Tara Conner

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Template:Pageant titleholder bio Tara Elizabeth Conner (born on 18 December 1985) is a beauty queen from Russell Springs, Kentucky who is Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.

Conner graduated from Russell County High School in 2004 and at the time of her Miss USA win was studying toward a degree in Business Administration from Somerset Community College. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model and waitress. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Destinations in 2004, posing for the cameras in Lake Tahoe. She has held the titles Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky USA 2006 and Miss USA 2006.

In late 2006, Conner became the center of a public scandal but was ultimately allowed to retain her crown as Miss USA. News reports claim she had been drinking underage, tested positive for the use of cocaine, and kissed Miss Teen USA Katie Blair in public, among other things. [1]

Beauty pageants

Miss Teen USA

Conner's first pageant experience came in 2001 when she won the Miss Kentucky Teen USA crown.

In August 2002, she went on to compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant held in South Padre Island, Texas. After making the first cut, Conner achieved the highest swimsuit score (9.18) among the 10 semi-finalists and had the fifth highest evening gown score (8.79).[2] The average of these two scores placed her second overall after these two phases of competition.[3] She eventually placed second runner-up to Vanessa Semrow of Wisconsin. Conner's placement equaled that of Kristen Johnson, as the second highest by any delegate representing Kentucky.

Miss Kentucky USA

Conner returned to pageantry in November 2005 when she won the Miss Kentucky USA crown, and was crowned by former Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2000 and Miss Kentucky USA 2005 Kristen Johnson. She was the third former teen titleholder to win the Miss Kentucky USA title, others being Johnson and Elizabeth Arnold, who held the teen title in 1998 and was Conner's sister titleholder as Miss Kentucky USA 2002.

Conner (left) during the Deal or No Deal taping. Eventual Miss USA first runner-up, Miss California USA Tamiko Nash is at center; Leeann Tingley, who placed in the top ten, is on the right. This image does not reflect their true heights, as Conner is slightly shorter than Nash.

In March, while still Miss Kentucky USA, Conner traveled to Los Angeles to tape a special episode of Deal or No Deal which featured twenty five of the Miss USA 2006 delegates and reigning queen Chelsea Cooley. The special aired in April 2006.

Miss USA

Conner represented Kentucky during the nationally televised Miss USA 2006 pageant in Baltimore, Maryland on 21 April 2006. She became the eighteenth woman to place at both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA when she was announced into the top fifteen. She competed in the official BSC Swimwear Thailand for the swimsuit competition and made the top ten, where she competed in the evening gown competition, wearing a specially designed gown by Sheri Hill. Conner then made the top five and completed the final interview round.

File:MissUSA2006announcement.jpg
Conner and Tamiko Nash embrace prior to the announcement of the winner

Prior to the announcement of the winner, Conner and her eventual first runner-up Tamiko Nash shared a long embrace, whilst Conner whispered to Nash. It was later revealed on an E! special that Conner, believing Nash had won, was wishing her luck for her reign as Miss USA and her participation at Miss Universe. The traditional statement declaring that "if, for any reason the new titleholder cannot fulfill her reign, the first runner-up will take over" was then read, a statement which would become pertinent following the scandal surrounding Conner in December.

Conner was eventually announced as the winner of the pageant, and became the first woman from Kentucky to win the Miss USA crown.[4] She was crowned by previous Miss USA Chelsea Cooley, from North Carolina. Conner was the fourth former Miss Teen USA state titleholder to win the Miss USA crown since 2000, one of whom was Cooley, who was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2000.

Miss Universe

Conner represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2006 pageant in Los Angeles, California in July 2006. She placed fourth runner-up in the pageant, becoming only the fifth Miss USA to finish fourth runner-up at Miss Universe.

Her roommate during the three weeks the delegates spent in Los Angeles was Kenisha Thom of Trinidad and Tobago, who, along with Conner, made the top 10 cut in the Miss Universe pageant.

Year in the life of Miss USA

Tara Conner supporting the USO in New York City, October 2006

Immediately following her pageant win, Conner moved into a Trump Place apartment that she will share with sister titleholders Zuleyka Rivera (Miss Universe 2006) and Katie Blair (Miss Teen USA 2006) during her reign. Her first week in New York included many media events, which included print interviews and spots on CNN Headline News, Live! With Regis and Kelly, and The Early Show.

On April 29 Conner returned to Baltimore to make appearances connected with the Volvo Ocean Race, sailing on board the yacht Black Pearl and then returned to New York, appearing with Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova at the Invest in Our World Benefit on May 3.

In the first week of May she briefly returned to Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby and was a celebrity guest at the Mint Jubilee Gala benefiting the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. She attended the event with fellow national beauty queen Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006 (of Oklahoma) and former Miss Kentucky USA titleholders Lizzie Arnold and Kristen Johnson, as well as other notable beauty queens.[5] After returning New York, Conner participated in charity events and was photographed by official photographer Fadil Berisha.

On 18 May 2006, Conner rang the opening bell at the American Stock Exchange.[6]

Conner returned to Kentucky for her official homecoming in early June 2006. where she met with servicemen, with whom she posed for the July 2006 cover of Kentucky Monthly magazine, and volunteered with local charities. [7]

On 19 July 2006, Conner appeared as a guest judge in an episode of the third season of the Bravo! series Project Runway.[8] The contestants on the show competed against each other to create a dress for her to wear in the Miss Universe pageant. The dress was later featured in the evening gown competition of the pageant, with Conner competing as one of the top ten contestants. She made the top five cut and finished fourth runner-up.

In August 2006, Conner met up with newly crowned Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and out-going Miss Teen USA Allie LaForce in California where they were involved with media events, before all three travelled to Palm Springs, California for the Miss Teen USA 2006 pageant. On August 15 LaForce crowned Katie Blair of Montana as the new Miss Teen USA, and Conner, Rivera and Blair returned to New York.

In late August 2006, Conner and Blair attended a number of high-profile parties in New York including a Land Rover event featuring Maria Sharapova, a U.S. Open Kick-Off Party, a pre-Video Music Awards party hosted by Ciara and Missy Elliot and another Video Music Awards party hosted by Nick Lachey.[9]

In September 2006, Conner travelled to Boston to promote the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure, as her predecessor Chelsea Cooley had done the year previously.[10] She then travelled to Colorado to support the Cheryl Shackelford Foundation[11] and to Pennsylvania to attend an event hosted by the USO of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

In October 2006, Conner spent time volunteering with more charities, including Gilda's Club, Best Buddies, and Project Sunshine, before embarking on a USO tour to Italy and Turkey in November 2006, where she met her brother, who is living in Italy. [12]

During Thanksgiving weekend of November 2006, Conner appeared on the Showboat float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, becoming the fourth Miss USA to appear in the parade. [13] She and Rivera then travelled to Cannes, France and Italy where they made promotional appearances.[14]

Following the controversy that erupted in early December 2006, Conner has made few appearances and it is unclear when she will go into rehab. She appeared on the December 22, 2006 episode of the new game show Identity. [15]

In mid December 2006, Conner was supposed to have celebrated her 21st birthday with a special event held at Pure nightclub at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada but this appears to have been cancelled. [16]

Controversy

On 14 December 2006, controversy erupted when TMZ.com published an article stating that Conner might be dethroned for her behavior in several New York City bars.[17] The following day the website reported that Conner would be stripped of her crown, and that first runner-up Tamiko Nash, who gave up the Miss California USA title in October, would inherit the Miss USA title.[18] This was neither confirmed nor denied by the Miss Universe Organization.

The 16 December 2006 edition of the New York Daily News reported Conner had tested positive for cocaine, had kissed Miss Teen USA Katie Blair in public, and had sneaked men into their Trump Place apartment. One New York City nightlife veteran said "She really is a small-town girl. She just went wild when she came to the city. Tara just couldn't handle herself. They were sneaking those nightclub guys in and out of the apartment."[19]

According to Fox News, citing local New York newspapers, Conner "moved out of her apartment in one of Trump's luxury buildings on Manhattan's Upper West Side" sometime during the week of 11 December 2006. On 19 December 2006, Trump held a press conference saying that Conner was not dethroned as Miss USA. "I've always been a believer in second chances," Trump said. [20] Had Conner been dethroned, she would have been the first Miss USA to be dethroned since 1957.

It was also announced at the press conference that Conner would be entering the Caron Foundation, an alcoholism rehabilitation facility in Pennsylvania.[21]. At the time Conner declined to comment on allegations of illicit drug use and claimed she was not an alcoholic but acknowledged making serious mistakes. After coming out of rehab less than two months later, Conner admitted in an interview with Matt Lauer that she had abused cocaine and anti-depressants.[22] [23]

NewsMax.com reported in February 2007 that Conner had faced her "demons" and hinted her problems may have stemmed from some unspecified abuse during her childhood with someone she recently confronted. She would not comment on whether this abuse was sexual. "I will not deny that I have witnessed some abuse, but out of respect for my family ... it's something I would like to speak with my family about first," Conner told NBC television's "Today" show. "Later on, maybe I'll feel more comfortable about speaking on these topics, but right now not so much." [24]

In January 2007, Access Hollywood reported that Donald Trump was considering an offer from Playboy to have Conner appear on the cover of the magazine.[25]

Two days after Conner was allowed to keep her title, Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees was fired after racy photos surfaced of her kissing other young women, exposing one of her breasts, simulating oral sex, and pulling down her pants to show her thong underwear at a party in Tampa, Florida.[26] Rees later claimed that she was unfairly treated by Donald Trump and that she should have received a second chance like Conner.

References

  1. ^ NY Daily News: Queen is way out of line
  2. ^ Miss Teen USA 2002 Scorecard from the Pageant Almanac. Retrieved 2006-12-19
  3. ^ Miss Teen USA 2002 Scorecard from the Pageant Almanac. Retrieved 2006-12-19
  4. ^ Brumfield, Sarah (2006-04-22). "Miss Kentucky Crowned Miss USA". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  5. ^ Celebrity Attendees at the Mint Jubilee Gala Fundraiser. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  6. ^ "Miss USA Rings the Opening Bell". American Stock Exchange. 2006-05-18. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  7. ^ "TARA CONNER CROWNED MISS USA IN APRIL: russell springs offers a royal welcome home". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2006-06-11. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  8. ^ "Project Runway Season 3 Episode 2 Summary". Bravotv.com. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  9. ^ "Miss USA event schedule". Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  10. ^ Interview on Fox Boston, 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-09-08.
  11. ^ Second Annual Teal Soiree a huge success, 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2006=10-06
  12. ^ "Miss USA event schedule". Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  13. ^ "Miss USA event schedule". Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  14. ^ "Miss USA event schedule". Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  15. ^ "Miss USA event schedule". Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  16. ^ "NORM: Trump set to give Miss USA the hook". Las Vegas Review Journal. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  17. ^ "Miss USA Dethroned?". TMZ. 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "First Runner-Up to Become Miss USA". TMZ. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  19. ^ Piazza, Jo (2006-12-16). "Queen is way out of line: Failed test for coke, kissy with teen missy". New York Daily News. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  20. ^ "Donald Trump Lets Miss USA Tara Conner". abc11tv.com. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  21. ^ "Miss USA to Check Herself into Rehab in Berks County" (Press release). WFMZ. 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
  22. ^ "Tara Fesses Up". New York Post. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  23. ^ "Miss USA Tara Conner Admits to Cocaine Use". People Magazine. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  24. ^ "Miss USA Tara Conner Hints at Childhood Abuse". 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-02-07. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |publsiher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Donald Trump Mulling Tara Conner Playboy Offer". Access Hollywood. 2007-01-05. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  26. ^ "Miss Nevada USA fired for racy photos". Yahoo.com. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2006-12-26.

External links

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Preceded by Miss Kentucky USA
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Miss USA
2006 		Succeeded by
Incumbent


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