The 21-year-old redhead from California captured the 60th Miss USA crown. Find out why.

Well it’s obvious. Aside from being a stunner, Alyssa Campanella easily stands out from the crowd because of her beautiful red hair. She was also heavily favored by Vegas oddsmakers to win the title of Miss USA. She was also the favorite contestant of various pageant websites from the start of the pageant until the coronation night.

Another factor for her sterling performance in the preliminaries is perhaps her experience in beauty pageants. She was the first runner-up in the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant and 4 years after, she won Miss California and earned the right to become one of the 52 contestants of the Miss USA 2011 pageant.

During the preliminary interview, Campanella said her passions are hockey and space exploration. She also admitted to have been a “history geek.”

And how can we forget her answer to the final question from judge and OPI co-founder Suzi Weiss-Fischmann during the interview segment about the legalization of medical marijuana.

Campanella, who wore a green flared dress, said she was uncomfortable with the idea, but that she believed marijuana was medically beneficial (CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO).

The 21-year-old Californian beauty succeeded last year’s winner, Rima Fakih (who failed to enter the semifinals in Miss Universe 2010). She will represent the United States of America in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant on September 12, 2011 in Brazil.

Photos courtesy of Miss USA L.P., LLLP