For the first time, each judge's score was displayed to the audience, adding transparency to the process.

A major format change in 1990 transformed the Miss USA competition for the next decade: the delegates faced an extra round of elimination on finals night: the top six judges' questions.

Instead of reducing the top twelve to the usual final five, the judges picked an intermediate top six. Those six finalists answered questions from the judges, and the field was then reduced to a final three, who faced the traditional final question.

The pageant was hosted by Dick Clark for the second of five times, with color commentary by Leeza Gibbons and Laura Harring, Miss USA 1985.