founder of Dress for Success, Jeannie Mai, style expert and philanthropist, and Janet Mock, author, TV host and advocate.