BALTIMORE -- Chelsea Cooley's life changed Monday night when she received the crown for Miss USA 2005.

The pageant awarded the 21-year-old Miss North Carolina USA in Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre.

"I've been so proud to represent such a great state as North Carolina in such a wonderful city as Baltimore," Cooley told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Many in the crowd were, of course, rooting for the lovely Miss Maryland USA, Marina Harrison, who strutted her way to the top 10 -- but didn't take the crown, which she admittedly had her eye on.

"A lot of us are competitors and we were here to win, and I was. I knew that job was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was trying to enjoy it, but to seize it as well," Harrison said.

In the end, the five contestants that made it to the final round included Miss California, Miss Florida, Miss Illinois, Miss Kentucky and Miss North Carolina.

But perhaps the real winner Tuesday night may just be Baltimore, WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Kate Amara said.

Amara said the event cost about $600,000 in private and public funding to bring Donald Trump's pageant to Charm City.

The Miss USA Pageant was broadcast live on WBAL-TV 11, which showed scenes and pageant events from throughout the state, including Baltimore, Annapolis, Ellicott City and Ocean City.

The Hippodrome was front and center, and local Olympic swimming champ Michael Phelps served a celebrity judge.

"You've spent a lot of time in a swimsuit, could you win this?" Billy Bush, one of the pageant's co-hosts asked Phelps.

"I tell you if these girls were around the swimming pool, I don't think I'd be getting a lot of swimming done," Phelps said.

And all those Maryland beauty shots broadcast live on WBAL-TV 11? They all add up to an estimated $4 million in publicity, Amara reported.

"It's terrific for Maryland's economic development and we've hopeful that they might even come back next year," said Maryland's first lady Kendel Ehrlich.

"I think it's great, it's great for Baltimore and it gives us national recognition," said Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer.

So, what about that other Donald? Mr. Trump seemed equally impressed.

"They've really done a great job, Baltimore as absolutely stepped up and they've really done a great job," Trump told 11 News.

Trump said he chose Charm City because of its renaissance.

"Eighteen different cities wanted it. We chose Baltimore because of what they've done and the great work they've done," he said.

That's music to the ears of Maryland's chief marketing officer Dennis Castleman, who called Trump's words "priceless!"

"You can't put a dollar value on (Trump) standing in front of 14 or 15 million people and saying that," Castleman said.

But he did do the numbers from the night. In the two-hour telecast, Maryland was featured for 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

Castleman said it would cost $5 million to buy advertising time like that on NBC.

"Our standard return on that investment, in tourism, at 19-to-1 in advertising, it could generate $95 (million) to $100 million in tourism spending," he said.

And in the day after, Castleman said his cohorts have received phone calls and e-mail messages from across the country and the world.

Even after the pageant, the Trump promotion machine continues to churn. After packing up in Baltimore, the new Miss USA heads to Bangkok, Thailand, for the Miss Universe Pageant at the end of next month.

The pageant is co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC. Castleman said area officials have already submitted a bid for the next pageant, Amara reported.

Stay with TheWBALChannel.com and WBAL-TV 11 News for the latest Miss USA 2005 Pageant and entertainment news updates.

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