This was the first year the pageant was held at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi,[2] where it would be held for the following four years.
Sandy Duncan hosted the event for the only time, with color commentary by Leeza Gibbons and Miss Teen USA 1985Kelly Hu. Music was provided by the Gulf Coast Teen Orchestra. Duncan was the first female host of an American beauty pageant.[3]
In a pre-taped segment for the pageant telecast on July 2, a small group of delegates was filmed playing with dolphins in a training pool at the Marine Life Oceanarium. This led to a probe by the National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate whether the oceanarium was in violation of its permit by allowing the delegates to swim with the dolphins.[4] It was later decided that the segment would be edited so that it only showed the delegates feeding the mammals.[5]
