Miss Teen USA took place on Saturday night in Las Vegas. This year's pageant came with many changes for the teen division of the Miss Universe Organization. The organization announced that they would replace the swimsuit division with an active wear competition. This change had many people talking. After the live broadcast aired online, it settled the critics' doubts as to if the active wear competition would prove successful. The active wear, customized for each contestant, gave each girl the opportunity to show that they live a healthy and active lifestyle. Each contestant looked as if they were having a blast as they spun around in their sneakers, sports bras, and compression pants/shorts. While the swimsuit was a staple of the Miss Universe Organization, this change gives viewers a way to differentiate between the Miss Teen USA competition and the Miss USA competition. It seems like this new change brings about a natural progression for contestants. As contestants enter the Miss division they go back to wearing swimsuits, the teen division is saved for a more youthful performance.
Another change that was made this year was the location of the pageant. For the past few years, the Miss Teen USA competition was held in the Bahamas. This year the teen division moved back home to Las Vegas, the home to the Miss USA competition, which is held earlier in the summer. While a pageant in the Bahamas made for a fun filled week for contestants, the move to Las Vegas seemed inevitable since it is the place where the contestants' sister queens compete for the title of Miss USA each year. The move to Las Vegas brought more attention to the pageant and made for a production that seemed comparable to the Miss USA competition.
With all of these changes came the most competitive event that the teen division has seen. It was evident that each contestant was fully prepared and each girl excelled in every stage of competition. As a viewer, it was almost impossible to predict a winner and I am sure the same is true for the judges. One can assume that the changes made to this year's competition contributed to the success of the 2016 pageant and the fact that the Miss Teen USA division is making a name for itself in the world of pageantry.
