The top 20 compete in active wear in alphabetical order: Arizona, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming

This year, we had a first in that the top 4 vote recipients in the Choicely app were fast-tracked to the top 20 and they were singled out from the beginning which is often deemed a disadvantage since the judges know who they picked so none of these 4 ladies advanced to the next round. Each of the top 20 were asked about a fun fact when announced and the first to be called was the top vote-getter, Wisconsin, who was one of my picks. She was asked who she dressed up as for Halloween and she replied that it was Elvis Presley whom she adores and she even went to an impersonator concert dressed as Elvis and the impersonator kissed her on the cheek and she told her mom, she would never wash her cheek again! But of course, she washed her face on pageant day as Taylor asked her to confirm. District of Columbia was the next top vote-getter and she was one of my alternates who I had in my list earlier but for whatever reason, I didn't feel as strongly about her but she's smart. She was asked about the phone app she created and she said it was the Self Love app which delivers 7 self-love affirmations which she created as a result of online bullying and with the affirmations, she wants to remind young girls that they are strong, capable, worthy and enough and coding is an alternative way to solve real-world problems. The third most votes went to Wyoming who was also among my picks. She was asked about why she is majoring in Biology and she replied that she initially wanted to go into the medical field but after an opportunity to intern for an oral surgeon, she became more interested in becoming an orthodontist or the cosmetic dentistry field like veneers. The fourth top vote-getter was an open casting delegate selected for a directorless state, New Hampshire who was not on my list. She was asked about winning an eating contest and she said they were wings. She did a fundraiser for a distracted driving scholarship that she gave to a high school senior and she didn't win but inherited the title 'Queen of Wings' and she said she ate 8 wings in five minutes but completely cleaned them and there was only bone left. Next up was Ohio who was asked about her international penpals. She said one is Angel in Liberia and the other is in Honduras and she met them since her aunt signed up for a child relief fund saying Halyna was so good at writing and to write them letters so she sponsors them and they go to school because of the sponsorship and she writes them letters every 2 months and it's fun. Maine followed and she was asked about her motto "Leave it all on the stage" and she said as a competitive dancer/performer on stage is amazing for her and she feels more comfortable on stage instead of the interview room and she puts 110% in everything she does and her biggest fear is living with regret so she likes to leave it all on the stage and do everything she can to make it possible that she (pauses/freezes and immediately, my brain recalls Delaware's Dawn Renee Huey having a similar brainfreeze moment while answering her top 6 question during Miss Teen USA 1995 and I felt bad because Jazmine was a favorite). She continued saying she likes to do everything she can to make (pauses again) and says 'Sorry' twice and then she wrapped it up saying she likes to do everything she can to make it possible so that she feels good at the end of the day and know that she did everything that she can. I think we can all understand that nerves sometimes get the best of us especially when you are trying to regurgitate something you memorized so unfortunately this hindered Maine's delegate from advancing despite having a great dancer's body and overall look. New York was up next and she was the notable tall redhead of this class and was the only one of my predictions that I was able to correctly predict as 4th runner up. A ginger named Ginger? Yes, please! Ginger was asked about going viral. She gingerly said she spent her freshman year at the University of Alabama and she posted all her OOTD's (Outfits of the Day...I had to google this...) and she also did the OOTD posts while at Miss Teen USA and she said so many people loved it since she was girl from New York and Vermont showing people that you can be from the Northeast and still partake in Bama Rush [means Alabama Rush or the week where PNMs(potential new members...I had to google this...) and chapters undergo the various stages of recruitment (I had to google this...)] and she says girls just liked her authenticity and could show that she's super relatable and just a northern girl going to Alabama Rush and she pledged Pi Phi! (I had to google this... Pi Beta Phi is a sorority for Women at University of Alabama... I feel old...). Next up was the lovely jewel of Arkansas, Jewelia Reece who was asked to show her hidden talent. She said she couldn't at that moment as it's a backwards worm. She doesn't know how she became a pro of it but she offered to do it for anyone backstage or if you find her after the pageant and she'll do it for y'all! Next was the hometown girl, Nevada who owns a sweets company and was asked what her favorite treat to make was. She said it's a cotton candy business that she owned since age 12 and she loves going to events and spinning cotton candy for young kids. To which Taylor was quick to reply, "Sounds sweet!" Georgia's Kalysia Negron followed and was asked about saving baby squirrels. She said her sister's boyfriend was cutting branches in the driveway and he rushed inside saying he needed help as there was something squeaking in the trees. She initially thought they were baby birds but looked and saw they were baby squirrels so she saw the mother watching in the background and Kalysia had the idea to play baby squirrel noises from youtube and she saw the mother carry the babies away to their new location one by one. Next up was the winner herself, Missouri's Mailyn Marsh who was asked about being passionate about sustainability and to give one tip on shopping small. Mailyn replied, "Absolutely! Shopping small isn't just always going to a super cute but maybe a little bit expensive small business in your area. Sometimes, it's going thrifting. Sometimes, it's finding a piece that's already been worn because at the end of the day when you shop sustainable and you prevent microplastics and greenhouse gases from further going into our world, you're not only looking stylish but you're repurposing and helping build up our future generations." Oklahoma followed and was asked what is something we can do to be more aware of what we eat. She said she would key in specifically on imperfect produce and that people like to overlook the strawberry with an extra bump or the banana that's especially bruised but they're happy and clean to eat so buy them and make sure you're saving up because the rest of the grocery supplies go to local food banks and pantries to help those in need. New Mexico was asked about her shoe collection and what her favorite pair was and she went with her Kobe's even though she is a volleyball player but basketball great, Kobe Bryant is a legend (I wonder if she knows that Kobe was a judge at Miss Teen USA 1997 long before his tragic passing in 2020) and she aspires to be everything he was on the court and one day hopes to leave as much of an impact on her sport as Kobe did. Next up was California who was asked what she likes to do for fun in the Los Angeles canyons where she lives. She said she loves hiking, finding crystals and being out in nature. She mentioned writing a book about her dyslexia and how nature helped calm her down and made her feel at peace so being out in nature and being with her best friends is what she loves. Arizona followed and was asked about her first kiss and she said in Arizona they have a state fair and there was a surprise aquarium there and her aunty made her take a picture with the seals and the seal jumped up and gave her a fat, juicy kiss on the cheek right as they took the picture and that just taught her to be silly and live in the moment and there she was talking about her first kiss with a seal on the Miss Teen USA stage! This one has that unmistakable spunk so she probably won the judges over in interview. Minnesota's Maisie Adams was up next (the daughter of Miss North Dakota USA 1994, Amy Jane Lantz) and was asked about going shopping with a famous woman and who she was. It was Sarah Jessica Parker and she told the story of her walking through Minnesota's famous Mall of America and Sarah was opening her new shoe store and Maisie was yanked by security and she was thinking, 'Oh my gosh! What did I do?' but it turned out Sarah wanted to talk to Maisie since she was the youngest person there and she quickly found out she was everything she wanted to be: an actress and entrepreneur who looks great while doing it and said they were both pint-sized powerhouses and people will them their goals are too big but never listen to them and she made her feel like she was the only person in the room and she really inspired her as someone who wants to be an actress and entrepreneur one day to go after her dreams no matter what people say. Idaho's Drew Abdul-Wahab (one of the delegates selected to represent a directorless state) previously competed in Arizona and California and is of Lebanese descent was asked about competing in a world championship. Drew said she competed at the world championship of performing arts on Team USA's modelling team against 60-70 countries and what she learned is how important friendships are. She had friends watching from South Africa and she knows they are cheering her on and she cheers them on whenever she can and it goes to show with pageantry to lift each other up and she has 50 new sisters which is incredible. Next up was Tennessee who achieved 3 million views on a video and she said it was during the height of Covid and it was about making a berry bowl (acai berry bowl) and she convinced her mom to buy a Vitamix to make it and made a smoothie bowl and added a sparkly filter and used sped up audio and posted it on Tiktok and it got 3 million views within a week but she forgot her password so the acai bowls are famous but not her. I think she's a little famous now though. Next was Texas and Laika Patel is the first Miss Texas Teen USA of Indian descent. She was asked about sharing her home with 26 performers from India. While she was in elementary school, Laika and her mom fundraised $13000 to bring a dance troupe to the U.S. and perform a world tour for dance. They perform for Ekata (which means "unity" in Hindi) and she learned that actions count since they didn't speak the same languages and she taught them how to make root beer floats and they in turn taught her to laugh and smile because she says as an only child, she didn't have that. They gave her community. Taylor then mentioned that she too was an only child. Finally, New Jersey was asked about her illustrating her first book and what it was about. She replied that it was called 'The Voice Inside You' and is about uplifting young children. Growing up multicultural (half-French and half-Chinese), she struggled to find her own unique American voice and she didn't grow up as a typical American teenager and she wants to pave that mold so that the future generations can celebrate all their cultures while also finding their own unique American voice.
I have to say I'm kind of surprised that with all these changes in ownership recently that no one is bringing back swimsuits for the teens which we last saw in 2015 (10 years ago) and we are keeping with the active wear/fitness competition so I guess we'll never see swimsuits for the Teen division ever again. This year's fitness wear competition was set to the song, 'Future Looks Like Wow' by lunaluxe and the top 20 came out in alphabetical order rather than the random order they were called in and this is actually the first time Miss Teen USA presented the delegates in alphabetical order for finals since its inception in 1983. It was narrowed down to a top 10 called in the random order of: Missouri, Oklahoma, New York, Nevada, Texas, New Jersey, Arizona, Ohio, Minnesota, Georgia but these ladies all competed in alphabetical order for gown and their video packages were also shown in alphabetical order with Arizona's voice sounding significantly deeper so I'm assuming something was slowed down somewhere during playback.

The top 10 compete in evening gown in alphabetical order: Arizona, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas

Now, it was time for the gown parade featuring all the delegates that didn't make top 10 set to Brooklyn Duo's lovely instrumental version of Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather". Arizona came out first in a yellow ball gown with a frilly skirt and jewelled bodice. It had a very quinceanera feel to it. Georgia's gown was a lime green number adorned with stones and had puffy off-shoulder sleeves using the same material as the train. It was a unique color but I probably would have gone with something that looked less like drapes from the 70s. Minnesota followed with a gown with silver sparkles on the bodice and a fluffy, long, white train starting just above the knees that almost looked like she was floating on a cloud and it was a really striking gown but I think her offset eyes are what kept her from my list but this gown made her understandable. Missouri's rich midnight-blue ball gown was really a standout. The jewelled cuffneck and the velvety bodice just added how regal Mailyn's overall look was. Nevada came out in a stunning silky white gown with floral designs on the bodice that perfectly seemed to match the LED screens in the back displaying a heart made of lavender petals spinning around. New Jersey followed in a green ballgown with a jewelled bodice. New York followed in a flowy white gown with a dazzling silver jewelled neckline and it was stunning with the thigh-high slit and a little more sparkle added to not make the slit so high and appropriate for Teen. Ohio followed in a really breathtaking number which was gold and white but the unique twist to this one were the flowers adorning the edges of the cape and it just enhanced the overall look so this was a well-chosen gown and a well-executed display of it. Oklahoma wore a petal-pink satin gown with jewelled designs on the bodice and it had a nice train and it was simple and elegant. I seem to recall Julie Moran telling us during Miss Teen USA 2000 that white and petal-pink are colors that really pop on stage. Texas wore a simple satin black ball gown with jewelled designs at the bust and shoulder straps and it wasn't overpowering. Some say black isn't really a teen color but I think it works just fine like it did for Faron Medhi in 2022.

Now the top 5 answered their final questions posed to them by the judges. Minnesota was asked by Josh Randall, "Many teens say social media shapes how they see themselves. In your opinion, how can teens protect their self-worth in a world of comparison?" Minnesota answered, "I think it is so important to find balance on social media. This is something that I implement myself and I encourage my friends as well as my platform as Miss Minnesota Teen USA: to know your worth. We are all so worthy but to not live on social media. We all need to do things that we love whether it's reading a book, hanging out with your dogs, your family. Implementing balance is so important to protect our mental health." Maisie gave a sensible, relevant answer so it's no surprise that she ranked so well. Oklahoma was asked by Jena Sims-Koepka, "If you could change one thing about the way America treats girls and young women, what would you change and why?" Oklahoma answered, "I grew up going to an all-girls school and I'm so grateful my parents made that decision for me because I always knew I could hold any leadership position possible whether being co-editor of my school yearbook or serving on student council, I always knew I had that in me and I feel like we need to have those environments more instilled for every young girl out there that they can know that they can have any position possible because now, me in college and going into my future career in public relations, I know I can be CEO. I know I can run the business and I can do anything I set my mind to. Thank you." A great empowering answer from Ruthie but the competition in this round was quite strong resulting in the 2nd runner up placement. New York was asked by Cassidy Wolf-Miss Teen USA 2013, "A lot of teens fear failure. Tell us about a time you failed and how that experience shaped who you are now." New York replied, "I've actually failed multiple times and I'm not afraid to share it. I have a learning disability. I have a processing disorder and in school, I constantly failed over and over and over again and I would get down about myself and I would think to myself, 'Why am I not smart? Why are all of my friends getting A's and I'm not?' and I had to keep pushing myself and work with tutor after tutor after tutor and have constant hours of me learning extra time and I just wanna show that... you know... having a learning disability doesn't define you and it doesn't define me because I'm up here right now on the Miss Teen USA stage ready to make my mark as the next Miss Teen USA. Thank you." I think the message was very good in this answer but the pauses and delivery was what caused the 4th runner up placement so it's unfortunate since Ginger was such a strong candidate but this was a very competitive top 5 that gave strong answers so it was just how the cards fell. Missouri was asked by Candiace Dillard-Bassett, "In the age of artificial intelligence, your generation will enter a changing job market. What skills do you believe will matter most for success in the future?" Missouri answered, "First of all, I would like to talk about AI and how harmful it is to our environment. I strongly believe that you can use tools but destroying our planet is not one of them and sustainability is key to me. I think as a leader and someone wanting to stay involved in the workforce and not allow their job to be overtaken by AI. We need to start being more creative as individuals. We need to start showing others truly what the human race can do. Start using our brains because we do use our brains but let's be honest, we've all become quite dependent on social media and our cell phones but as a whole, let's all strive to continue to be innovative, continue to have, let's call it, an enlightenment era like in the past and I look forward to seeing what we will do in the future especially Gen Z because we are on a roll. Thank you." I think what made this answer so amazing was that Mailyn displayed much intelligence but she did it a fun, casual and more conversational way and she was so relaxed in how she delivered her strong message incredibly well too and it's often been said that great titleholders have the ability to put people at ease so after hearing this answer, I was very sure Mailyn had the crown. Finally, Ohio was asked by Madisyn Shipman, "You grew up in a generation that's defined by crisis. You had the pandemic, school violence and global unrest. What has this taught your generation about resilience?" Ohio answered, "I think resilience comes within and that's something that my generation has absolutely had to learn because going online during Covid, that's something that not every student can do depending on how you learn so I think resilience is the biggest thing that as a generation, we have had to learn and we've had to step through those doors. We couldn't stand to...to stand in front of those obstacles. We had to go through them and we had to be resilient." I think she tried but the delivery of this answer kind of fell flat unfortunately and having heard how great the previous answers were probably put too much pressure on her.

After Addie Carver said her very classy farewell after a less-than-perfect year, it was time to learn the final rankings. The 4th runner up was New York, 3rd runner up was Ohio, 2nd runner up was Oklahoma and the two legacy candidates, daughters of mothers who went unplaced found themselves in the final two and it was announced that Missouri's Mailyn Marsh had triumphed as Miss Teen USA 2025 with Minnesota's Maisie Adams was 1st runner up. This was an impressive group with a fantastic winner to represent this class and we are indeed cultivating some strong, confident young women that have the drive to achieve and lead and it will be exciting to see what future successes await all of them.





Cheers to Missouri's Mailyn Marsh-Miss Teen USA 2025! Make all of us and especially your very special mom proud!

The Prethoughts - Miss Teen USA 2025