Janel Bishop

Who is Janel Bishop?

Janel Bishop is a beauty queen from Manchester, New Hampshire who won the 1991 Miss Teen USA title. She is the first African American winner of this pageant.

Bishop represented New Hampshire in the 1991 Miss Teen USA pageant held in Biloxi, Mississippi on August 19, 1991.

She became the first representative from her state to place in the pageant, ranked second after the preliminary competition. In the final competition, Bishop placed third in swimsuit, fourth in interview, and fifth in evening gown, and entered the top six in third place. She went on to receive the second highest score in the top six interview round which guaranteed her a spot in the top 3. Bishop, the first titleholder from New Hampshire, was crowned by outgoing titleholder Bridgette Wilson of Oregon. She received more than $150,000 in cash and prizes as part of her prize package. No subsequent teen from New Hampshire has placed at Miss Teen USA.

At the time of her pageant win, Bishop was a student at Manchester West High School and wished to pursue a career in education.