1. Shandi Ren Finnessey was born on June 9,1978 and is an American actress, model, TV host and beauty pageant titleholder.
45 Facts About Shandi Finnessey
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Shandi Finnessey is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA.
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Shandi Finnessey previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America, where she won a preliminary award.
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Shandi Finnessey placed as first runner-up at the Miss Universe 2004 competition.
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Shandi Finnessey is one of three women to have been both Miss Missouri USA and Miss Missouri and the only Missourian to have been Miss USA.
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In 2002, Finnessey authored an award-winning children's book, The Furrtails, on individuality and disabilities.
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Shandi Finnessey was born to Patrick and Linda Shandi Finnessey, and she grew up in Florissant, Missouri.
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Shandi Finnessey attended McCluer North High School public high school for two years where, according to an interview with ABILITY Magazine, she was teased a lot for her appearance.
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Shandi Finnessey completed a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Lindenwood University in December 1999.
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Shandi Finnessey began working on her Masters in Counseling, at Lindenwood, but postponed her studies after being crowned Miss USA in 2004.
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Shandi Finnessey first competed in the Miss Missouri USA 2000 pageant in 1999 where, as Miss Saint Louis County in her senior year of college, she finished first runner-up to Denette Roderick.
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Shandi Finnessey competed again in the following year and placed second runner-up behind first runner-up Melana Scantlin and winner Larissa Meek in the Miss Missouri USA 2001 event.
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In 2000, Shandi Finnessey competed in the Miss Oktoberfest pageant and was third runner-up.
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Shandi Finnessey won the Miss St Louis Metro local title in the Miss Missouri system and went on to win the 2002 Miss Missouri title, succeeding Hover.
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Shandi Finnessey won the contest despite having slammed her hand in a car door that weekend.
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Shandi Finnessey represented Missouri in the Miss America 2003 pageant, where she won an evening gown preliminary award but did not place.
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Less than a year after giving up her Miss Missouri title, as Miss Metro St Louis USA 2003, Shandi Finnessey won the Miss Missouri USA pageant on her third attempt at Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Tara Bollinger.
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Shandi Finnessey joined Barbara Webster and Robin Elizabeth Riley as qualifiers to both of the nationally televised beauty pageants.
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Shandi Finnessey represented Missouri in the April 12,2004, nationally televised Miss USA 2004 pageant at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in front of hosts Nancy O'Dell and Billy Bush and judges Jeff Gordon, Jerry Buss, John Salley, Mekhi Phifer, Rocco DiSpirito and Jill Stuart.
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Shandi Finnessey has worked with Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Convention, American Cancer Society and Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation.
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Shandi Finnessey resided in a luxury Riverside Drive apartment in New York City provided by the Miss Universe Organization and pageant co-owner Donald Trump.
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Shandi Finnessey placed first runner-up in the internationally broadcast competition, behind winner Jennifer Hawkins of Australia.
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Shandi Finnessey provided color commentary at the Miss USA 2005 pageant live from Baltimore, Maryland, on April 11, where she was the outgoing titleholder.
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Shandi Finnessey again served as a commentator for the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil along with Jeannie Mai on September 12,2011.
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That year when Miss California USA 2009 Carrie Prejean caused a notable controversy during her on-stage finalist interview with a response that she was opposed to same-sex marriage, Shandi Finnessey participated in a Miss California USA organization public service announcement promoting diversity along with several other Miss Universe Organization beauty pageant titlists.
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Shandi Finnessey hosted Lingo from August 2005 at the start of the show's fourth season until the show went on hiatus in 2008.
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Shandi Finnessey became the co-host of the quiznation spinoff, a revised but similar version of the original PlayMania.
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Shandi Finnessey remained a co-host until October 21,2007, several days before the show's finale.
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Shandi Finnessey was a sideline reporter for the CBS tournament blackjack series Ultimate Blackjack Tour.
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Shandi Finnessey has appeared in several documentaries produced by GSN.
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Shandi Finnessey was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans of 2006 by the Jaycees.
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Shandi Finnessey appeared alongside Chris Myers as part of the coverage of the New Year's Eve 2007 Festivities for Fox.
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On March 19,2007, Shandi Finnessey debuted on the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars.
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Shandi Finnessey hosted Hollywood Fast Track, a web based show about movies, music, and trends in Hollywood.
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Shandi Finnessey lost in the end betting $40,000 and guessing incorrectly.
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Shandi Finnessey played the role of Stephie in the Roger Corman-produced Sharktopus which aired on the Syfy Channel three years before the same network made waves with its Sharknado movie franchise.
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Shandi Finnessey was the winner for bachelor Ernesto Arguello, but the relationship ended briefly after the show.
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Shandi Finnessey has three brothers, and her grandmothers' names are Mildred Finnessey and Fern Miller.
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Shandi Finnessey is a Republican, and during her Miss USA reign, she attended the Commander-in-Chief's Ball at the Second inauguration of George W Bush.
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Shandi Finnessey modeled with Ford Models in Chicago and Talent Plus in St Louis.
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In 2013, Shandi Finnessey became a contestant on Ready for Love where she competed for the attention of Ernesto Arguello.
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Shandi Finnessey won Arguello's heart on the show, but the relationship was short-lived in real life.
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On September 24,2014, Shandi Finnessey announced on Twitter that she became engaged to businessman Ben Higgins.
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Shandi Finnessey was recognized with an Authors Who Make a Difference award, known as AWMAD, and a Ryan Brems Award for this work.
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Shandi Finnessey authored a second book entitled Suzanna the Banana.