Miss Teen USA 1983
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{{short description|1st edition of the Miss Teen USA competition}}
{{Infobox beauty pageant
| photo =
| winner = Ruth Zakarian
| represented = New York
| date = August 30, 1983
| presenters = {{Hlist|Michael Young|Morgan Brittany}}
| venue = Lakeland Civic Auditorium, Lakeland, Florida
| broadcaster = {{Hlist|CBS|WTVT}}
| entrants = 51
| debuts =
| placements = 10
| congeniality = Angela Boyd
{{flag|Arkansas|1924}}
| photogenic = Linda Burkholder
{{flag|Illinois}}
| next = 1984
}}
Miss Teen USA 1983, the first Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from the Lakeland Civic Auditorium in Lakeland, Florida on 30 August 1983.{{cite news |title=First Miss Teen Will Be Crowned |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/florence-morning-news-first-miss-teen-wi/169615854/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=Florence Morning News |date=27 August 1983 |pages=35}} The event was hosted by Michael Young and included musical guests Air Supply and the Solid Gold Dancers. At the conclusion of the final competition, Ruth Zakarian of New York was crowned Miss Teen USA, by Miss USA 1983 Julie Hayek and Miss Universe 1983 Lorraine Downes.
Background
The Miss Teen USA pageant was created by the owners of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants as a "natural extension" of those pageants.{{cite news |last1=Goudas |first1=John |title=CBS' 'Miss Teen USA' Crowning Achievement |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk-triple/169615391/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Town Talk |date=30 August 1983 |pages=21}} Originally, any winner over age 17 was automatically entered as a contestant-at-large at the Miss USA pageant. 1983 winner Ruth Zakarian competed at Miss USA 1984 and did not make the semi-finals.{{cite news |title=Miss Teen USA: Ruth Zakarian will crown her successor on CBS |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/syracuse-herald-journal/169617043/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=Syracuse Herald-Journal |date=29 March 1984 |pages=109}}
As host city, Lakeland and its residents contributed at least $500,000 in goods and services, with the intention that the publicity brought by the pageant would offset this investment,{{cite news |last1=Absher |first1=Debbie |title=Lakeland to preen for TV |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune-lakeland-to-preen-for/169615515/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=14 August 1983 |pages=1}} however local merchants later admitted the return wasn't as great as expected.{{cite news |last1=Gordon |first1=Nancy |title=Merchants roll out their red carpets for teen pageant and dollars roll back |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune-merchant/169615627/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=29 August 1983 |pages=7}} Contestants spent three weeks in the city in the lead up to the final night of competition and the telecast featured 45 minutes of promotional material of the contestants in locations around the city and county.{{cite news |title=Raven-haired New York beauty crowned first Miss Teen USA |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-raven/169615547/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Birmingham News |date=31 August 1983 |pages=21}}{{cite news |last1=Duke |first1=Gayle |title=Businessmen are asked to tune in teen pageant |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/169615810/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=13 August 1983 |pages=8}}
The pageant featured three nights of competition: the state costume competition on 20 August, the preliminary competition on 25 August and the final telecast on 30 August. Governor of Mississippi Bob Graham was slated to attend both the final pageant and the following coronation ball.{{cite news |title=Pageant spectators invited to have a beauty of a ball |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/169616232/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=30 August 1983 |pages=52}}
Results
=Placements=
File:Miss Teen USA 1983 results map.png
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;" |
| Final Results
! Contestant |
|---|
| Miss Teen USA 1983
| |
| 1st Runner-Up
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| 2nd Runner-Up
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| 3rd Runner-Up
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| 4th Runner-Up
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| Top 10
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=Special awards=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!width="220" style="background-color:#787878;color:#FFFFFF;"|Award !width="300" style="background-color:#787878;color:#FFFFFF;"|Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality
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| Miss Photogenic
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| Best state costume
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Judges
The celebrity judges for the pageant were:{{cite news |title=Pageant countdown: Few tickets left for Miss Teen USA |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune-pageant-countdown-few/169615900/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=20 August 1983 |pages=7}}
- Jeffrey Apple – movie producer
- Tracey Bregman – actress on The Young and the Restless
- Anthony Carter – Michigan Panthers wide receiver
- Bonnie Kay – president of the Kay Models agency
- Emilio Estefan – percussionist for Miami Sound Machine
- Persis Khambatta – actress
- Nancy Stafford – actress
- Terri Utley – Miss USA 1982
- Kiki Vandeweghe - basketball player
- Leroy Neiman – artist
Delegates
The Miss Teen USA 1983 delegates were:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
- Alabama - Jill Johnson (17)
- Alaska - Linda Fickus (18)
- Arizona - Kris Keim (17)
- Arkansas - Angela Boyd (18)
- California - Shawn Gardner (17)
- Colorado - Julie Meyer (18)
- Connecticut - Beth Waldron (14)
- Delaware - Laura Enslen (17)
- District of Columbia - Patricia Curtis (17)
- Florida - Lora Erdman (16)
- Georgia - Kelly Jerles (16)
- Hawaii - Erika Mattich (15)
- Idaho - Tammy Hamilton (17)
- Illinois - Linda Burkholder (17){{cite news |title=Odd Couple|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-macon-telegraph-1983-teen-usa-clippi/124075600/ |access-date=29 March 2025 |publisher=The Macon Telegraph |date=26 August 1983}}
- Indiana - Julie James (17)
- Iowa - Kimberly Heck (16)
- Kansas - Melissa Lyczak (16)
- Kentucky - Krista Keith (15)
- Louisiana - Vail Cavalier (18)
- Maine - Dina Duvall (17){{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-journal-miss-maine-teen-usa-1983-res/117056134/ |access-date=29 March 2025 |publisher=Sun-Journal|title=Miss Maine Teen USA 1983 |date=3 December 1982}}
- Maryland - Carla Kemp (18)
- Massachusetts - Christine Lawlor (16)
- Michigan - Cathy McBride (17)
- Minnesota - Kimberly Ess (17)
- Mississippi - Teresa Zapponi (18){{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Harold |title=Greenville teen sees herself as trailblazer in national Miss Teen USA Pageant tonight |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald-teresa-zapponi/169615236/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=Sun Herald |date=30 August 1983 |pages=6}}
- Missouri - Lisa Logan (16)
- Montana - Leslie Lucas (16)
- Nebraska - Jackie Kuenning (17)
- Nevada - Kimberly Cannon (18)
- New Hampshire - Maureen Murray (17)
- New Jersey - Sheri Drummond (17){{cite news |title=Parsippany teen has high hopes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-record/169615884/ |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=Daily Record |date=10 August 1983 |pages=8}}
- New Mexico - Eloisa Serna (17)
- New York - Ruth Zakarian (17)
- North Carolina - Janet Freeman (16)
- North Dakota - Lisa Rubin (18)
- Ohio - Jamie Callarik (15)
- Oklahoma - Lorna Webb (16)
- Oregon - Gretchen Thoma (15)
- Pennsylvania - Diane Hoyes (18)
- Rhode Island - Melissa Sciarra (16)
- South Carolina - Beth Woodard (18)
- South Dakota - Karen Hernes (17)
- Tennessee - Cheri Dotson (16)
- Texas - Sheri Sholz (17)
- Utah - Natalie DeGraw (17)
- Vermont - Cindy Gentile (16)
- Virginia - Tina Marrocco (16)
- Washington - Rhonda Monroe (17)
- West Virginia - Kay Scadden (17)
- Wisconsin - Jane Zawada (17)
- Wyoming - Shanna Thompson (15)
{{div col end}}
Contestant notes
- Kelly Jerles (Georgia) became the only delegate from Miss Teen USA 1983 to compete in the Miss America pageant. She held the Miss Georgia 1987 title and won preliminary swimsuit and non-finalist talent awards at Miss America 1988.
- Ruth Zakarian (New York) competed in the Miss USA 1984 pageant as Miss Teen USA 1983 but did not place. In the early years of the pageant, the Teen titleholder could compete at Miss USA without holding a state title.
- Beth Woodard (South Carolina) - Miss South Carolina USA 1987
- Kris Keim (Arizona) - Miss Arizona USA 1988
- Maureen Murray (New Hampshire) - Miss New York USA 1991 (semi-finalist at Miss USA 1991)