Rachel Smith, twenty-one year old alumnus of Nashville's Belmont University, beat out fifty other Contestants to win the Miss USA Pagent. The previous Miss USA, Tara Conner, had her reign highlighted by club-hopping and a stint in a rehab.
Smith admitted it would "be a little bit of a challenge," to take over from Conner but quickly added she was up to the task. "I'm excited to see what this year will hold," she said. "I definitely learned a lot," Smith said of Conner's tenure as Miss USA. When queried about how she would behave during her reign, Smith said: "I'm going to be honest and open."