Shandi Finnessey

Shandi Ren Finnessey (born June 9, 1978) is an American actress, model, tv host and beauty pageant titleholder.

She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA.

She joined Barbara Webster (Miss Missouri 1983 and Miss Missouri USA 1986) and Robin Elizabeth Riley (Miss Missouri 1987 and Miss Missouri USA 1983) as qualifiers to both of the nationally televised beauty pageants.

The teasing made it difficult for her to focus on her studies, so for her junior year she transferred to the private all-girls Incarnate Word Academy, where she graduated in 1996.

She completed a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Lindenwood University in December 1999.

Following graduation, she worked briefly as a full-time substitute teacher in Jackson, Missouri, before starting graduate school.

The pageant was won by Jenna Edwards, who had previously been 1999 Miss Teen All-American and would later hold the Miss Florida 2004 and Miss Florida USA 2007 titles.

First runner-up was Jennifer Glover, the previous Miss United States International 1999 and the future Miss California 2002 and Miss California USA 2001.

Her first runner-up finish at Miss Universe was the best placement in the 2000s and was the best United States placement between Brook Mahealani Lee's Miss Universe 1997 competition victory and Olivia Culpo's Miss Universe 2012 pageant win.

In the mid-2000s, she was Chuck Woolery's co-host for the game show Lingo on the Game Show Network.

Finessey has also hosted PlayMania as well as quiznation and has served as a sideline reporter for the CBS tournament blackjack series Ultimate Blackjack Tour.

Finnessey was born to Patrick and Linda Finnessey, and she grew up in Florissant, Missouri.

She 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.

Finnessey recounted that she "had a mullet, tinted glasses, acne and braces."

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.

She competed again in the following year (2000) and placed second runner-up behind first runner-up Melana Scantlin and winner Larissa Meek in the Miss Missouri USA 2001 event.

In 2000, Finnessey competed in the Miss Oktoberfest pageant and was third runner-up.

On November 18, 2000, Finnessey won the Miss Jackson title in the Miss Missouri system and finished second runner-up to Jennifer Hover in the June 3–9, 2001 Miss Missouri pageant held in Mexico, MO.

She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America, where she won a preliminary award.

In 2002, Finnessey authored an award-winning children's book, The Furrtails, on individuality and disabilities.

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.

She won the contest despite having slammed her hand in a car door that weekend.

During the contest, she performed an arrangement of "Flight of the Bumblebee" on the piano for her talent.

During her on-stage interview as one of the five finalists, she was asked what she learned having three brothers and she answered to be quick in the bathroom.

She represented Missouri in the Miss America 2003 pageant, where she won an evening gown preliminary award but did not place.

For the talent portion of the competition in the Miss America system events (which the Miss USA system does not use) at times she played the violin and at other times the piano.

In the competition to be Miss America, she played the piano.

Less than a year after giving up her Miss Missouri title, as Miss Metro St. Louis USA 2003, 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.

During her six-month reign as Miss Missouri USA, Finnessey was involved in such charities as the Variety Club Telethon, St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm Up for local charities, AIDS Foundation, Special Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri and Gilda's Club.

She placed as first runner-up at the Miss Universe 2004 competition.

She is one of three women to have been both Miss Missouri USA and Miss Missouri and the only Missourian to have been Miss USA.

She began working on her Masters in Counseling, also at Lindenwood, but postponed her studies after being crowned Miss USA in 2004.

She 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.

Her final question was whether experience or education serves a person better in life to which she answered "Definitely experience because you get your knowledge through experience."

She competed on the platform of integrating people with mental challenges into society.

In the nationally televised pageant, she became the first woman from Missouri to win the Miss USA title.

During her reign as Miss USA, Finnessey became an advocate for breast cancer and ovarian cancer awareness and research.

She has also worked with Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Convention, American Cancer Society and Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation (which helps at-risk kids choose healthier lifestyles).

Finnessey resided in a luxury Riverside Drive apartment in New York City provided by the Miss Universe Organization and pageant co-owner Donald Trump.

As Miss USA, Finnessey went on to represent the United States at the international Miss Universe competition held in Quito, Ecuador, in May 2004, culminating on June 1, 2004.