Miss USA 2000
Miss USA 2000, the 49th Miss USA pageant, was held at The Grand Palace, in Branson, Missouri 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. 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.
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
| Final Results | Contestant |
| Miss USA 2000 |
|
| 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
Final competition scores
| State | Interview | Swimsuit | Evening Gown | Average | Finalists |
 Tennessee | 9.81 | 9.64 | 9.78 | 9.74 | 9.66 |
| New Hampshire | 9.58 | 9.32 | 9.27 | 9.39 | 9.40 |
| 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 |
| Colorado | 9.21 | 9.26 | 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 | - |
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
- Tennessee wins competition for the first time and surpasses its previous highest placement from the previous year. Also becoming in the 27th state who does it for the first time.
- New Hampshire earns the 1st runner-up position for the first time and surpasses its previous highest placement in 1980, becoming its highest placement ever at the pageant.
- Alabama earns the 2nd runner-up position for the fourth time. The last time it placed this was in 1960.
- Georgia finishes as Top 5 for the third time. The last time it placed this was in 1992. Also had its highest placement since 1993.
- Kansas finishes as Top 5 for the second time. The last time it placed this was in 1992. Also had its highest placement since 1996.
- States that placed in semifinals the previous year were Michigan, New York, South Carolina and Tennessee.
- Michigan placed for the third consecutive year.
- New York, South Carolina and Tennessee made their second consecutive placement.
- Alabama last placed in 1997.
- Kansas last placed in 1996.
- Georgia and Iowa last placed in 1993.
- Colorado last placed in 1989.
- New Hampshire last placed in 1980.
- California and Virginia break an ongoing streak of placements since 1998.
Crossovers
Delegate who previously competed at Miss World was:
- Sallie Toussaint - US representative to Miss World in 1997
- Lynnette Cole - Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1995
- Tiffany Meyer - Miss Missouri Teen USA 1994
- Amanda Penix - Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 1997
- Angie Carpenter - Miss Mississippi Teen USA 1994
- Heather Keckler - Miss Arizona Teen USA 1992
- Paige Swenson - Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1994
- Jennifer Lyn Hunt - Miss Maine Teen USA 1994
- Alicia Carnes - Miss Nevada Teen USA 1995
- Laurie Miller - Miss Alaska Teen USA 1997
- Jennifer Dupont - Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1998
- Rebekah Keller - Miss California 1997
- Jennifer Dupont - Miss Louisiana 2004
- Brooke Gambrell - Miss Idaho 1995
- Kristen Ludecke - Miss Florida 1995
- Cheya Watkins - Miss Ohio 1998
- Vanessa Shortbull - Miss South Dakota 2002