Crystle Stewart

It wasn't until Crystle Stewart was in her 20s that the idea of becoming Miss USA really became a life goal. In 2002, she started to compete, aiming to become Miss Texas USA as a representative of her hometown of Houston. She made the semifinals in her first pageant and used that as a springboard to eventual success, incrementally improving over the years.

In the 2006 and 2007 competitions, Stewart was the first runner-up, setting the stage for her victory the following year, as she was crowned Miss Texas USA 2008. Fueled by the title, Stewart was crowned Miss USA 2008 a few months later, and then competed for Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam. However, she stumbled during the evening gown competition and only finished in 8th place. She returned home and began hosting numerous pageants, including Miss Teen USA and Miss Texas USA. Her next challenge was acting, as she set her sights at entering that competitive field. She was a part of the main cast of Tyler Perry's "For Better or Worse" (TBS/OWN 2011-17) for most of the show's run. Perry cast her in other projects as well, including a small role in his movie "Good Deeds" (2012) and a recurring role in "Too Close to Home" (TLC 2016- ).