Las Vegas Weekly

May 6, 2010 · 10:24 AM

Photos: Miss USA contestants enjoy first day of fun in Las Vegas

By Robin Leach

Contestants of the 2010 Miss USA Pageant at Caesars Palace on May 5, 2010.

Photo: Darrin Bush/Las Vegas News Bureau

The 51 glamour girls competing in the 2010 Miss USA Pageant enjoyed their first full day in the Las Vegas sun yesterday. They watched a cooking demonstration by chef Bradley Ogden poolside at the new Garden of the Gods complex in Caesars Palace, and he then treated them all to a lavish lunch. The girls posed for NBC cameras and official photographers with Caesar’s Centurions and in the cooling waters of a 90-degree day.

Saved by the Bell star Dennis Haskins, who played lovable headmaster Mr. Belding, was a fan favorite the moment he joined the lovely ladies. Each contestant has been given a Flip video camera to record their adventures, and some of those shots will wind up on the NBC telecast May 16 when the pageant is broadcast live from Planet Hollywood.

Even I wound up having to write “Champagne wishes and caviar dreams” signatures for the girls’ home videos. I got two of the tallest contestants -- 6-foot-3 -- to pose back to back to see just who’s the tallest of this year’s pageant queens. Last night, the contestants joined karaoke night at Sushi Samba in the Palazzo for sushi and sashimi, but no sake shots.

Reigning Miss USA Kristen Dalton kicked off the songfest, and then Miss Nevada Julianne Erdesz was first up at the mic. Today at 6 a.m., all 51 ladies assembled at Planet Hollywood’s sixth-floor pool for the official group photo, and we’ll post those as soon as we receive them.

Each day, we’ll bring you the newest photo galleries of all their activities and appearances in this year’s Las Vegas visit. They play and pose through Sunday’s brunch with George Maloof and Iron Chef winner Kerry Simon at his Palms Place restaurant, and then it’s five days of intense rehearsals and grueling judges’ interviews before next weekend’s telecast.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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