A new Miss Teen USA will be crowned this week. Here's what to know about the pageant.
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- Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that started in 1983, 31 years after the first Miss USA pageant.
- UmaSofia Srivastava gave up her Miss Teen USA crown in May, two days after Miss USA Noelia Voigt resigned.
- Stephanie Skinner, Srivastava's first runner-up, refused to assume her title in solidarity.
A new Miss Teen USA winner will be crowned this week.
The crown has been untouched for months after Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava resigned in May, two days after Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt relinquished her title.
Stephanie Skinner, Srivastava's first runner-up, refused to take her place. "One thing I will never give up is my character, nor my integrity," she told BI at the time.
It's been a tumultuous year for the pageant — but how did it all begin, and what's the story behind all the controversy?
We have the answers to all your questions before Thursday's Miss Teen USA final.
What is Miss Teen USA?
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The first official Miss Teen USA pageant was held in 1983, 31 years after the first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
Miss Teen USA previously featured the same three rounds as Miss USA — swimwear, evening gown, and interview. In 2016, it was announced that the teens' swimsuits would be swapped for athletic-wear instead.
"This decision reflects an important cultural shift we're all celebrating that empowers women who lead active, purposeful lives and encourage those in their communities to do the same," Paula Shugart, who was president of the Miss Universe Organization at the time, told USA Today after the announcement.
"Our hope is that this decision will help all of Miss Teen USA's fans recognize these young women for the strong, inspiring individuals they are," she continued.
The Miss Universe Organization operated Miss USA and Miss Teen USA until 2020, when both pageants were franchised out to Crystle Stewart, who won Miss USA in 2008.
Stewart was suspended in October 2022 following allegations the Miss USA pageant had been rigged that year. She was cleared in a third-party investigation, but Stewart and the Miss Universe Organization still decided to part ways in August 2023. Laylah Rose is now the current president and CEO of both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
Since 2018, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants have been held in the same location and within the same week.
Who is eligible to compete at Miss Teen USA?
Women aged 14 to 19 can compete in the Miss Teen USA competition, while all women aged 18 and over are eligible for Miss USA and Miss Universe.
The Miss Teen USA pageant does not accept contestants who are married, have ever been married, or have had a marriage annulled. They also do not accept women who are pregnant or have given birth.
Married women and mothers were also barred from competing at Miss USA until the rule changed in 2023.
Who has won Miss Teen USA?
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Ruth Zakarian was the first woman to win Miss Teen USA. She went on to play Diane Westin in the soap opera "The Young and the Restless."
In 1983, 1984, and 1986, the winner of Miss Teen USA was automatically entered into the following year's Miss USA competition. Now, a Miss Teen USA winner must win a Miss USA state title before she can compete on the national Miss USA stage.
Miss Teen USA 1989 Brandi Sherwood is the only former winner to also hold the title of Miss USA. Sherwood was first runner-up at Miss USA 1997, and assumed the title when Brook Lee won the Miss Universe crown.
Famous past winners of Miss Teen USA include "Love is Blind" host Vanessa Lachey and actor Kelly Hu.
Why is Miss Teen USA so controversial?
The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants have had a tumultuous few months. Voigt resigned her title as Miss USA on May 6 and Srivastava followed two days later, saying her "personal values" no longer aligned with the organization.
In a statement she shared on Instagram, Srivastava said she had been "grappling with this decision for months" and planned to continue her "relentless advocacy for education and acceptance."
Srivastava and Voigt have publicly shared few details about their experiences, citing nondisclosure agreements they had to sign to compete at their respective pageants. But their mothers, Barbara Srivastava and Jackeline Voigt, spoke to BI and said their daughters had suffered "eight months of torture and abuse" under Rose's leadership. Rose did not respond to a request for comment on the mothers' statements.
Barbara said that Rose would repeatedly refer to Srivastava as "little girl" in her texts or email exchanges with the 17-year-old.
"This woman would get into lengthy, adversary conversations with a teenager," Barbara said. "It was very abusive, very diminishing, very gaslighting."
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Just two months into Srivastava's reign as Miss Teen USA, Barbara said she cut off all direct communication between her daughter and Rose and began acting as their go-between.
Skinner, Srivastava's first runner-up, told BI that she had always dreamed of being Miss Teen USA but that her decision not to assume the title "meant more than a crown and sash."
"I'm a survivor of domestic violence. So this meant to be a voice for other people. That's what this meant for me," she said. "I will always stand for female empowerment, and I'm a big believer in letting your actions go out in your words."
BI spoke to more than a dozen people connected to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA amid the controversy.
When is the next Miss Teen USA pageant?
The Miss Teen USA pageant will air on the CW network on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
This is the first time Miss Teen USA will air on television since 2007. It had previously been streamed online via the Miss Teen USA website.