Miss Kentucky Crowned MISS USA(R) 2006 During Live NBC Telecast on April 21st

Miss Kentucky Crowned MISS USA(R) 2006 During Live NBC Telecast on April 21st

BALTIMORE, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- This evening, during one of the year's most exciting live television events, a star-studded panel of judges chose Miss Kentucky USA, Tara Elizabeth Conner as MISS USA(R) 2006.

Ms. Conner is a 20 year-old from Russell Springs, Kentucky who is currently studying business administration at Somerset Community College.

Dancing With The Star's cycle two winner Drew Lachey and Access Hollywood's Nancy O'Dell, hosted the live telecast from the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Commentary was provided by Carson Kressley of Bravo's "Queer Eye" along with the reigning Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley throughout the live telecast.

Celebrity Judges for the Pageant included: Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist Chad Hedrick; "Apprentice" regular and budding real estate developer, Donald Trump Jr.; shoe guru Steve Madden; NBC's "Passion's" star, James Hyde; "America's Next Top Model" winner and the new face of CoverGirl cosmetics, Nicole Linkletter; Super Bowl MVP, Hines Ward; television personality Jillian Barberie; and Vice President & General Manager - North America and Global Cosmetics, Procter and Gamble, Gina Drosos.

Throughout the two-hour event, the contestants competed in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. During these competitions the "Top Five" finalists were selected before the crowning. Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005, crowned her successor at the conclusion of the two-hour primetime telecast, before an estimated worldwide viewing audience of more than 250 million.

Final Results:

First Runner Up: Miss California USA, Tamiko Nash, will assume the duties
of Miss USA 2006 if the titleholder is named Miss
UNIVERSE 2006, or for some reason cannot fulfill her
responsibilities.

Second Runner Up: Miss Georgia USA, Lisa Wilson.

Rest of Top Five: Miss Ohio USA, Stacy Offenberger and Miss Florida USA,
Cristin Duren.

Rest of Top Ten: Miss Alabama USA, Haleigh Stidham; Miss District of
Columbia USA, Candace Allen; Miss Rhode Island USA,
Leeann Tingley; Miss South Carolina USA, Lacie Lybrand;
Miss Texas USA, Lauren Lanning.

Miss Photogenic Award: Miss Florida USA, Cristin Duren. The general public voted on http://www.nbc.com/ for the delegate who exemplifies beauty through the lens of a camera.

Congeniality Award: Miss Minnesota USA, Dottie Cannon. The award reflects the respect and admiration of the delegate's peers, who voted for her as the most congenial, charismatic and inspirational participant.

The MISS USA(R) 2006 prize package includes: Official Miss USA Mikimoto pearl tiara; A Year supply of CoverGirl Cosmetics; 2 Year Scholarship from The School for Film and Television in NYC; custom designed wardrobe by Tadashi; A four day 3 night "all-inclusive" vacation from American Airlines; Show wardrobe and cash prize from Steve Madden; a year supply of haircare by Farouk Systems; a swimsuit wardrobe from BSC Swimwear Thailand; New York City apartment for the year of her reign including living expenses; and a personal appearance wardrobe.

The Miss Universe Organization, producers of the MISS UNIVERSE(R), MISS USA(R) and MISS TEEN USA(R) Pageants, is a Donald J. Trump and National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC) partnership. Utilizing its nationwide grass roots infrastructure, the Miss Universe Organization is committed to increasing awareness of breast and ovarian cancers by forging relationships with organizations committed to research and education, such as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and Gilda's Club.

Source: The Miss Universe Organization

CONTACT: Lark Anton, +1-212-373-4982, or Esther Swan, +1-212-373-4870, or
Erin Cooney, +1-212-373-4868, all of The Miss Universe Organization; or Dara
Busch, +1-212-843-8079, or Jill Dortheimer, cell: +1-908-672-3384, both of
Rubenstein Public Relations for The Miss Universe Organization

Web site: http://www.missuniverse.com/

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