Pageant News Bureau - Miss Teen USA Coverage 1996

Miss Teen USA Pageant - August 21, 1996
Las Cruces, N.M.

The Pageant News Bureau features news and photographs from the pageant. Readers should also consult the Miss Teen USA Web site for official information about the pageant and contestants (oops, "delegates"). As always, we want to thank pageant officials for their kind cooperation.

Texas Triumphs

Photos courtesy Miss Universe, Inc.

Christie Lee Woods, 18, of Texas won the Miss Teen USA crown on Wednesday night, Aug. 21, 1996, in Las Cruces, NM.
Patricia Campbell, 18, representing Pennsylvania, was first runner-up.
Michelle Kathlene Cardamon, 18, of California was second runner-up.
The three other semifinalists were Leah Sexton of Missouri, Jennifer Smith of Maryland and Courtney Hamilton of Arizona. Kelly Gaudet of Florida was named Miss Photogenic by a vote conducted on the Miss Teen USA Web site.

Early winners

Mandy Carraway, Miss Kansas Teen USA, won the "Teen With Style" award from Salon Selective on Sunday, Aug. 18.
Lavinia Magruder, Miss Vermont Teen USA, won this year's Miss Congeniality award on the same night.
Salute to a trouper: Jessica Ponzo, Miss New Jersey Teen USA, hurt her wrist after arriving in Las Cruces. She has a hairline fracture, but sources at the pageant say she shunned a heavy cast and is going ahead with rehearsals, not looking for special favors or sympathy.

Kimi Fairchild won the Miss Louisiana Teen USA crown on the same weekend Ali Landry won Miss Louisiana USA. They got to be good friends. Since that time, Ms. Landry has gone on to win Miss USA. Now, Ms. Fairchild would like to bring home another crown to the Bayou State.

"Kimi" is short for Kimberly, Ms. Fairchild told PNB. "All the girls in my family have names that contain four letters and end in the letter i.'' She comes from a family with six girls and one boy, and there was a lot of interest in pageants at her house. "When I was a little girl, we were watching Miss Teen USA on television, and two of my older sisters were talking about who ought to try out for it. I was thinking maybe I could do that," she said.

Since winning her state crown, Ms. Fairchild has been overwhelmed by the support of people in her home state, particularly one man. "There's this anonymous donor -- we've seen his face, but he won't tell us his name -- and he has done so much for us. I come from a big family, and thanks to him, all of my family will get to be in Las Cruces and see me compete."

The Kansas connection

Mandy Carraway, Miss Kansas Teen USA, attends the University of Kansas.

Leah Sexton, Miss Missouri Teen USA, also attends the University of Kansas. And on top of that, she's from Kansas City, Mo. The two will be roommates at the university this year.

Photos by Arlyne Q. Peters / Pageant News Bureau

One of a kind

Many Americans believe that Southerners dominate beauty contests, but it's certainly not true in the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Only one young woman from the Deep South has ever won the Miss Teen USA title: Kristi Addis of Mississippi. She's no longer living in a small town in Dixie, but Ms. Addis is more visible than ever. She has worked as a commercial actress and model for some of the country's best-known companies, including Reebok, Sunkist and Ford Motor Co.
When PNB caught up with Ms. Addis recently at her home in Los Angeles, she said that between modeling assignments and commercials, she has been busy polishing her craft, studying acting on the stage. She has a degree in broadcast journalism ("I went to college on an acting scholarship"), and she worked for a time as a public relations specialist, helping launch the first House of Blues in L.A.
"I still keep in touch with my old pageant friends in Mississippi," she said, "and there are a lot of former beauty queens out here. I run into them often."

Another Summer, another pageant

Summer Newman, Miss Georgia Teen USA, has a name that may seem maddeningly familiar to many Alabamians. The fact is, they've heard it before. Summer Newman is also the name of Alabama's Junior Miss. Just a lovely coincidence.

A frequently asked question

How do you pronounce the name of Miss South Dakota Teen USA?
The first name of Tatewin Means is pronounced something like ta TAY wee (phonetic spelling for English speakers). The name is from the Lakota language and means "wind woman." Ms. Means is an American Indian and is the daughter of famed American Indian activist Russell Means.

A fresh face

At 15, Jessica Ponzo of New Jersey is the youngest of this year's Miss Teen USA contestants, qualifying for participation by only a few weeks. But she looks even younger in the Mariah Carey video "Always Be My Baby." In fact, she plays the younger version of Ms. Carey.
Ms. Ponzo has been in pageants since she was about 5 years old. Her parents, John and Chris, own Pageant Perfect , a company specializing in apparel for young contestants. Did little Jessica get the "pageant bug" from Mom and Dad? "No, we sort of got it from her," Mrs. Ponzo said.

An early start

Kelly Gaudet of Florida got her first taste of pageantry in 1984, when the Miss Universe Pageant was held in Miami. Ms. Gaudet was a "little sister," acting as an escort for Miss Gambia. At this year's Miss Teen USA Pageant, she has found a new "sister," her roommate, Christie Lee Woods of Texas. "She's like my twin," said Ms. Gaudet. (We asked Miss Florida Teen USA about the pronunciation of her family name, and she said that her preference is the more traditionally French gau DAY, but she always answers to gau DETTE as well.)

Mystery face

She was first runner-up in the final Miss U.S. Teen Pageant. A year later, she was first runner-up in Miss Teen USA.

Who is this beautiful "bridesmaid"? Click on her photo if you don't quite recall.

Miss Teen USA Coverage 1996

Texas Triumphs