News / Entertainment
Miss USA to be Crowned Tonight, Tara Conner in her Last Hours
Donald Trump may be breathing a sigh of relief as the Miss USA pageant will be held tonight and the embattled reigning queen, Tara Conner, will hand the crown to a new owner.
It was Trump who provided Conner a second chance after the Kentucky queen gained a reputation for frequenting New York bars and clubs. Amidst public scrutiny and shouts of hypocrisy Trump opted to offer the blonde an ultimatum, enter a treatment center and keep your crown or hand over the title.
Conner went with proposal number one and underwent treatment at a rehab center in Pennsylvania. After completing the program Conner revealed to media sources that she had been involved in a destructive lifestyle and admitted to using cocaine. She went on to say that Trump had saved her life.
While he may have saved her life there’s little chance Trump will bend the rules and offer Conner a second year as Miss USA. Even more unlikely would be Trump offering Conner a job in New York. Rather, Trump gets to put the whole mess behind him after tonight’s new queen is crowned.
He’ll put it behind him tomorrow because much of tonight’s show will be focused on the struggles Conner endured as a small town girl in a big city environment. Trump is hoping the publicity surrounding Conner will spike the ratings for a pageant that has been searching for new ways to stay fresh and attract an audience.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia are represented in the Miss USA pageant. The winner of the contest will be provided with an apartment in New York for her one-year reign. Miss USA winners typically spend most of their time traveling and making appearances at charitable events. Whoever wins tonight may pay a steeper price for Conner’s transgressions than she actually did. Miss USA winners usually have their freedom curbed a great deal and after the Connor debacle freedom may just be a thing of the past.
The judges in tonight’s Miss USA pageant are Jerry Springer, Jonathan Antin, Giuliana De Pandi, Vanessa Minnillo, Kimora Lee Simmons and Jerry Buss
Tim Vincent and Nancy O'Dell of "Access Hollywood" will host the show.
