Miss USA 2000

Miss USA 2000
Date	February 4, 2000
Presenters	Carson Daly, Ali Landry, Julie Moran
Venue	Branson, Missouri
Broadcaster	CBS
Winner	Lynnette Cole Tennessee
Congeniality	Michelle Kaplan
Photogenic	Paige Swenson

Miss USA 2000, the forty-ninth Miss USA pageant, was held in Branson, Missouri at The Grand Palace on February 4, 2000.

At the conclusion of the final competition, Lynnette Cole of Tennessee was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kimberly Pressler of New York.

The pageant was held in Branson for the second and final time, at the 4,000 seat Grand Palace Theatre, and was the last pageant held in February.

Carson Daly hosted the event for the only time, and color commentary was added for the third time by Miss USA 1996 Ali Landry and Julie Moran. Entertainment was provided by Christina Aguilera, Lou Bega, Brian McKnight and Mark Wills.

Results

Placements

Map showing placements by state

• Miss USA 2000: Lynnette Cole of Tennessee
• The runners-up were:
  • 1st runner-up - Bridget Jane Vezina (New Hampshire)
  • 2nd runner-up - Jina Mitchell (Alabama)

• The remaining top five finalists were (in order of placement): Tiffany Meyer (Kansas), Patti Dunn (Georgia)

• The remaining top ten semi-finalists were (in order of placement): Tiani Jones (Colorado), Jill Dobson (Michigan), Carrie Tucker (New York), Lisa Rabon (South Carolina) and Jensie Grigsby (Iowa).

Special awards

• Miss Congenality - Michelle Kaplan (Hawaii)
• Miss Photogenic - Paige Swenson (Minnesota)
• Style Award - Kristen Ludecke (Florida)
• Best in Swimsuit - Lynnette Cole (Tennessee)

Final competition scores

State Interview Swimsuit Evening Gown Average Finalists Tennessee 9.81 9.64 9.78 9.74 9.66 Alabama 9.54 9.51 9.93 9.66 9.45 Kansas 9.36 9.53 9.63 9.51 9.36 Georgia 9.29 9.52 9.41 9.40 9.14 New Hampshire 9.58 9.27 9.32 9.39 9.40 Colorado 9.21 9.27 9.33 9.27 Michigan 9.44 9.07 9.24 9.25 New York 9.47 9.06 8.93 9.16 South Carolina 8.74 9.39 9.24 9.12 Iowa 9.10 8.95 9.02 9.02

Winner      First runner-up      Second runner-up      Top 5 Finalist

Delegates

The Miss USA 2000 delegates were:

Alabama - Jina Mitchell Alaska - Laurie Miller Arizona - Heather Keckler Arkansas - Whitney Moore California - Rebekah Keller Colorado - Tiani Jones Connecticut - Sallie Toussaint Delaware - Jennifer Behm District of Columbia - Juel Casamayor Florida - Kristin Ludecke Georgia - Patti Dunn Hawaii - Michelle Kaplan Idaho - Brooke Jennifer Gambrell Illinois - Constance Stoetzer Indiana - Kristal Wile Iowa - Jensie Grigsby Kansas - Tiffany Meyer Kentucky - Jolene Youngster Louisiana - Jennifer Dupont Maine - Jennifer Hunt Maryland - Christie Davis Massachusetts - Rosalie Allain Michigan - Jill Dobson Minnesota - Paige Swenson Mississippi - Angie Carpenter Missouri - Denette Roderick

Montana - Brandi Bjorklund Nebraska - Valarie Cook Nevada - Alicia Carnes New Hampshire - Bridget Jane Vezina New Jersey - Michelle Graci New Mexico - Christina Ortega New York - Carrie Tucker North Carolina - Portia Johnson North Dakota - Amie Hoffner Ohio - Cheya R. Watkins Oklahoma - Amanda Penix Oregon - Elizabeth Heitmanek Pennsylvania - Angela Patla Rhode Island - Heidi St. Pierre South Carolina - Lisa Rabon South Dakota - Vanessa Short Bull Tennessee - Lynnette Cole Texas - Heather Ogilvie Utah - Keri Hatfield Vermont - Katie Bolton Virginia - Crystal Jones Washington - Jamie Kern West Virginia - Tara Wilson Wisconsin - Samantha Picha Wyoming - Rebecca Smith

Historical significance

• This is the first win for Tennessee in pageant history.
• Lynnette Cole becomes the fifth former Miss Teen USA state delegate to win or inherit the Miss USA title in six years and the third to win it outright.
• This is the highest finish from a New Hampshire delegate in pageant history, and its first placement since 1980.
• Alabama had its highest placement since 1992. The delegate, Jina Mitchell received a 9.93 score in the evening gown final from the judges, the highest ever recorded evening gown score in the history of the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA or Miss Universe pageants.
• Kansas had its highest placement since 1996.
• Georgia had its highest placement since 1993.
• Colorado placed for the first time since 1989 and second since 1969.
• Iowa placed for the first time since 1993 and second since 1960.

Crossovers

Fourteen delegates had previously competed in either the Miss Teen USA, Miss America or Miss World pageants or would later compete in one of them.

Delegate who previously competed at Miss World was:

• Sallie Toussaint (Connecticut) - US representative to Miss World in 1997 (Top 10 Semifinalist at Miss World 1997)

Delegates who had previously held a Miss Teen USA state title were:

• Lynnette Cole (Tennessee) - Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1995 (Top 6 Finalist at Miss Teen USA 1995)
• Tiffany Meyer (Kansas) - Miss Missouri Teen USA 1994 (Top 6 Finalist at Miss Teen USA 1994)
• Amanda Penix (Oklahoma) - Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 1997 (Top 6 Finalist at Miss Teen USA 1997)
• Angie Carpenter (Mississippi) - Miss Mississippi Teen USA 1994 (Top 12 Semifinalist at Miss Teen USA 1994)
• Heather Keckler (Arizona) - Miss Arizona Teen USA 1992
• Paige Swenson (Minnesota) - Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1994
• Jennifer Lyn Hunt (Maine) - Miss Maine Teen USA 1994
• Alicia Carnes (Nevada) - Miss Nevada Teen USA 1995
• Laurie Miller (Alaska) - Miss Alaska Teen USA 1997
• Jennifer Dupont (Louisiana) - Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1998 (Dupont competed in the Miss USA pageant less than two years after competing at Miss Teen USA. The youngest in the competition, in 2004 she became a Triple Crown winner, for holding state titles for Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America)

Delegates who had previously held a Miss America state title or would later win one were:

• Rebekah Keller (California) - Miss California 1997 (4th runner-up and Preliminary Swimsuit award at Miss America 1998)
• Jennifer Dupont (Louisiana) - Miss Louisiana 2004 (1st runner-up and Preliminary Swimsuit Award at Miss America 2005)
• Brooke Gambrell (Idaho) - Miss Idaho 1995
• Kristen Ludecke (Florida) - Miss Florida 1995
• Cheya Watkins (Ohio) - Miss Ohio 1998
• Vanessa Shortbull (South Dakota) - Miss South Dakota 2002

See also

• Miss Universe 2000

External links

• Miss USA official website