Miss Teen USAs at Miss USA

In the early years of Miss Teen USA, 3 winners represented the title "Miss Teen USA" at Miss USA. The 3 queens were: Ruth Zakarian (1983), Cherise Haugen (1984), and Allison Brown (1986). This also made history because the Miss USA 1984 pageant had 53 delegates, the most ever in a Miss USA pageant. In 1987, Miss Teen USA 1986, Allison Brown participated in the 1987 Miss USA pageant. All three failed to make the cut at their respective Miss USA pageants..

Only in the 3 years mentioned above did Miss Teen USAs automatically gain representation at Miss USA. From 1988, if the Miss Teen USA winners want to compete at Miss USA, they first must win a Miss USA state crown. A total of seven Miss Teen USA winners have participated at Miss USA, with four winning their state Miss USA crowns first. The first of these was Kelly Hu,Miss Teen USA 1985, who won the the Miss Hawaii USA 1993 title and represented Hawaii at Miss USA 1993. She finished as a finalist. The next was Jamie Solinger, Miss Teen USA 1992. She took the Miss Iowa USA 1998 title but failed to make the cut at the Miss USA pageant. Only two Miss Teen USAs have made the top 3 of Miss USA. Brandi Sherwood, Miss Teen USA 1989 won the Miss Idaho USA 1997 title. Succeeding Kelly, she took 1st runner up and later inherited the Miss USA crown, when Brook Mahealani Lee of Hawaii won Miss Universe 1997. She is the only Miss Teen USA winner to hold the title Miss USA. Shauna Gambill was close in winning the Miss USA 1998 title, but placed 1st runner up to Shawnae Jebbia, Miss Massachusetts USA 1998.

There have been two years when two Miss Teen USAs participated at Miss USA. THe first was 1984, when Miss Teen USA 1983 and Miss Teen USA 1984 participated, the second was 1998, when Jamie Solinger competed as Miss Iowa USA but went unplaced, and Shauna Gambill competed as Miss California USA and placed first runner-up.

The first Miss Teen USA not to win a Miss USA state pageant on her first attempt was Christie Lee Woods, Miss Teen USA 1996, of Texas, who placed third runner-up in the Miss Texas USA 2002 pageant. She would also become the first Miss Teen USA to compete for, but never win a Miss USA state title (she also placed as a semi-finalist in 2003 and 2004). The second Miss Teen USA who did not win a Miss USA state title on her first attempt was Ashley Coleman, Miss Teen USA 1999, of Delaware, who competed in the Miss California USA 2006 pageant and finished third runner-up. She is the first Miss Teen USA winner to compete in a different state from that where she won her Miss Teen USA crown.
Miss Teen USA state delegates at Miss USA

A large number of Miss Teen USA state delegates have won Miss USA state titles and competed at Miss USA. Most held both titles in the same state, but a number have held titles from two states. From 1996, many former Miss Teen USA delegates have gone on to win the Miss USA crown. All five competed for Miss USA in the state they won their Teen title. They are: Ali Landry, Miss USA 1996 (Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1990, Miss Louisiana USA 1996); Kimberly Pressler, Miss USA 1999 (Miss New York Teen USA 1994, Miss New York USA 1999); Lynnette Cole, Miss USA 2000 (Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1995, Miss Tennessee USA 2000); Susie Castillo, Miss USA 2003 (Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1998, Miss Massachusetts USA 2003); Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005 (Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2000, Miss North Carolina USA 2005); Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006 (Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky USA 2006).

The last year that no former Miss Teen USA state delegate made the first cut at Miss USA was in 1994.