Miss Teen USA 1998
Miss Teen USA 1998, the 16th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Shreveport, Louisiana on 17 August 1998. At the conclusion of the final competition, Vanessa Minnillo of South Carolina was crowned by outgoing queen Shelly Moore of Tennessee.
The pageant was hosted by Mario Lopez with color commentary by Ali Landry and Julie Moran. Landry held the Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1990, Miss Louisiana USA 1996 and Miss USA 1996 titles, making the semi-finals at Miss Teen USA 1990 pageant before winning Miss USA 1996.
During the pageant there was entertainment by N'Sync.
Vanessa Minnillo and Mario Lopez would later host together the 2007 Miss Universe pageant; Miss New York Linsay Fredette is the sister of BYU and NBA player Jimmer Fredette.
Results
Placements
| Final results | Contestant |
| Miss Teen USA 1998 |
|
| 1st runner-up |  Tennessee - Bridgett Jordan |
| 2nd runner-up |  Nevada - Victoria Franklin |
| Top 5 |  Virginia - Misty Horn Wyoming - Gina DeBernardi |
| Top 10 |  Colorado - Katee Doland Florida - Nicole Broderick Illinois - Nicole Manske Mississippi - Jennifer Reel Texas''' - Christie Cole |
South Carolina - Vanessa MinnilloSpecial awards
Scores
Historical significance
- This was only Wyoming's second placement, after Emily Earnst placed first runner-up to Kelly Hu in 1985.
- Nevada placed for the first time since 1983, this was also only their second placement. No other Nevada teen has bettered Victoria Franklin's placement, although Helen Salas equalled it when she placed second runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2004. Franklin was Miss Nevada USA at the time, Salas' sister titleholder.
- Mississippi placed for the first time since 1994.
- Vanessa Minnillo became the first Miss Congeniality winner to also win the pageant. She also got the highest score ever in any semifinal: 9.96 in swimsuit.
- Florida won the Miss Photogenic award for the third consecutive year, a first in the history of the pageant. Nicole Broderick was Florida's first semi-finalist since 1995, and no other Florida teen would place until Jennifer Wooten made the top fifteen at Miss Teen USA 2006.
Delegates
- Alabama - Heather Baugh
- Alaska - Sarah Ann Smith
- Arizona - Kristy Kay Stover
- Arkansas - Joan Lucas
- California - Amanda Joy O’Leary
- Connecticut - Natalie Perez
- Delaware - Nicole Tomlin
- District of Columbia - Chartese DeQuinta Day
- Florida - Nicole Broderick
- Georgia - Midori Thompson
- Hawaii - Toby Anne Pohaikealoha Carter
- Idaho - Elizabeth Barchas
- Illinois - Nicole Manske
- Indiana - Tashina Kastigar
- Iowa - Arianna Kem
- Kansas - Ashley Tessendorf
- Kentucky - Elizabeth Arnold
- Louisiana - Jennifer Dupont
- Maine - Krista Wakefield
- Maryland - Amber Coffman
- Massachusetts - Susie Castillo
- Michigan - Elizabeth Mathis
- Minnesota - Kristi Renee Hilgenberg
- Mississippi - Jennifer Reel
- Missouri - Brittany McDonald
- Montana - Maggie Stoker
- Nebraska - Lori Anderson
- Nevada - Victoria Franklin
- New Hampshire - Nadiyah Humber
- New Jersey - Melissa Dungao
- New Mexico - Rana Jones
- New York - Lindsay Fredette
- North Carolina - Lucy Parker
- North Dakota - Brandy Smolen
- Ohio - Stacy Offenberger
- Oklahoma - Tara Baker
- Oregon - Melissa Maki
- Pennsylvania - Katherine Kraus
- Rhode Island - Kristin Luneberg
- South Carolina - Vanessa Minnillo
- South Dakota - Summer Simunek
- Tennessee - Bridgett Jordan
- Texas - Christie Cole
- Utah - Trina Seymour
- Vermont - Dawn Amelia Carrow
- Virginia - Misty Horn
- Washington - Amber Lancaster
- West Virginia - Erica Bivans
- Wisconsin - Heidi Cody
- Wyoming - Gina DeBernardi
Contestant notes
- Susie Castillo went on to win the Miss Massachusetts USA 2003 title, and then won the Miss USA 2003 pageant. Castillo and Vanessa Minnillo would later go on to become MTV VJ's in the 2000s.
- Three of the six triple crown titleholders - women who held state titles for Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America - competed at Miss Teen USA 1998.
- Only a year after passing on her Teen title, Jennifer Dupont won the Miss Louisiana USA 2000 title, one of the few women to win teen and Miss titles in such close succession. Dupont went on to win the Miss Louisiana 2004 title, and placed first runner-up to Deidre Downs at Miss America 2005.
- Elizabeth Barchas won the Miss Idaho USA 2001 title, and competed with Doland at Miss USA 2001. As Miss Idaho 2004 she competed at Miss America 2005 alongside Jennifer Dupont, and won a non-finalist interview award
- Rana Jones later won the Miss New Mexico 2003 title and competed in the Miss America pageant. She later tried to win the Miss New Mexico USA title but was unsuccessful. Her highest placement at Miss New Mexico USA was in the 2007 event, when she placed first runner-up to Casey Messer.
- Other contestants who competed at Miss USA were:
- *Elizabeth Arnold - Miss Kentucky USA 2002
- *Kristen Luneberg - Miss North Carolina USA 2003
- *Tashina Kastigar - Miss Indiana USA 2003
- *Victoria Franklin - Miss Nevada USA 2004
- *Stacy Offenberger - Miss Ohio USA 2006
- Amber Lancaster is currently a model on The Price Is Right.
- Elizabeth Mathis went on to a brief acting career, including a role as the lead character's grown daughter in the 2010 film Unstoppable.
- Nicole Briscoe is currently an ESPN broadcaster after working in journalism in local Midwestern media, later including a part-time role with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network before later working for Fox Sports. Since her marriage to Australian INDYCAR driver Ryan Briscoe she has used her married name on-air and on social media.
Judges
- Bill Bellamy
- Tim Brando
- Tara Lipinski
- Austin O’Brien
- Jonny Moseley
- Sarah Schwab
- Jill Stuart