Miss Tennessee Rachel Smith Named Miss USA 2007

Rachel Smith of Tennessee was anointed the new Miss USA on Friday. Smith takes over the crown from Tara Conner, the 2006 winner who nearly lost the title of Miss USA after revealing she was an alcoholic and undergoing treatment.

Smith, a 21 year-old contestant from Clarksville, Tennessee, has previously been crowned Miss Tennessee Teen USA in 2002, ultimately finishing in the top 10 in the national competition while being named Miss Photogenic. She was named Miss USA Friday night, beating out 50 other contestants from the United States and the District of Columbia.

Smith, along with Meagan Yvonne Tandy of California, Cara Renee Gorges of Kansas, Helen Salas of Nevada, and Danielle Lacourse of Rhode Island made up the final group of five contestants.

As part of the prize for winning the competition, Miss Smith will be awarded the use of an upscale apartment in New York City for one year, in addition to scholarship money and travel opportunities. Smith will also represent the United States in the upcoming Miss Universe competition.

Smith, who is a recent journalism graduate from Belmont University, plans to spend her time promoting awareness of breast and ovarian cancer.

After being crowned Friday night, Smith had trouble expressing her happiness at being named winner. "I'm speechless at this point," she said. "I really am."

Smith, who says she will behave in an "honest and open" fashion during her reign, said she was impressed with Tara Conner's stewardship of the crown, considering the trouble she faced.

Conner's troubles started when she was first spotted at New York clubs acting drunk. Her reign then spiraled downward as she admitted to alcoholism, cocaine use, and revealed that she had been abused as a child. This could have led to Conner being stripped of her title, except for agreeing to enter rehab to seek help. After completing treatment she was allowed to keep her crown, which led to the well-publicized feud between pageant co-owner Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell.