Facts

Name : Tara Conner
Birthday : December 18, 1985
Birthplace : Russell Springs, Kentucky
Occupation : Beauty Queen

became the center of a public scandal when news reports claimed she had been drinking underage, tested positive for the use of cocaine, and kissed Miss Teen USA Katie Blair

Famous Works

Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002

Miss Kentucky County Fair 2004

Miss Kentucky USA 2006 and Miss USA 2006

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Biography

Tara Conner was born on 18 December 1985 in Russell Springs, Kentucky. 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.

Tara Conner is 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 ten 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.

Tara Conner is 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.

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.

Tara Conner is 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.

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. 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.

Tara Conner in Miss Universe Pageant

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

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. After returning New York, Conner participated in charity events and was photographed by official photographer Fadil Berisha.

On 18 May 2006, Conner had the honour of ringing the opening bell at the American Stock Exchange.

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.

On 19 July 2006, Conner appeared as a guest judge in an episode of the 3rd Season of the Bravo! series Project Runway. 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.

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. She then travelled to Colorado to support the Cheryl Shackelford Foundation 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.

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. She and Rivera then travelled to Cannes, France and Italy where they made promotional appearances.

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 22 December 2006 episode of the new game show Identity.

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.

Controversy

On 14 December 2006, controversy erupted when TMZ.com published an article stating that Conner might be dethroned for unacceptable behavior in several New York City bars. According to a report, sources told TMZ.com that Conner is "out of control".[citation needed]

Executives of Miss USA pageant — Donald Trump and its broadcaster NBC — met the same day to discuss whether to release Conner from her duties. The Miss Universe Organization released a statement saying that Conner had not been dethroned and that they and Trump would be "evaluating her behavioral and personal issues" and would make an announcement within the week.

On 15 December 2006, TMZ 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. This was neither confirmed nor denied by the Miss Universe Organization.

The 16 December 2006 edition of the New York Daily News reported Tara had tested positive for cocaine, had lustily 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."

Prior to the controversy, Conner, Blair, and Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, were all scheduled to appear at the Best Buddies Miami gala on 16 December 2006. This was later changed, and now Katie Blair was the only one who attended the event, where she was criticized by actress Vivica A. Fox for disrespecting the crown and being a poor role model.

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. The news organization also stated that Donald Trump told the New York Post "There's no question that she's a party girl." He went on to say, "we have hundreds of thousands of young women around the world who look up to Miss USA and Miss Universe, and it's really important to set a high standard."

The fate of Conner was announced on 19 December 2006, and despite much media speculation, Conner was not dethroned as Miss USA. "I've always been a believer in second chances," Trump said at a news conference.

It was also announced that Conner would be checking into the Caron Foundation an alcoholism rehabilitation facility in Berks County Pennsylvania [24]. Conner said that she is not an alcoholic but that she has "personal demons" that will be addressed during rehabilitation. She declined to comment on allegations of illicit drug use but acknowledged making serious mistakes. She also said that she showed much appreciation and gratitude toward Trump and that she would not let him down.

Had Conner been fired, the title would have gone to Tamiko Nash, previously Miss California USA, who was the first runner up. This would have been the first time since 1957 that a Miss USA titleholder was dethroned.

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.

Playboy

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.

Gallery

News

Miss USA Admits Cocaine Addiction

February 1, 2007

Miss USA Tara Conner, who nearly lost her crown for hard-partying in New York nightclubs, says in the upcoming issue of People magazine that her recent stint in rehab was a wake-up call. "I didn't think I had an issue _ but I was willing to do anything to save my job. ... I've realized that I suffer from the disease of alcoholism and addiction," says Conner, who logged in 31 days at the Caron Foundation rehab center in Wernersville, Pa.

"I was an equality-opportunity (user) _ I would try anything once," Conner, 21, tells the magazine in its Feb. 12 issue.

At a much-publicized press conference in December, Donald Trump, who owns the Miss USA pageant, said the contrite Conner could hold onto her crown if she changed her ways. She then entered rehab. In her interview in People magazine, her first since leaving treatment, Conner admits that she's dabbled in cocaine. "Cocaine was one of the drugs that I did use," she says. "It's hard to look back at that."

Alcohol, though, was her biggest vice. "I'm an alcoholic. It was a craving thing _ once I put it in my body, I would start craving more," says Conner, who notes she drank heavily but wasn't "getting sloppy drunk and dancing on tables." As for reports that her wild ways also included promiscuity, she says, "I would talk to more than one guy at once _ it doesn't mean that I was sexually active with every one of these people."

The Kentucky native, who has a family history of alcoholism, says her problems "didn't develop overnight." And, she adds, "It wasn't New York City's fault." Her mother, Brenda Johnson, tells the magazine that Conner once showed up to school drunk when she was 14 _ the same year she won her first beauty pageant and her parents divorced. Conner, who now lives with a chaperone, says she spends time reading instead of running around town. "I thought I needed to be around people, that I needed that acceptance," she says. She's itching to return to her Miss USA duties. "I just can't wait to get back to work _ `I'm Miss U.S.A., my name is Tara Conner, and I'm happy to meet you,' you know? Life is good."