Birth name Tara Elizabeth Conner
Birthdate December 18, 1985 (1985-12-18) (age 24)
Birthplace Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Eye color Brown
Hair color Blonde
Title(s) Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002
Miss Kentucky USA 2006
Miss USA 2006
Major competition(s) Miss Teen USA 2002 (2nd runner-up)
Miss USA 2006 (winner)
Miss Universe 2006 (4th runner-up)
Miss USA 2006
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.
Conner eventually won the Miss USA title, the first woman from Kentucky to do so. She was crowned by previous titleholder 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.
Miss Universe 2006
Conner represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2006 pageant in Los Angeles, California in July 2006. Her roommate during the three weeks the delegates spent in Los Angeles was Kenisha Thom of Trinidad and Tobago.
Conner made the initial cut of twenty delegates and went on to compete in the swimsuit competition, and as a member of the top ten, competed in evening gown, wearing a dress designed by Kayne Gillaspie, a contestant on reality television show Project Runway Season 3. After making the top five and competing in a final interview round, Conner was announced as the fourth runner-up to new Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico. Conner is only the fifth Miss USA to finish fourth runner-up at Miss Universe.
