Tara Conner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tara Conner
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Conner as Miss USA 2006
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Tara Elizabeth Conner
December 18, 1985 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
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| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
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| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Hair color | Blonde |
| Eye color | Brown |
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Tara Elizabeth Conner (born December 18, 1985) is an American model and television personality. She is well-known for winning the Miss USA 2006 title. She also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants.
Before becoming Miss USA, Tara worked as a model. In 2004, she was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Destinations. She also held the titles of Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky County Fair 2004, and Miss Kentucky USA 2006. After facing some personal challenges in late 2006, she received support and later became an advocate for healthy choices.
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Early Life and Education
Tara Conner was born in Dallas, Texas. Her parents are Brenda and John Conner. She has one brother named Josh. When she was six weeks old, her family moved to Russell Springs, Kentucky.
Tara graduated from Russell County High School in 2004. At the time she won Miss USA, she was studying for a degree in business administration. She attended Somerset Community College.
Journey Through Beauty Pageants
Miss Teen USA 2002 Competition
Tara Conner won the Miss Kentucky Teen USA title in 2001. In August 2002, she competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This event took place in South Padre Island, Texas.
During the competition, Tara made it to the semi-finals. She earned the highest swimsuit score among the top 10 contestants. She also had a strong score in the evening gown competition. Overall, she finished as the second Runner-up. The winner was Vanessa Semrow from Wisconsin.
Miss Kentucky USA 2006 Victory
Conner returned to pageants in November 2005. She won the Miss Kentucky USA crown. Kristen Johnson, the former Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2000 and Miss Kentucky USA 2005, crowned her.
Tara was the third former teen titleholder to win the Miss Kentucky USA title. Other winners included Kristen Johnson and Elizabeth Arnold. Elizabeth Arnold was Miss Kentucky Teen USA in 1998.
In March 2006, while still Miss Kentucky USA, Tara traveled to Los Angeles. She taped a special episode of Deal or No Deal. This episode featured twenty-five of the Miss USA 2006 delegates. The reigning Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley, also appeared. The special show aired in April 2006.
Becoming Miss USA 2006
Tara represented Kentucky at the Miss USA 2006 pageant. The event was televised nationally from Baltimore, Maryland, on April 21, 2006. She made it to the semi-finals, becoming the 18th woman to place in both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA.
She competed in the swimsuit competition. Then she made the top ten and competed in the evening gown competition. She wore a special gown designed by Sherri Hill. Tara then reached the top five and completed the final interview round. Before the winner was announced, Tara and the first runner-up, Tamiko Nash, shared a hug. Tara believed Nash had won and wished her good luck. Tara Conner eventually won the Miss USA title. She was the first woman from Kentucky to achieve this. Chelsea Cooley from North Carolina crowned her. Tara was the fourth former Miss Teen USA state titleholder to win the Miss USA crown since 2000.
Miss Universe 2006 Performance
Tara Conner represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2006 pageant. This event took place in Los Angeles on July 23, 2006. Her roommate during the three weeks in Los Angeles was Kenisha Thom from Trinidad and Tobago.
Tara made the first cut of 20 delegates. She then competed in the swimsuit competition. As a top ten contestant, she competed in the evening gown segment. She wore a dress designed by Kayne Gillaspie, a contestant from Project Runway Season 3. After making the top five and completing a final interview, Tara was announced as fourth Runner-up. The winner was Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico. Tara is one of only five Miss USA winners to finish fourth Runner-up at Miss Universe.
A Year as Miss USA
After winning Miss USA, Tara moved into a Trump Place apartment. She shared it with Zuleyka Rivera (Miss Universe 2006) and Katie Blair (Miss Teen USA 2006). Her first week in New York was busy with media events. These included interviews and appearances on CNN Headline News, Live! With Regis and Kelly, and The Early Show.
On April 29, 2006, Tara returned to Baltimore for the Volvo Ocean Race. She sailed on the yacht Black Pearl. She then went back to New York. On May 3, 2006, she appeared with Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova at the Invest in Our World Benefit.
In early May, she visited Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby. She was a celebrity guest at the Mint Jubilee Gala. She attended with Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006, and other beauty queens.
On May 18, 2006, Tara rang the opening bell at the American Stock Exchange. Her official homecoming to Kentucky was in early June 2006. There, she met with servicemen and volunteered with local charities. She also posed for the July 2006 cover of Kentucky Monthly magazine.
On July 19, 2006, Tara was a guest judge on Project Runway. The contestants designed a dress for her to wear in the Miss Universe pageant. This dress was later featured in the pageant's evening gown competition.
In August 2006, Tara met newly crowned Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and outgoing Miss Teen USA Allie LaForce. They participated in media events in California. Then, all three traveled to Palm Springs, California for the Miss Teen USA 2006 pageant. On August 15, Allie LaForce crowned Katie Blair as the new Miss Teen USA. Tara, Zuleyka, and Katie returned to New York the next day. Later that month, Tara and Katie attended several high-profile parties in New York.
In September 2006, Tara traveled to Boston, Massachusetts. She promoted the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure. She then visited Colorado to support the Cheryl Shackelford Foundation. She also went to Pennsylvania for an event hosted by the USO of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. In October 2006, Tara volunteered with charities like Gilda's Club, Best Buddies, and Project Sunshine. In November 2006, she went on a USO tour to Italy and Turkey. She met her brother, who lives in Italy, during this trip.
During Thanksgiving weekend in November 2006, Tara appeared on the Showboat float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was the fourth Miss USA to be in the parade. After attending the Miss Kentucky USA 2007 pageant, she crowned Michelle Banzer as her successor. She and Zuleyka Rivera then traveled to Cannes, France, and Italy for promotional appearances.
After taking some time to focus on her well-being in late 2006 and early 2007, Tara returned to public life in February. She was interviewed by several news outlets. Her first public appearance was on February 4, 2007. She, Katie Blair, and Zuleyka Rivera modeled for Tadashi, a pageant sponsor, at a fashion show in New York City. She also appeared in the television show Pageant Place.
Television Appearances and Advocacy
Tara Conner appeared on the 2007 MTV reality show Pageant Place. She was a surprise fourth roommate to the 2007 Miss Universe Organization pageant winners. These included Miss Universe Riyo Mori, Miss USA Rachel Smith, and Miss Teen USA Hilary Cruz. They lived together in an apartment in New York City. The series premiered on October 10, 2007.
For MTV's Spring Break 2008, Tara appeared with comedian Dan Levy in Pretty Smart. This was a competition where contestants had to find people who were both attractive and intelligent.
She was a contestant on the third season of CMT's Gone Country, which premiered in January 2009. She also hosted the first season of MTV's The Girls of Hedsor Hall, which premiered in February 2009. Tara was a judge at the Miss USA 2010 pageant, held on May 16, 2010.
Tara Conner has also co-hosted Kaboom, a web video show. She visited Syosset High School on June 6, 2013. There, she spoke to graduating seniors about making positive choices. She was also a Field Host on the Amazing America with Sarah Palin program. This show aired on the Sportsman Channel.
See also
In Spanish: Tara Conner para niños
