| Miss Teen USA 1996 | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 21, 1996 |
| Presenters | |
| Entertainment | The Monkees |
| Venue | Pan American Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Broadcaster | |
| Entrants | 51 |
| Placements | 10 |
| Winner | Christie Lee Woods Texas |
| Congeniality | Lavinia Magruder Vermont |
| Photogenic | Kelly Gaudet Florida |
Miss Teen USA 1996, the 14th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Las Cruces, New Mexico on 21 August 1996. At the conclusion of the final competition, Christie Lee Woods of Texas was crowned by outgoing queen Keylee Sue Sanders of Kansas.[1]
The pageant was hosted by Bob Goen for the third and final year, with color commentary by Shari Belafonte and entertainment from The Monkees. This was the only year that the pageant was held in Las Cruces, although Albuquerque had previously played host to the 1987 Miss USA pageant. For the first time ever, 6 out of 10 semifinalists were African-American.