Sunday, August 23, 2009
Miss Teen USA 1996, the 14th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Las Cruces, New Mexico on 21 August, 1996. At the conclusion of the final competition, Christie Lee Woods of Texas was crowned by outgoing queen Keylee Sue Sanders of Kansas.
The pageant was hosted by Bob Goen for the third and final year, with color commentary by Sheri Belafonte and entertainment from The Monkees. This was the only year that the pageant was held in Las Cruces, although Albuquerque had previously played host to the 1987 Miss USA pageant.
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up: Patricia Campbell (Pennsylvania)
2nd runner-up: Michelle Cardamon (California)
The other top six finalists were (in order of placement): Jennifer Smith (Maryland), Leah Sexton (Missouri) and Courtney Hamilton (Arizona).
The remaining semi-finalists were (in order of placement): Latoya Farley (Oklahoma), Tamika Thomas (Michigan), Katrina Bergstrom (North Dakota), Aiesha Hendrick (New York)
Special awards
Miss Congeniality: Lavinia Magruder (Vermont)
Miss Photogenic: Kelly Gaudet (Florida)
Style Award: Mandy Carraway (Kansas)
Best in Swimsuit: Leah Sexton (Missouri)
