Miss Teen USA 2020 was the 38th Miss Teen USA pageant. Originally scheduled to be held in spring 2020, the competition was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later rescheduled for November 7, 2020, at the Exhibition Centre and the Soundstage at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Kaliegh Garris of Connecticut crowned Ki'ilani Arruda of Hawaii as her successor at the end of the event. The competition was hosted by Allie LaForce and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst.
The competition marked the first year that a new crown made by luxury jeweler Mouawad was used at Miss Teen USA, effectively retiring the Mikimoto Crown.
For a third consecutive year, the competition was held concurrently alongside the Miss USA competition. This was the last Miss Teen USA to be organized by Miss Universe Organization before being split into its separate organization beginning in Miss Teen USA 2021.
Background Location On August 30, 2020, Graceland announced on their schedule that the competition would be held on November 7 on their premises in Memphis, Tennessee. The MUO later confirmed that the competition will be hosted at Graceland the following day.
This was the first time the competition has been hosted in Tennessee since Miss Teen USA 1984 was also held in Memphis.
Hosts On October 22, it was announced that the competition would be hosted by Allie LaForce and Cheslie Kryst. LaForce formerly was crowned Miss Teen USA 2005, and has worked as a sports reporter for Fox and Turner Sports, while Kryst was crowned Miss USA 2019 and serves as a correspondent for Extra.
Selection of contestants 51 delegates from the 50 states and the District of Columbia are selected in state pageants which began in September 2019 and ended in February 2020.
Results
Placements
Placement ContestantMiss Teen USA 2020 — Kiʻilani Arruda1st Runner-Up — Shayla Montgomery 2nd Runner-Up — Shayla Jackson3rd Runner-Up — Audrey Eckert4th Runner-Up — Sydney TaylorTop 16 — Molly Schwanz — Anna Claire Hay — Zoe Hunt — Samantha Sarelli — Grace Morey — JaeLynn Polanco — Peyton Brown — Lily McLaughlin — Danika Christopherson — Gracen Grainger — Ansley Ecker
Pageant
Preliminary round Prior to the final competition, the delegates competed the preliminary competition, which the judges and a presentation show where they competed in swim wear and evening gown. It was held on November 6 at Graceland Exhibition Center and the Soundstage in Memphis and hosted by Kryst and Garris.
Broadcasting The pageant was livestreamed on the Miss Universe Organization's social media channels and on PlayStation 4 consoles as a live event on the U.S. PlayStation Store, while an encore presentation of the pageant was available via catch-up from November 12–15.
Judges Danielle Doty Fitzgerald – Miss Teen USA 2011 from Texas Sara Echeagaray – social media personality and TikToker Nia Franklin – Miss America 2019 from New York K. Lee Graham – Miss Teen USA 2014 from South Carolina Iman Oubou – scientist, entrepreneur, and medical missionary
Contestants State or district titleholders were: State Contestant Age Hometown Placement Notes Alabama Katie Watts 15 Mobile Alaska Jadyn Fraser 19 Fairbanks Arizona Molly Schwanz 19 Scottsdale Top 16 Arkansas Anna Claire Hay 17 Siloam Springs Top 16 Later Miss Arkansas USA 2026 California Zoe Hunt 18 Coronado Top 16 Colorado Yashi Uppalapati 18 Colorado Springs Connecticut Samantha Sarelli 18 Westport Top 16Later Semi-finalist at Miss Connecticut USA 2023 Delaware Samantha Repass 19 Lewes District of Columbia Sydney Jackson 19 Clinton, MD Florida Rylie Spicker 19 Fort Myers Georgia Shayla Jackson 18 Valdosta 2nd Runner-Up Hawaii Kiilani Arruda 18 Kapaa Miss Teen USA 2020 Idaho Sabrina Ripley 19 Boise Illinois Victoria Rhemrev 18 Long Grove The first Miss Illinois Teen USA of Indonesian descent. Indiana Jinnie Tomes 19 Fishers Iowa Hailey Parton 18 West Des Moines Kansas Cyara Heredia Ruiz 19 Liberal Kentucky Mattie Barker 18 Bowling Green Later Miss Kentucky USA 2025 Louisiana Sydney Taylor 19 Livingston 4th Runner-Up Later Miss Louisiana USA 2024 Maine Grace Morey 17 Deer Isle Top 16 Maryland Heavyn McDaniels 18 Silver Spring Massachusetts Annika Sharma 19 NewtonLater Miss Massachusetts USA 2023 Michigan Aneesa Sheikh 18 Bloomfield HillsLater Miss Grand Pakistan 2022 Minnesota Gwendolyn Buchanan 19 Duluth Mississippi Zoe Bigham 18 Maben Missouri Holly McDowell 16 Lee's Summit Montana Morgan Pierce 17 Lewistown Nebraska Audrey Eckert 18 Lincoln 3rd Runner-UpLater Miss Nebraska USA 2025 and Miss USA 2025 Nevada Montana Cencarik 18 Las Vegas New Hampshire Samantha Lemay 17 Deerfield New Jersey JaeLynn Polanco 16 Bergenfield Top 16 New Mexico Isabella Bizzell 18 Los Lunas New York Maya Dominguez 18 Yonkers North Carolina Peyton Brown 19 Dunn Top 16 North Dakota Amanda Higginbotham 19 Grand Forks Later 1st runner-up at Miss North Dakota 2022 Ohio Lily McLaughlin 18 Zanesville Top 16 Oklahoma Danika Christopherson 19 Lawton Top 16 Later Miss Oklahoma USA 2024 Oregon Shayla Montgomery 18 Portland 1st Runner-Up Later Miss Oregon USA 2024 Pennsylvania Kiara Lin 18 Cranberry Township Rhode Island Sofia Ledoux 17 Cranston South Carolina Gracen Grainger 19 Hamer Top 16Later Miss South Carolina USA 2024 South Dakota Izabel Kreger 18 Canton Tennessee Ansley Ecker 19 Atoka Top 16 Texas Anissa Mendez 18 Laredo Utah Brooklyn Baton 19 Brigham City Vermont Kiera Pipeling 18 West Rutland Virginia Amya Caldwell 16 Ashburn Washington Marianne Bautista 18 Renton West Virginia Sophia Martino 19 Bridgeport Wisconsin Olivia Lulich 18 Lyndon Station Later Miss Wisconsin USA 2026 Wyoming Baylee Drewry 17 Greybull Later Miss Wyoming 2024
Notes
References
External links
Miss Teen USA official website