Miss USA 2006

Friday night Chelsea Cooley (Miss North Carolina and Miss USA 2005)crowned Miss Kentucky Tara Conner as Miss USA 2006! The show aired live on NBC at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore Maryland, also known as "Charm City" with an estimated 250 million viewing audience worldwide. Throughout the two-hour event, the contestants competed in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. The co-hosts of the evening were Nancy O'Dell(Access Hollywood) and Drew Lachey(Dancing with the Stars). Commentary was provided by Carson Kressley(Queer Eye) along with the reigning Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley throughout the live telecast.

My top picks for the night were Miss West Virginia Jessica Wedge(didn't place), Miss Ohio Stacy Offenberger(3rd runner up), Miss Florida Cristen Duran(4th runner up), Miss Arizona Brenna Sakas(Top 15), Miss Kentucky Tara Conner(MISS USA 2006), and Miss South Carolina Lacie Lybrand(Top 10)! I think I did a good job on my picks, unfortunately I didn't pick 1st runner up Miss California Tamiko Nash, or 2nd runner up Miss Georgia Lisa Wilson.

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

The MISS USA® 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. (Information provided by Miss USA website)