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| Conner's first positive pageant experience came when she was crowned Miss Kentucky Teen USA pageant in 2001. She immediately went on to compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant in Texas where she earned the highest swimsuit score of 9.18 and the fifth highest evening gown score of 8.79 among 10 finalists. She eventually placed second runner-up in the competition. In 2005, Conner was crowned Miss Kentucky USA. She also became a TV show guest, starring in national episodes of Deal or No Deal featuring 25 Miss USA 2006 delegates. During the semi-finals of the Miss USA competition, Conner became the 18th woman to place at both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants. She qualified for the top ten after the swimsuit competition then she dazzled the judges in the evening gown competition wearing a Sherri Hill gown. After making it to the top five and the final interview round, Conner was crowned the winner and became the first Miss Kentucky USA to do so. Conner went on to represent the United States in the Miss Universe pageant in 2006 in Los Angeles, California and placed fourth runner-up in a Project Runway gown. She was only the fifth Miss USA to finished fourth-runner up at Miss Universe. After winning the pageant, Conner moved into the Trump Place apartment with her sister titleholders Miss Universe 2006, Zuleyka Rivera, and Miss Teen USA 2006, Katie Blair. During the first few months of her reign, Conner appeared on multiple talk shows such as CNN Headline News, Live! With Regis and Kelly and The Early Show. She promoted charity events like the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure. She also appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and made promotional appearances in Cannes, France and Italy. In December of her reigning year, a controversy with Conner erupted after a TMZ.com article was published stating that Conner could be dethroned for her behavior in several New York City bars. Two days later the New York Daily news reported that Conner had tested positive for cocaine, had kissed Miss Teen USA Katie Blair in public and had snuck men into the Trump Place apartment. A few days later, and one day after Conner's 21st birthday, Trump announced at a press conference that Conner would not be dethroned because he was a "believer in second chances." If Conner had been dethroned, she would have been the first Miss USA to be stripped from her title since Mary Leona Gage in 1957. Trump also announced that Conner would enter an alcoholism rehabilitation facility called the Caron Foundation in Pennsylvania. She came out of rehab in February 2007 and admitted in an interview with Matt Lauer that she had abused cocaine and anti-depressants. |
Beauty Queen Profile - Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner
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