Shane O'Brien: Mr. World USA Winner

Markos Papadatos interviewed Shane O’Brien, who repped the stage of Virginia in the 2025 Mister USA pageant. O'Brien was the runner-up winner of the pageant (right behind Mikey Chadwick of West Virginia).

Author Roy T. Bennett once said: “Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” Shane O’Brien embodies this wise quote.

2025 Mister USA Finals

Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held each year, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment. They believe in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.

The 2025 Mister USA finals took place on August 30th at The Montalban Theater in Hollywood, and Loews Hollywood Hotel served as the host hotel; both venues made the experience great for all involved.

Photography: KevinLeStudio

Moving on to the Mr. World competition

O’Brien will go on to represent the United States in the Mr. World USA stage. “My heart is so full of joy, gratitude and happiness,” he exclaimed. “I try felt like a winner before the previous night because I would be walking away from this experience with over 20+ lifelong friends.”

“I am honestly speechless about my time in Los Angeles, and the overall experience there,” he recalled. “All the guys were deserving of a title, and they would be phenomenal at being a great representation of this beautiful country in the global stage.”

As the runner-up of Mister USA and as he goes on to rep our country in Mr. World, O’Brien wants to represent a message of inclusivity.

Praising his fellow competitors

O’Brien praised his fellow competitors for being “caring and kind.” “I hope I can stay in contact with them because they truly inspire me to be better,” he said. “I hope I can do the same for them because that is what it’s all about.”

Shane takes cues from his older brother Josef O’Brien

He also complimented his older brother, Josef O’Brien (who finished in 3rd place last year and went on to rep America in the Mister International USA). “Josef certainly had a big influence on my performance,” he admitted. “Josef taught me everything he knows about the pageantry world, especially in the beginning when I was an outsider.”

“The best advice that Josef gave me was to be myself and go up there and do my best and be natural,” he noted.

O’Brien’s Definition of Success

O’Brien quotes success with perseverance, working hard, and being relentless (to keep going).

To learn more about Shane O’Brien, follow him on Instagram.

Shane O’Brien of Virginia chatted about his runner-up win in the 2025 Mister USA competition (right behind Mikey Chadwick of West Virginia).

Author Roy T. Bennett once said: “Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” Shane O’Brien embodies this wise quote.

2025 Mister USA Finals

Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held each year, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment. They believe in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.

The 2025 Mister USA finals took place on August 30th at The Montalban Theater in Hollywood, and Loews Hollywood Hotel served as the host hotel; both venues made the experience great for all involved.

Moving on to the Mr. World competition

O’Brien will go on to represent the United States in the Mr. World USA stage. “My heart is so full of joy, gratitude and happiness,” he exclaimed. “I try felt like a winner before the previous night because I would be walking away from this experience with over 20+ lifelong friends.”

“I am honestly speechless about my time in Los Angeles, and the overall experience there,” he recalled. “All the guys were deserving of a title, and they would be phenomenal at being a great representation of this beautiful country in the global stage.”

As the runner-up of Mister USA and as he goes on to rep our country in Mr. World, O’Brien wants to represent a message of inclusivity.

Praising his fellow competitors

O’Brien praised his fellow competitors for being “caring and kind.” “I hope I can stay in contact with them because they truly inspire me to be better,” he said. “I hope I can do the same for them because that is what it’s all about.”

Advocacy for Mister USA

Regarding his advocacy for Mister USA, he said, “I really want to represent and advocate for those that feel tossed aside or feel like an outcast or the weird kids. At one point, I felt like a weird kid and I felt almost worthless and that I couldn’t fit in. Now, being outside of the sphere of the ‘in’ crowd has helped me see that there are so many people like me, and there are others that feel the same way I do. I hope to represent that group of people.”

“Remember that things get better if you can just push through, so I hope to represent that group of people,” he added.

Daily motivations

On his daily motivations, he shared, “I want to be someone who can be almost like Superman. I want to take care of all of those around me. I want to take care of my grandmother, my three-year-old godchild, my mother, my father, and my friends… I want to be a person that they know they can lean on always and be there to help.”

“Before I can do that, I need to help myself and make sure I am okay, healthy, and good too. My motivator every day is to make myself one percent better in order to serve those around me as well. In the end, I really love helping other people, and everything I do is to be my best version of myself, so then, I can help as many people as possible,” he elaborated.

Shane takes cues from his older brother Josef O’Brien

He also complimented his older brother, Josef O’Brien (who finished in 3rd place last year and went on to rep America in the Mister International USA). “Josef certainly had a big influence on my performance,” he admitted. “Josef taught me everything he knows about the pageantry world, especially in the beginning when I was an outsider.”

“The best advice that Josef gave me was to be myself and go up there and do my best and be natural,” he noted.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Shane revealed, “It’s a reinvention of becoming more of myself.”

taken away, I realized that physical health is not only fun to do or a habit, but it’s a privilege. There are so many people out there that wish to do all those things but physically can’t.”

“For me, I am reinventing my outlook on life, and what it means to be able to do all those things,” he said.

“I am coming into my own, not from a place of fear, but from an excited perspective on life, and know that everything that is presented in front of me is a gift and I really want to take advantage of my abilities and use them, and hopefully do my best,” he added.

Success

O’Brien quotes success with perseverance, working hard, and being relentless (to keep going).

To learn more about Shane O’Brien, follow him on Instagram.