Name |
Tara Elizabeth |
Height |
5'4 |
Naionality |
American |
Date of Birth |
December 18, 1985 |
Place of Birth |
Dallas, Texas |
Famous for |
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Conner won the Miss Kentucky Teen USA title in 2001. 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 10 semi-finalists and had the fifth highest evening gown score (8.79).The average of these two scores placed her second overall after these two phases of competition.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 at the pageant.
Conner represented Kentucky during the nationally televised Miss USA 2006 pageant in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Making the semi-finals, she became the eighteenth woman to place at both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. 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 Sherri 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. An E! special later revealed 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 read before the announcement of the new titleholder, which declares that "if, for any reason the new titleholder cannot fulfill her reign, the first runner-up will take over", later become pertinent following the scandal surrounding Conner in December.