Lynnette Cole
Encyclopedia
Lynnette Cole-O'Nan won the title Miss Tennessee USA
in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA
pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri
on February 4, 2000.
Cole hails from Columbia, Tennessee
and was twenty-one years old when she won the national crown.(27 February 2000). http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FV&p_theme=fv&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F54EB7FACE63604&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM, Fayetteville Observer ("Lynnette Cole says she is half Puerto Rican and half white The 21yearold who was Miss Tennessee won the Miss USA crown on Feb 4")
. She was a top 6 finalist at the Miss Teen USA
pageant in that year, and also won the Miss Photogenic award. She finished 4th overall.
After winning Miss Tennessee USA
and Miss USA
2000, Cole went on to compete at the Miss Universe
pageant, held in Nicosia
, Cyprus
later that year. Her performance was strong enough to secure her a spot among the five finalists, and brought the U.S.
back into the semifinals (after Kimberly 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 by Tara Conner
.
As Miss USA, Cole was a representative of the Miss Universe Organization
. Her "sister" 2000 titleholders were Lara Dutta
(Miss Universe
, of India) and Jillian Parry
(Miss Teen USA
, of Pennsylvania)
, 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 Tampa, and is now in the import/export business. Directs a local preliminary for Miss Tennessee USA
.
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
on February 4, 2000.
Cole hails from Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
and was twenty-one years old when she won the national crown.(27 February 2000). http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FV&p_theme=fv&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F54EB7FACE63604&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM, Fayetteville Observer ("Lynnette Cole says she is half Puerto Rican and half white The 21yearold who was Miss Tennessee won the Miss USA crown on Feb 4")
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 USAMiss Tennessee Teen USA
The Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
. She was a top 6 finalist at the Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
pageant in that year, and also won the Miss Photogenic award. She finished 4th overall.
After winning Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
and Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
2000, Cole went on to compete at the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant, held in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
later that year. Her performance was strong enough to secure her a spot among the five finalists, and brought the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
back into the semifinals (after Kimberly Pressler
Kimberly Pressler
Kimberly Pressler is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles.-Pageant career:...
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 by Tara Conner
Tara Conner
Tara Elizabeth Conner is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004,...
.
As Miss USA, Cole was a representative of the Miss Universe Organization
Miss Universe Organization
The Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
. Her "sister" 2000 titleholders were Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta Bhupathi is an Indian actress, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, and former Miss Universe.-Early life:Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to a Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta and her mother is Jennifer Dutta...
(Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
, of India) and Jillian Parry
Jillian Parry
Jillian Parry was Miss Teen USA 2000, representing her home town of Newtown and state of Pennsylvania. She was the first titleholder from that state to win the national competition....
(Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
, of Pennsylvania)
After the Crown
Since winning Miss USA, Cole has become a successful television host for NBC, CMTCountry Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, VH-1 and made many appearances on As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
. Along with her hosting career, she has also appeared in numerous print advertising campaigns and commercials.
Cole married Michael O'Nan of Tampa, and is now in the import/export business. Directs a local preliminary for Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....
.