

We were super excited when Nia Sanchez took the title of Miss USA, but there’s already speculation that she didn’t exactly win fair and square. The 24-year-old model is under fire for reportedly faking her residency in Nevada so that she could win, plus criticism continues to pile in from her insensitive comments on sexual assault. Read on for the full story!
Nia Sanchez won the 2014 Miss USA title on Sunday, June 8, and we thought that she totally deserved the crown, but now, some people certainly do not agree!
Nia began traveling from her California residence to compete in Nevada competitions because “it was easier there,” reports the Daily Mail.
Fox News also learned that Nia continued to work for Disney in California, and only set up a paper trail to make it appear that she was a Nevada resident.
However, Nia says that this is simply not true, telling Fox News that she competed in the pageant, fully playing by the rules, after living in Las Vegas for 18 months. As HollywoodLife.com reported, Miss Universe‘s biography of Nia says that she was not born in Nevada, but her hometown is stated as Las Vegas.
Nia also adds that Nevada’s competition wasn’t easy at all. “At least this year in Nevada, we had such strong compeititon,” Miss USA said. “All the girls were not only beautiful, they were smart, college-educated well-rounded women…I think it was a really tough competition.”
During the Miss USA competition, Nia, then Miss Nevada, was asked what could be done to combat sexual assault on college campuses. She responded by saying that women could learn to protect themselves. Many are outraged by this response, because they believe it encourages victim blaming.
Sanchez, who is a black belt in Taekwondo, says that she was merely drawing from personal experience and in no way meant that victims of sexual assault are at fault.
HollywoodLifers, what do you think — did Nia cheat her way to the crown? Are her comments on sexual assault insensitive? Let us know!
— Kindra Bailey