| Miss USA 2006 | |
|---|---|
 Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner | |
| Date | April 21, 2006 |
| Presenters | |
| Entertainment | East Village Opera Company |
| Venue | Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Broadcaster | NBC, WBAL-TV |
| Entrants | 51 |
| Placements | 15 |
| Winner | Tara Conner Kentucky |
| Congeniality | Dottie Cannon Minnesota |
| Photogenic | Cristin Duren Florida |
Miss USA 2006 was the 55th Miss USA pageant, held at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 2006. Fifty-one state titleholders competed for the title, which was won by Tara Conner of Kentucky.[1] Conner was crowned by outgoing titleholder Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina.[2]
This was the second consecutive year that the pageant was held in Baltimore, although the venue changed from the Hippodrome Theater to the larger 1st Mariner Arena.[3][4] Delegates arrived in the city on 2 April 2006, and were involved in three weeks of events, appearances and preliminary competitions before the final competition.[4] This included a trip to New York City to attend a book launch for The Miss Universe Guide to Beauty and make media appearances on Regis and Kathy, The Early Show and Total Request Live.[5][6]
The pageant hosts were Nancy O'Dell (who had hosted the pageant in 2004 and 2005) and Drew Lachey.[4] For the first time Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley provided commentary.[7] Special guest performers were the East Village Opera Company.
The finals were broadcast by NBC, with 7.77 million viewers, the second-lowest viewership ever recorded.[8]
The winner represented the United States at Miss Universe 2006 on July 23, 2006, in Los Angeles where she placed 4th Runner-up.
- ^ "Miss Kentucky crowned Miss USA, will compete in Miss Universe". Associated Press. 2006-04-22.
- ^ White, Tanika (2007-04-22). "Pageant brings glamor to city - and a crown for Kentuckian". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ "Baltimore to host 2006 Miss USA pageant". Associated Press. 2005-11-22.
- ^ a b c White, Tanika (2006-04-02). "Miss USA charms city, again: Contestants arrive today as pageant returns to Baltimore in a bigger venue". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Arterbery, Andrea (2006-04-21). "New book provides universal guide to beauty". Women's Wear Daily. p. 10.
- ^ White, Tanika (2006-04-17). "Taking their charm to the Big Apple: Miss USA hopefuls' star-studded trip includes meeting Trump". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ "Lachey to co-host Miss USA pageant in Baltimore". Associated Press. 2006-03-24.
- ^ Burris, Joe (2006-04-25). "Fewer viewers, but young watch pageant". The Baltimore Sun.