| Miss Teen USA 1983 | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 30, 1983 |
| Presenters | |
| Venue | Lakeland Civic Auditorium,Lakeland, Florida |
| Broadcaster | |
| Entrants | 51 |
| Placements | 10 |
| Winner | Ruth Zakarian New York |
| Congeniality | Angela Boyd Arkansas |
| Photogenic | Linda Burkholder Illinois |
1984 → | |
Miss Teen USA 1983, the firstMiss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from theLakeland Civic Auditorium inLakeland, Florida on 30 August 1983.[1] The event was hosted byMichael Young and included musical guestsAir Supply and theSolid Gold Dancers.[2] At the conclusion of the final competition,Ruth Zakarian ofNew York was crowned Miss Teen USA, by Miss USA 1983Julie Hayek and Miss Universe 1983Lorraine Downes.[3]
The Miss Teen USA pageant was created by the owners of theMiss USA andMiss Universe pageants as a "natural extension" of those pageants.[2] Originally, any winner over age 17 was automatically entered as a contestant-at-large at the Miss USA pageant.[2] 1983 winner Ruth Zakarian competed atMiss USA 1984 and did not make the semi-finals.[4]
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,[5] however local merchants later admitted the return wasn't as great as expected.[6] 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.[3][7]
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.[8]Governor of MississippiBob Graham was slated to attend both the final pageant and the following coronation ball.[9]
| Final Results | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Teen USA 1983 | |
| 1st Runner-Up |
|
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
| 3rd Runner-Up |
|
| 4th Runner-Up |
|
| Top 10 |
|
| Award | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Congeniality |
|
| Miss Photogenic |
|
| Best state costume |
|
The celebrity judges for the pageant were:[8]
The Miss Teen USA 1983 delegates were: