Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo won Miss Rhode Island with holey gown

Miss USA Olivia Culpo may have taken the Miss Universe 2012 crown on Wednesday (Dec. 19), but her pageant beginnings just over a year ago were somewhat meager.

"My parents didn't think it was a good idea," she tells Us Weekly of her first pageant -- Miss Rhode Island -- in October 2011 when she was a sophomore at Boston University. "And I ended up getting my dress the night before. It was a $20 Rent-the-Runway gown that was too short [and had] a hole in the back of it."

"I was studying acting in college, and I figured [pageants] would help my stage performance and my ability to perform for others, so I just went for it," Culpo says.

The now-20-year-old won the Miss Rhode Island title, followed by Miss USA in June. And she says none of the wins would have been possible without Miss Universe pageant co-host Giuliana Rancic.

"She is actually one of the reasons why I entered the Miss Rhode Island pageant [last year]," Culpo says. "At the time I had been thinking, 'Oh, maybe acting, maybe hosting' -- I knew I wanted to go into entertainment. And I figured if Giuliana did [pageants], and Maria Menounos did Miss Massachusetts ... I should give it a shot, too."