Miss USA 2022: Meet the panel of judges
The long wait is almost over as the Miss USA 2022 pageant will be held this Monday, October 3 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada where the next US representative to Miss Universe will be selected.
For the second consecutive year, American entertainment reporter, television personality, actress and producer Zuri Hall will host the show on FYI and Hulu Live. Joining her are Julissa Bermudez and Micah Jesse who will serve as sideline hosts, and Christian Murphy as FYI correspondent.
And of course, let's not forget the accomplished pianist, composer, and producer, the iconic Chloe Flower as a guest performer.
But, who will have the most difficult task of choosing the next Miss USA?
Meet this year's honorable panel of judges:
Aaron Potts, American fashion designer - Aaron discovered fashion in high school and never looked back. He graduated from Parsons School of Design and went on to intern for Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan.
After an international career designing for Emanuel Ungaro, Anne Klein, Ellen Tracy, Escada, and Tamara Mellon and helping to launch various brands, the time was right for Aaron to create A.POTTS. The brand embodies his embrace of creativity, diversity, artistic community, self-expression, unisex sensibility, and practicality. A.POTTS was awarded the 2020 Fashion Group International Rising Star Award for All Gender collections.
Ashlee Clarke, American businesswoman and producer - Ashlee is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of NitroC, an independent, integrated advertising agency—and the largest female ran media and advertising agency in the U.S. Ashlee’s passion is for emotionally connected advertising and innovation that drives growth for her clients.
Kirk Myers, American fitness trainer - For the last 17 years Kirk’s passion and commitment to the fitness industry have not only transformed his own life but the lives of countless others. At Miss USA we are all about empowering others to reach their goals and we could not be happier to have Kirk joining us.
Kirk is the founder of Dogpound, an unrivaled global lifestyle brand with two brick-and-mortar locations in Manhattan and West Hollywood. Rooted by five brand pillars—teamwork, positivity, authenticity, passion, and philanthropy—the brand is more than just a gym, it is a lifestyle.
Nicole Williams-English, Canadian fashion designer and model - Nicole is a model, entrepreneur, and celebrity fashion designer who first came onto the scene as a teen model and rose to fame starring in the hit E! show, WAGS. From Newfoundland to Toronto to NYC, Nicole settled in LA and with her love for fashion, decided to develop her own brand, Nia Lynn by Nicole Williams English, with the goal of helping all women feel beautiful and confident in their own skin.
Olivia Ponton, American model, and social media influencer - Olivia quickly shot to internet stardom in early 2020, shortly after signing to Wilhelmina Models NYC. At just 20 years old, Olivia now has now amassed over 11.3 million followers and 855 million views across her social media platforms and recently signed with IMG. Passionate about maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle, Olivia uses her social media platforms to promote self-love, the importance of a healthy mind and body, being kind to others and spreading positivity.
In 2021 Ponton came out publicly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and hopes that in doing so she inspires other young members of the community to feel confident in revealing who they are – allowing them to stay true to themselves.
Olivia aims to be a new kind of influence on her peers, by using her platform to raise awareness about issues she cares about. Olivia’s love of the ocean has resulted in her partnership with the 4OCEAN organization, her participation in ocean clean-ups, and her determination to spread awareness about the current plastic crisis. In addition, she actively supports the non-profits such as The World Harvest Food Bank, GLAAD, The Trevor Project, and Paw Works.
Soo Yeon Lee, South Korean international table tennis champion, model, and actress - Born in Busan, South Korea, she began her extensive training in the sport of table tennis at the age of nine under the supervision of Olympic Gold Medalist Jung Hwa Hyun.
Soo Yeon’s status as a world-class athlete combined with her explosive success as a model has served to launch her acting career in television and film. Her triple-threat array of talents has led to numerous personal appearances on shows like HBO’s Entourage, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Arsenio Hall Show, and many others. Soo Yeon has been featured in numerous print and TV ad campaigns, along with live exhibitions for Nike, Adidas, Prada, Hermes, Target, Red Bull, and many more.
Photos: @therealangelreyes, Miss USA
