# Miss USA 2000

Miss USA 2000 was the 49th Miss USA pageant, held at The Grand Palace, in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000. At the conclusion of the final competition,
At the end of the event, Kimberly Pressler of New York crowned Lynnette Cole of Tennessee as Miss USA 2000. It is the first victory of Tennessee in the pageant's history. Cole later competed at Miss Universe and was one of the five finalists.
Contestants from 51 states and cities competed in this year's pageant. 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

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss USA 2000 | Tennessee – Lynnette Cole |
| 1st runner-up | New Hampshire – Bridget Jane Vezina |
| 2nd runner-up | Alabama – Jina Mitchell |
| Top 5 | Georgia – Patti Dunn Kansas – Tiffany Meyer |
| Top 10 | Colorado – Tiani Jones Iowa – Jensie Grigsby Michigan – Jill Dobson New York – Carrie Tucker South Carolina – Lisa Rabon |

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Hawaii – Michelle Kaplan |
| Miss Photogenic | Minnesota – Paige Swenson |
| Style Award | Florida – Kristen Ludecke |
| Best in Swimsuit | Tennessee – Lynnette Cole |

### Final competition scores
## Contestants

51 contestants competed for the title.
| State/City | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Notes |
| Alabama | Jina Mitchell | 22 | Trussville | |
| Alaska | Laurie Ann Miller | 21 | Palmer | Previously Miss Alaska Teen USA 1997 |
| Arizona | Heather Keckler | 26 | Scottsdale | Previously Miss Arizona Teen USA 1992 |
| Arkansas | Whitney Lea Moore | 22 | Cabot | |
| California | Rebekah Ann Keller | 25 | Lakewood | Former Miss California 1997 Fourth runner-up at Miss America 1997 |
| Colorado | Tiani Jones | 23 | Aurora | |
| Connecticut | Sallie Toussaint | 25 | Hartford | US representative to Miss World in 1997 Top 10 semi-finalist at Miss World 1997 |
| Delaware | Jennifer Behm | 23 | Wilmington | |
| District of Columbia | Juel April Casamayor | 26 | Washington, D.C. | |
| Florida | Kristin Ludecke | 23 | Eustis | Previously Miss Florida 1995 |
| Georgia | Patti Dunn | 24 | Duluth | |
| Hawaii | Michelle Kaplan | 23 | Kona | |
| Idaho | Brooke Jennifer Gambrell | 26 | Boise | Previously Miss Idaho 1995 |
| Illinois | Constance Renee Stoetzer | 26 | Abingdon | |
| Indiana | Kristal Michelle Wile | 23 | Anderson | |
| Iowa | Jensie Grigsby | 26 | West Des Moines | |
| Kansas | Tiffany Meyer | 23 | | Previously Miss Missouri Teen USA 1994 |
| Kentucky | Jolene Youngster | 18 | Glasgow | |
| Louisiana | Jennifer Dupont | 18 | Plaquemine | Previously Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1998 Later became Miss Louisiana 2004 |
| Maine | Jennifer Lyn Hunt | 21 | Rumford | Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 1994 |
| Maryland | Christie S. Davis | 21 | Silver Spring | |
| Massachusetts | Rosalie M. Allain | 25 | Leominster | |
| Michigan | Jillian Susan Dobson | 22 | Quincy | |
| Minnesota | Paige Swenson | 24 | Fridley | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1994 |
| Mississippi | Angie Michelle Carpenter | 22 | Greenwood | Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 1994 |
| Missouri | Denette Roderick | 24 | | |
| Montana | Brandi Bjorklund | 20 | Bonner | |
| Nebraska | Valarie Cook | 22 | Omaha | |
| Nevada | Alicia Denyse Carnes | 22 | Las Vegas | Previously Miss Nevada Teen USA 1995 |
| New Hampshire | Bridget Jane Vezina | 19 | Manchester | |
| New Jersey | Michelle Graci | 21 | Jamesburg | |
| New Mexico | Christina I. Ortega | 23 | Las Cruces | |
| New York | Carrie Tucker | 25 | Nesconset | |
| North Carolina | Portia Lyndell Johnson | 20 | Greensboro | |
| North Dakota | Amie Hoffner | 18 | Minot | |
| Ohio | Cheya R. Watkins | 22 | Cincinnati | Previously Miss Ohio 1998 |
| Oklahoma | Amanda Rochelle Penix | 21 | Shawnee | Previously Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 1997 |
| Oregon | Elizabeth Heitmanek | 19 | Medford | |
| Pennsylvania | Angela Patla | 26 | Sweet Valley | |
| Rhode Island | Heidi St. Pierre | 23 | Harrisville | |
| South Carolina | Lisa Rabon | 24 | Myrtle Beach | |
| South Dakota | Vanessa Short Bull | 21 | Rapid City | Later Miss South Dakota 2002 |
| Tennessee | Lynnette Marie Cole | 21 | Columbia | Previously Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1995 |
| Texas | Heather Ogilvie | 22 | Houston | |
| Utah | Keri Hatfield | 22 | Bountiful | |
| Vermont | Katie Bolton | 22 | Colchester | |
| Virginia | Crystal Marie Jones | 26 | Virginia Beach | |
| Washington | Jamie Marie Kern | 22 | Des Moines | Contestant on season 1 of Big Brother, finished in fourth place. Co-founder and CEO of It Cosmetics. |
| West Virginia | Tara Shae Wilson | 22 | Sistersville | |
| Wisconsin | Samantha Jo Picha | 20 | Verona | |
| Wyoming | Rebecca Smith | 20 | Jackson Hole | |