- Lynnette Cole
Lynette Cole (born
February 9 1978 ), won the titleMiss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win theMiss USA pageant, which was held inBranson, Missouri on February 4, 2000.Cole hails from
Columbia, Tennessee and was twenty-one years old when she won the national crown.Family Background
Cole is of Puerto-Rican Heritage. At ten months old, she was living in foster care with her older brother when they were
adopted by Gail and Larry Cole, who had to move interstate to get around a law prohibiting adoption of children from a different race. Her adoptive parents had previously been foster parents to a succession of over 100 children.Pageants
Cole's first major pageant win came in 1995 when she won the title
Miss Tennessee Teen USA . She was a top 6 finalist at theMiss Teen USA pageant in that year, and also won the Miss Photogenic award. She finished 4th overall.After winning
Miss Tennessee USA andMiss USA 2000, Cole went on to compete at theMiss Universe pageant, held inNicosia ,Cyprus later that year. Her performance was strong enough to secure her a spot among the 5 finalists, and brought the U.S. back into the semifinals (afterKimberly Pressler had failed to advance the year before, breaking a streak of consecutive placements that had been going on since 1977). She also placed 5th overall, like her Miss Teen USA placement. She became the first woman to place in the top 5 at all three pageants and her record was not surpassed until 2006 byTara Conner .As Miss USA, Cole was a representative of the
Miss Universe Organization . Her "sister" 2000 titleholders wereLara Dutta (Miss Universe , of India) andJillian Parry (Miss Teen USA , of Pennsylvania)After the Crown
Since winning Miss USA, Cole has become a successful television host for NBC, CMT,
ESPN ,MTV ,VH-1 and made many appearances on "As the World Turns ". Along with her hosting career, she has also appeared in numerous print advertising campaigns and commercials.Cole married Michael O'Nan of Nashville, and now owns a boutique and directs a local preliminary for
Miss Tennessee USA .Miss Universe Organization titleholders
Year=2000
Miss Universe=Lara Dutta
Miss USA=Lynnette Cole
Miss Teen USA=Jillian Parry
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