Chelsea Scott Cooley Altman (born October 30, 1983) is an American actress, singer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who has competed in the

Miss Teen USA Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19 years old as of January 1st of the competition year. They must be US citizens, and cannot have been married, pregnant, or ...

, Miss USA and

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title. As Miss USA, Cooley represented the

Miss Universe Organization Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

. Her "sister" 2005 titleholders were Natalie Glebova (Miss Universe, of Canada) and Allie LaForce (Miss Teen USA, of Ohio). She raised $22.8 million for breast- and ovarian-cancer research during her time as Miss USA.

Pageant competitions

Miss North Carolina Teen USA, Miss North Carolina USA

Cooley won the Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2000 title and represented

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in the Miss Teen USA 2000 pageant, but did not place. Cooley first entered the Miss North Carolina USA pageant in 2004, where she placed first runner-up to Ashley Puleo. Puleo went on to place second-runner up at the Miss USA 2004 pageant. The following year, Cooley won the Miss North Carolina USA 2005 title on her second attempt.

Miss USA 2005 pageant

Cooley represented

in the Miss USA 2005 pageant broadcast live from

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

on April 21, 2005. For her final question, Cooley drew the question of former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey. She was asked: "What famous person does your personality most parallel?" Her answer was: "I guess it would be Oprah. She has a passion for life. She loves what she does, and she works so hard to try to achieve everything in her life... I try to emulate myself after that."

Miss Universe 2005 pageant

Cooley competed as Miss USA in the Miss Universe pageant held in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

on May 31, 2005. The eventual winner of that pageant was Natalie Glebova of Canada.

As Miss USA

Within days of her pageant win in

, Cooley moved to a Trump Tower apartment in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

which she shared with

and Miss Teen USA during her reign. Cooley then traveled to Thailand to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, and she and newly crowned queen Natalie Glebova stayed in Thailand for a week after the competition.

Post-pageant

Cooley expressed a desire to move into the entertainment industry after passing on her crown. Cooley is the president of an image consulting company, StandOut. Productions.

References

External links

*
StandOut Productions, Cooley's personal business

Miss USA official website

Miss North Carolina USA and Teen USA official website

Interview on PageantCast episode #2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooley, Chelsea 1983 births Actresses from Charlotte, North Carolina American beauty pageant winners Beauty pageant contestants from North Carolina Female models from North Carolina Living people Miss North Carolina USA winners 2000 beauty pageant contestants 20th-century Miss Teen USA delegates Miss Universe 2005 contestants Miss USA 2005 delegates Miss USA winners 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American beauty pageant contestants