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ACTUAL TOP 16: |
MY PREDICTIONS: |
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Winner=Hawaii-Ki'ilani Arruda |
Winner=Hawaii-Ki'ilani Arruda* |
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1st Runner Up=Oregon-Shayla Montgomery |
1st Runner Up=Connecticut-Samantha Sarelli* |
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2nd Runner Up=Georgia-Shayla Jackson |
2nd Runner Up=Virginia-Amya Caldwell |
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3rd Runner Up=Nebraska-Audrey Eckert |
3rd Runner Up=Arkansas-Anna Claire Hay* |
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4th Runner Up=Louisiana-Sydney Taylor |
4th Runner Up=Mississippi-Zoe Bigham |
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SEMIFINALISTS (alpha'l): |
SEMIFINALISTS: |
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Arizona-Molly Schwanz |
Georgia-Shayla Jackson* |
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Arkansas-Anna Claire Hay |
South Carolina-Gracen Grainger* |
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California-Zoe Hunt |
Oklahoma-Danika Christopherson* |
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Connecticut-Samantha Sarelli |
Michigan-Aneesa Sheikh |
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Maine-Grace Morey |
Nebraska-Audrey Eckert* |
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New Jersey-JaeLynn Polanco |
Alabama-Katie Watts |
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North Carolina-Peyton Brown |
Louisiana-Sydney Taylor* |
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Ohio-Lily McLaughlin |
North Dakota-Amanda Higginbotham |
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Oklahoma-Danika Christopherson |
California-Zoe Hunt* |
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South Carolina-Gracen Grainger |
Oregon-Shayla Montgomery* |
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Tennessee-Ansley Ecker |
North Carolina-Peyton Brown* |
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ALTERNATES: Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Florida |
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HONORABLE MENTIONS: Kentucky, Tennessee*, West Virginia, New Jersey*, Illinois |
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* = made actual top 16 |
I will post my full commentary on Miss Teen USA 2020 on November 16.
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THE PREDICTIONS (November 7, 2020)
Here come the predictions for Miss Teen USA 2020 (which I'm unofficially naming Miss Quaran-Teen USA)! After watching the preliminaries and viewing bios, headshots, some online pics and overall impression juggling other people's impressions as well bearing in mind that the IMG era is about accomplishments first so we shall see how this goes...
After reviewing preliminaries, bios, videos and pictures, I have now come up with my final predictions for Miss Teen USA 2020 and they are as follows!
TOM'S FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR MISS TEEN USA 2020
Winner = Hawaii-Ki'ilani Arruda
Hawaii sent a true stunner with Ki'ilani who was a favorite based on headshots and she is accomplished and performed excellently in preliminaries. She is a honor student with a 4.0 GPA and she is president of her high school class, wants to be a dermatologist is athletic and outdoorsy and has a story about supporting her brother who has autism. She also went to space camp and likes painting. Hawaii last won Miss Teen USA back in 1985 thanks to the sensational Kelly Hu who also finished in 4th place at Miss USA 1993. Is it time for the Aloha state to triumph once again??
1st Runner Up = Connecticut-Samantha Sarelli
Samantha was a complete standout in preliminaries and I was very pleased with what I saw from her and I wouldn't be surprised if Connecticut takes the Teen title two years in a row as the reigning Miss Teen USA, Kaliegh Garris is also from Connecticut and Connecticut also won in 2012 thanks to Logan West. I loved her overall look in preliminaries with the ponytail and her body is amazing and her white gown was breathtaking. I'll admit that she wasn't on my list prior to preliminaries but she shot right up my list because she was glowing. Samantha is of Albanian descent and majors in economics and political science at Trinity College.
2nd Runner Up = Virginia-Amya Caldwell
Amya was another who was simply glowing during preliminaries and this white gown was also a showstopper. Amya's headshot also was very appealing and she just has a very sweet and engaging appearance.
Amya is also on the honor roll pursuing a degree in psychology and even admits that her best friends are under age 5 and a good Miss Teen USA should be able to appeal with children. Amya even judged a recycled fashion show which is a point of interest. Virginia has never won Miss Teen USA but they were first runner up in the very first Miss Teen USA pageant in 1983 but they haven't placed since 2010 so will Amya bring them back in a very big way??
3rd Runner Up = Arkansas-Anna Claire Hay
Anna was my winner at one point simply because I loved her bio. It stood out as just fun. She is a chemistry major and describes herself as an old soul who has an unusual need to have food on her plates divided and she really wants to try a Reese's peanut butter cup but she can't since she's allergic to nut and she is involved with an inclusion group called 'You Can Sit With Us' as a more positive take on the line from the movie 'Mean Girls' and even after preliminaries, Anna performed very well and is a strong contender to me. Arkansas hasn't won Miss Teen USA since 2008 when Stevi Perry captured their first crown so could Anna do it again for Arkansas??
4th Runner Up = Mississippi-Zoe Bigham
Zoe is another delegate that I consider to be consistently strong and she had a unique gown with the black and pink combination and she has a great body and overall look.
Zoe is a cheerleader who has participated in New York Fashion Week and she even started a program called Zoe's Closet which helps provide underprivileged people with life necessities. Mississippi last won the crown in 1987 thanks to Kristi Addis and they did make the top 5 last year so can Zoe do it??
SEMIFINALISTS:
Georgia-Shayla Jackson
Shayla has experienced hearing loss since the age of 3 so she has the potential to be the Heather Whitestone(Miss America 1995) of this pageant as Heather also had hearing loss. Because of her condition, Shayla has trained herself to be a master lip reader and she is also captain of her volleyball team and an honors student who has published a book and she performed well in preliminaries so Shayla could pull off a fairytale win. Georgia has never won Miss Teen USA yet they have placed in the top 6 a whopping 10 times so will Shayla be the sweetest peach of all and get Georgia their first Miss Teen USA win??
South Carolina-Gracen Grainger
South Carolina has an incredible success rate at Miss Teen USA winning twice in 1998 and 2014 and placing 8 of the last 9 years and Gracen is expected to keep the trend going. She is a high-achieving Type A personality so she will be determined to do well in this competition. She majors in biology and chemistry, won a Presidential Gold service award and she can hula-hoop and state the preamble of the constitution in 7 seconds and we have seen this kind of thing be rewarded in past winners so could Shayla get South Carolina their third Miss Teen USA win??
Oklahoma-Danika Christopherson
Danika is another high achiever who can even sing the Periodic Table of Elements! She boasts a 4.0 GPA and is pursuing a business degree to launch her own clothing line and even works with puppets and studies ventriloquism so this is a fascinating delegate. Danika has a great overall look and this gown is very daring and I think it will help her stand out even more. Oklahoma last won in 1986 and they have placed quite consistently over the years and made the top 15 last year so will Danika do it?
Michigan-Aneesa Sheikh
Aneesa has a more exotic look being half-Pakistani and she is the youngest of 11 children! She was born in Kentucky but moved to Michigan for her ice skating career. She is also captain of her forensic team and is even a singer/songwriter who can play guitar behind her back! Aneesa's achievements combined with her overall look and this fantastic blue gown make her a strong contender. Michigan has never won Miss Teen USA but they were 1st runner up in 2005 so can Aneesa pull off the win?
Nebraska-Audrey Eckert
Audrey really impressed during preliminaries and her impact and overall look made her make a few lists including mine. Audrey is majoring in Business Communications and even has an interesting story about winning her state title despite having a broken foot! Nebraska doesn't have a great success rate at Miss Teen USA only placing 3 times and one of those times was last year and a former Nebraska Teen, Sarah Rose Summers even won Miss USA recently in 2018 so is Nebraska hoping to pull of a Miss Teen USA win this time?
Alabama-Katie Watts
Katie may only be 15 years old but she does have quite a few accomplishments completing high school early and even taking college courses, starting her own charity and she has 4 arabian horses. She has been a contender from early on and she performed well in preliminaries so she is one to watch. Alabama has never won Miss Teen USA but they did make the top 5 last year so can Katie keep it going?
Louisiana-Sydney Taylor
Sydney also has been an early favorite and she did also perform well in the preliminaries. She studies Mass Communications and plans to attend law school and some interesting factoids about her are that she practiced her runway walk in a funeral home and can recite pi to 30digits way more than just 3.14. Louisiana has won Miss Teen USA twice thanks to Shelley Hennig in 2004 and Katherine Haik in 2015 so is it time again?
North Dakota-Amanda Higginbotham
Amanda has a very fresh look and she is also very fascinating as she majors in commercial aviation wanting to be a pilot and she also takes international studies with an emphasis in Chinese. She is also a pianist and dancer and so this is a very uniquely talented individual and I can see Amanda doing well. Although North Dakota has never won, they were 1st runner up last year as well as 2011 so Amanda could keep it going.
California-Zoe Hunt
I decided to put Zoe in my list even though she appears to be quite petite but that does work for Teen and with her nice look she seems to be getting universal appeal so I'm putting her in my list. She is achieved as she has a 4.0 gpa, kayaks professionally and encourages others to get out and get active and she is passionate about history. California has won twice thanks to Shauna Gambill in 1994 and Cassidy Wolf in 2013 but they missed the cut last year breaking a six year streak that California had going to will Zoe bring them back?
Oregon-Shayla Montgomery
Shayla was also a last minute inclusion for me because she seems to be universally lauded after preliminaries. I'll admit that I don't see it as I find her somewhat petite but that does work for Teen so we will see if my last minute scramble to include her pays off. She is a fascinating character though as she confesses to have watched seasons of the show 'Glee' six times and even knows some 80s songs by heart! Oregon does have one of the best success rates at Miss Teen USA winning the crown 3 times (1988, 1990 and 2003) but they haven't placed since 2017 so let's see how Shayla does.
North Carolina-Peyton Brown
Another early favorite, Peyton is quite photogenic but apart from that she is fascinating in that she can sing Cher songs and has performed the national anthem 200 times. She is a biology major, wants to be an orthodontist, and is captain of her cheerleading team. She plays soccer and is even related to the Captain of Captain and Tennille. She also wants to create awareness of domestic violence and work to prevent it. North Carolina hasn't won the Miss Teen USA crown but they have 3 1st runner ups (1987, 2006 and 2016) so can Peyton do it??
ALTERNATES:
Iowa-Hailey Parton
Hailey was a last minute exclusion to include California and Oregon in my list but she could do it. A weaker bio was the determining factor here as she studies nursing, wants to work in pediatric oncology and is a dancer but she performed well in the preliminaries and has a great overall look.
Missouri-Holly McDowell
Holly performed well in the preliminaries and has even started a business to fund survivors of human trafficking and she has travelled much but I'm not seeing enough universal support for her so she fell out of my list into the alternates category.
Minnesota-Gwendolyn Buchanan
Gwendolyn's headshot was one of my favorites so it was very hard to let her go but there wasn't as much universal support for her and this gown could have been better so she fell out of my list into the alternates category.
Rhode Island-Sofia Ledoux
Sofia's headshot was one of my favorites so it was very hard to let her go but there wasn't as much universal support for her and this gown could have been better so she fell out of my list into the alternates category.
Florida-Rylie Spicker
Rylie was an early favorite but after preliminaries, she wasn't winning as much universal support so having to make some hard cuts, she ended here on my list but she could place.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Kentucky-Mattie Barker
I like this delegate and would be glad to see her place but as was the case with a lot of other delegates, I wasn't seeing enough universal support so I'm placing her as an honorable mention.
Tennessee-Ansley Ecker
The host delegate could place as we have seen many times before so I'm placing her as an honorable mention.
West Virginia-Sophia Martino
As was the case with a lot of other delegates, I wasn't seeing enough universal support so I'm placing her as an honorable mention.
New Jersey-JaeLynn Polanco
As was the case with a lot of other delegates, I wasn't seeing enough universal support so I'm placing her as an honorable mention.
Illinois-Victoria Rhemrev
Her tomboyishness could win her some points as we have seen in pageants past but I'm not entirely sure about her so I'm placing her here.
Just missing my list in my next tier were: Nevada, Maryland, Wyoming and other delegates with strong bios came from: Kansas, Massachusetts and Washington.
So there you have it! Another year with another list so let's see how it goes this time around and we'll find out who I got right or who I missed entirely!
Watch the webcast for Miss Teen USA 2020 at 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at the website: missteenusa.com or on social media via facebook.com/missusa or youtube.com/missusa.
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PREPARE FOR PRELIMINARIES! (October 26, 2020)
Kaliegh Garris, Miss Teen USA 2019
I'm unofficially calling the title of Miss Teen USA 2020 to be Miss Quaran-Teen USA...
Who will succeed Connecticut's Kaliegh Garris and be the teen queen for 2020?
Kaliegh Garris is now the longest reigning Miss Teen USA reigning for 18 months and 10 days from April 28, 2019 to November 7, 2020 defeating the record previously held by Miss Teen USA 1986, Oklahoma's Allison Brown who reigned for exactly 18 months from January 21, 1986 to July 21, 1987. The shortest reigning Miss Teen USA was the very first Miss Teen USA 1983, New York's Ruth Zakarian who reigned just over 7 months from August 30, 1983 to April 3, 1984.
The hosts for this year's Miss Teen USA competition are Allie LaForce-Miss Teen USA 2005 and Cheslie Kryst-Miss USA 2019. The selection committee consists of: Danielle Doty – Miss Teen USA 2011 from Texas, K. Lee Graham – Miss Teen USA 2014 from South Carolina, Nia Franklin – Miss America 2019 from New York, Sara Echeagaray – social media personality and TikToker, and Iman Oubou – scientist, entrepreneur, and medical missionary. Preliminaries for Miss Teen USA will be held on November 6 at 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Prelims are being webcast this year on the Miss USA facebook page or check missteenusa.com and I'm going to have to go off of bios, up close videos and previous pictures to make predictions this year and will post them on the morning of November 7.
The big day for the Miss Quaran-Teen USA crowning is November 7 and the pageant will be held for the third time as a concurrent event only a few days prior to the Miss USA 2020 competition at the Exhibition Centre and the Soundstage at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
I will post my final predictions for Miss Teen USA 2020 on the morning of November 7 and we will find out later that day, who wins the crown!
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Some photos courtesy Miss Universe L.P., LLLP
