Miss USA 1996

Miss USA 1996
Date	February 2, 1996
Presenters	Bob Goen Maty Monfort
Venue	South Padre Island, Texas
Broadcaster	CBS
Winner	Ali Landry Louisiana
Congeniality	Ku'ualoha Taylor
Photogenic	Ali Landry

Miss USA 1996, the 45th Miss USA pageant, was held at South Padre Island, Texas culminating in the final competition and crowning on February 2, 1996.

At the conclusion of the final competition, Ali Landry of Louisiana was crowned by outgoing titleholder Shanna Moakler of New York.^[1]

Landry is the first former Miss Teen USA state delegate to win the Miss USA title, the third Miss USA from Louisiana and the second Miss Louisiana USA to win both the Photogenic award and Miss USA crown, making Louisiana the only state to complete this feat after California did it in 1992. Landry is also the fifth and last Miss Photogenic to be crowned as Miss USA after winning the award.

The pageant was held on South Padre Island for the third and final time. It was hosted by Bob Goen for the third time, and Maty Monfort offered colour commentary. Aaron Neville provided entertainment during the competition.

This was also the first year that the Miss Universe Organization opened a website dedicated to the pageant, and the first time they instituted an internet vote to choose the winner of the Miss Photogenic award.^[2]

It was also the first time since 1989 that there were 10 semifinalists, instead of the usual 12. Also, this was the first year since 1991 in which the delegates wore one-piece bathing suits for the preliminary and final swimsuit competitions.

Results

Placements

Map showing placements by state

Special awards

• Miss Congenality - Ku'ualoha Taylor (Miss Hawaii USA)
• Miss Photogenic - Ali Landry (Miss Louisiana USA)
• Finesse Style Award - Becca Lee - (Miss Tennessee USA)
• Best in Swimsuit: - Danielle Boatwright (Miss Kansas USA)

Scores

Preliminary scores

The following is the contestants average scores in the preliminary competition.

Semifinal scores

Delegates

The Miss USA 1996 delegates were:

Historical significance

• This is the first win from Louisiana in 35 years, when Sharon Brown won Miss USA 1961.
• This is the best finish of a Kansas delegate since Kelli McCarty won Miss USA 1991.
• Tennessee equals its best finish in the history of the pageant for the third time. Tennessee finished 2nd Runner-Up in 1962 and 1984.

Crossovers

Ten delegates had previously competed in either the Miss Teen USA or Miss America pageants.

Delegates who had previously held a Miss Teen USA state title were:

• Tracy Kennick (Utah) - Miss Utah Teen USA 1989
• Ali Landry (Louisiana) - Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1990 (Semi-finalist at Miss Teen USA 1990)
• Holly Roehl (Indiana) - Miss Georgia Teen USA 1990 (Second runner-up at Miss Teen USA 1990)
• Susan Barnett (Pennsylvania) - Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA 1990 (Finalist at Miss Teen USA 1990)
• Kara Williams (Texas) - Miss Texas Teen USA 1991 (Semi-finalist at Miss Teen USA 1991)
• Juliette Spier (North Dakota) - Miss North Dakota Teen USA 1992
• Danielle Boatwright (Kansas) - Miss Kansas Teen USA 1992 (Second runner-up at Miss Teen USA 1992)
• Jill Chartier (Oregon) - Miss Oregon Teen USA 1993 (Semi-finalist at Miss Teen USA 1993)
• Tiffany Parks (Arkansas) - Miss Arkansas Teen USA 1993

Delegate who had previously held a Miss America state title:

• Tracy Yarbrough (Idaho) - Miss Idaho 1994

Delegate who previously held a Miss USA state title:

• Shauna Searles (California) took over the title of Miss California USA 1992 after Shannon Marketic was crowned Miss USA 1992.

Judges

• C.C.H. Pounder
• Patrick Warburton
• Debbie Fields
• Frankie Liles
• Donna Sheen
• Ricky Martin
• Jeff Feringa
• Matt Whiteside
• Irene Bedard
• Eddie Rabbitt

See also

• Miss Universe 1996
• Miss Teen USA 1996

References

External links

• Miss USA official website