Miss Teen USA 2007, the 25th Miss Teen USA pageant, was held on August 24, 2007 in Pasadena, California. At the conclusion of the final night of the competition Hilary Cruz of Colorado was crowned Miss Teen USA 2007 by outgoing titleholder Katie Blair of Montana.
The event was hosted by Mario Lopez, who also hosted Miss Teen USA 1998 and Miss Teen USA 2003. In 2007 he also hosted the Miss America and Miss Universe pageants. The pageant was broadcast on NBC at 8:00 p.m. EST, rather than at 9:00 p.m. EST.
For several years, was the final Miss Teen USA pageant to be televised on broadcast television due to NBC failing to renew its contract. It returned to television in 2024, broadcast on The CW.
Results
Placements
Final results Contestant Miss Teen USA 2007 Colorado – Hilary Cruz 1st Runner-Up New Jersey – Alyssa Campanella 2nd Runner-Up North Carolina – Katie Coble 3rd Runner-Up South Carolina – Caitlin Upton 4th Runner-Up West Virginia – Chelsea Welch Top 10 Alabama – Canden Jackson Kansas – Jaymie Stokes Minnesota – Vanessa VonBehren Rhode Island – Rochelle Rose Virginia – Emily Bruce Top 15 Hawaii – Serena Karnagy Illinois – Victoria Davis New Mexico – Elizabeth Kranz Tennessee – Macy Erwin Wyoming – Mollie Smith
Historical significance Colorado wins the competition for the first time, also becoming the 23rd state who wins Miss Teen USA. New Jersey earns the 1st runner-up position for the first time. North Carolina earns the 2nd runner-up position for the first time. South Carolina earns the 3rd runner-up position for the first time. West Virginia earns the 4th runner-up position for the first time. States that placed in semifinals the previous year were Kansas, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. Kansas and Virginia placed for the third consecutive year. New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and South Carolina made their second consecutive placement. Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, and West Virginia last placed in 2005. Alabama, Hawaii, and Tennessee last placed in 2004. Colorado and Wyoming last placed in 1998. Michigan and Oklahoma break an ongoing streak of placements since 2005. Georgia and Maryland break an ongoing streak of placements since 2004.
Events Contestants arrived in Pasadena on August 12 and participated in a number of events in the lead up to the final competition. On August 14 the official swimsuit poster shoot was held by the pool of the Pasadena Hilton, the host hotel.
Competition rounds
Finals The top fifteen was announced during the final telecast and went on to compete in the swimsuit competition, which featured music by Kat DeLuna. Following this the top ten delegates were announced and they competed in evening gowns, to music by the Jonas Brothers. After this, the two special award winners were announced, followed by the announcement of the top five delegates. The interview competition involved the top five answering a question proposed by one of the judges. Each delegate had 30 seconds to answer. Afterwards the judges had one final look at the top five as they cast their votes for the winner and runners-up. Katie Blair then took her final walk and the runners-up and winner was announced.
During the Final Question round, Aimee Teegarden asked Miss South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, why she thought a fifth of Americans are unable to locate the United States on a world map. Upton's response was: I personally believe that, U.S. Americans are unable to do so, because some… people out there in our nation that don't have maps, and I believe that our education, like such as in South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should… our education over here in the U.S., should help the U.S., er, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future. For our children.http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2007/08/27/win-big-its-the-miss-south-carolina-word-scramble/ WIN BIG: It's The Miss South Carolina Word Scramble!!, AOL News, Posted 2007-8-27 by Mo Rocca, Retrieved on 2007-8-29
The following Tuesday, August 28, Upton appeared on NBC's Today Show, where Ann Curry gave her the opportunity to formulate a new response to the same question. Upton's new reply was: "Personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. If the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better." She said that she was "in shock" during the competition and barely heard the question that had been asked.
Delegates The Miss Teen USA 2007 delegates were:
State Contestant Hometown Age Height Placement Awards Notes Alabama Canden Jackson Fairhope 17 Top 10 Alaska Muriel Clauson Anchorage 17 Arizona Tiffany Martin Phoenix 18 Arkansas Tiffany Greenstreet Melbourne 18 California Kylee Lin San Rafael 16 Colorado Hilary Cruz Louisville 18 Miss Teen USA 2007 Connecticut Olga Litvinenko Greenwich 17 Later Miss Connecticut USA 2017 Delaware Holly Shively Newark 16 District of Columbia Jasmine Alexis Washington, D.C. 16 Later Miss District of Columbia's Outstanding Teen 2008 and Top 10 at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2009 Florida Annilie Hastey Miami 18 Georgia Jena Sims Winder 18 Hawaii Serena Karnagy Honolulu 16 Top 15 Later competed at Miss International 2008 as Hawaii's representative. Idaho Krista McNeal Sandpoint 18 Illinois Victoria Davis Thawville 18 Top 15 Indiana Victoria Tomlinson Anderson 19 Iowa Dakota Crosswhite Cedar Rapids 18 Kansas Jaymie Stokes Lenexa 16 Top 10 Later Miss Kansas USA 2011 Kentucky Katrina Giannini Princeton 17 Louisiana Logan Travis Amite City 15 Maine Amanda Pelletier Vassalboro 18 Maryland Allison Farrow Earleville 18 Miss Photogenic Massachusetts Kathleen McNiff Groton 17 Michigan Caitlin Klug Eau Claire 18 Minnesota Vanessa Vonbehren Apple Valley 17 Top 10 Mississippi Anne Elise Parks New Albany 18 Miss Congeniality Missouri Lauren Peterson (including video) Farmington 16 Later top 20 at Miss Grand International 2015 Montana Chelsea Nelson (video) Billings 17 Nebraska Lauren Clabaugh Omaha 16 Nevada Danielle Hashimoto Reno 16 New Hampshire Alexandra MacDonald Gilford 18 New Jersey Alyssa Campanella Manalapan 17 1st runner-up Later Miss California USA 2011 and Miss USA 2011 New Mexico Liz Kranz Deming 17 Top 15 New York Tatiana Pallagi Avon 17 North Carolina Katie Coble Charlotte 17 2nd runner-up Later Miss North Carolina USA 2017 North Dakota Taylor Kearns Fargo 18 Later Miss North Dakota USA 2010 Ohio Rachel Epperly Gahanna 18 Oklahoma Paige Hill Oklahoma City 16 Oregon Whitney Whitehouse Bend 17 Pennsylvania Kelsie Sinagra Pittsburgh 17 Rhode Island Rochelle Rose Jamestown 15 Top 10 South Carolina Caitlin Upton Lexington 18 3rd runner-up Gained notoriety following her answer to the final question, which was criticized as "strange" and "grammarless". Videos of her response were posted to YouTube and have received millions of views. Placed third with her then-boyfriend Brent Horne on The Amazing Race 16. South Dakota Kari Schull Watertown 17 Tennessee Macy Erwin Chattanooga 17 Top 15 Texas Sommer Isdale Harker Heights 16 Utah Kelsey Brigel Draper 17 Vermont Olivia Hubbard Rutland 17 Virginia Emily Bruce Lynchburg 17 Top 10 Washington Shalane Larango Vancouver 18 Previously Miss Washington's Outstanding Teen 2005, 2nd runner-up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2006 West Virginia Chelsea Welch West Union 16 4th runner-up Later Miss West Virginia USA 2013 and Top 15 at Miss USA 2013 Wisconsin Shauna Sabir (video) Milwaukee 17 Wyoming Mollie Smith Casper 17 Top 15
Contestant gallery
See also Miss USA 2007 Miss Universe 2007
Notes
References