| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Birth name | Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith |
|---|---|
| Birthdate | August 23, 1973 |
| Birthplace | Redwood City, California |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Hair color | Black |
| Title(s) | Miss USA 1995 Miss Universe 1995 |
Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith (born August 23, 1973) is an American beauty queen from Redwood City, California who has held both the Miss USA and Miss Universe titles.
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Smith was in born Redwood City, California to an African American father and a Caucasian mother.[1] Her parents divorced when she was two, and her mother eventually granted Smith's grandparents custody of her. Smith and her grandparents moved to Texas where she attended Deer Park High School in Deer Park, Texas.[2]
Smith competed in her first major beauty contest in 1994 when she was a semi-finalist in the Miss Texas USA 1994 pageant, as Miss South East Texas USA. The following year she competed again as Miss Galveston County USA, and won the title, as well as the Miss Congeniality award. She was the first multi-racial titleholder in the pageant's history.
Smith went on to compete in the Miss USA 1995 pageant held on February 10, 1995 at South Padre Island in the state of Texas. Her roommate was Britt Powell, Miss Missouri USA.
Smith obtained the highest average score during the preliminary competition, becoming the fourth consecutive Texan to make the semi-finals. During the final telecast she had the highest score in the swimsuit and interview competitions, and placed second to Shanna Moakler, Miss New York USA in the evening gown competition. She advanced to the top six in first place, and also received the highest score for her interview. At the conclusion of the competition, Smith was crowned Miss USA, with Moakler as her first runner-up. Smith also won the Miss Congeniality award as she had at her state pageant, becoming the first Miss USA winner and first Miss Texas USA to win this award. She was the seventh Texan woman to hold the Miss USA title.
After becoming Miss USA, Smith travelled to Windhoek, Namibia to compete in the Miss Universe 1995 pageant, held at the Windhoek Country Club on May 12, 1995. She was again the highest placed contestant after the preliminary competitions, which propelled her into the top ten. During the final competition, she had the highest swimsuit score, placed third in interview and seventh in evening gown, but still remained the highest placed contestant overall. In the top six, she placed second in interview. After making the top three, Smith went on to win the Miss Universe title, the first Miss USA to win the title since Shawn Weatherly in 1980.
Smith was a celebrity contestant on Wheel of Fortune and presented at the Soul Train Music Awards in 1995. She has been in commercials for Hawaiian Tropic, Jantzen, Pontiac, Venus Swimwear, and Pure Protein among others. She has been featured in Martin, Due South, and was chosen to feature in the TLC network documentary The History of the Bathing Suit.
Smith made her acting debut in the independent film, Playas Ball, where she co-starred with Allen Payne and Elise Neal. She also co-hosted Beyoncé Knowles' special Beyonce: Family and Friends on Pay-per-view and appears on HBO in Saladin Patterson's One Flight Stand with Marc Blucas and Aisha Tyler.
With Music World Music/Sony backing, she co-wrote and recorded her first single, "Dom Da Da" with producer Damon Elliott. "Dom Da Da" appeared in the hit motion picture The Sweetest Thing, starring Cameron Diaz. She was also a judge at the Miss Teen USA 2006 pageant.
| Preceded by Lu Parker |
Miss USA 1995 |
Succeeded by Shanna Moakler |
| Preceded by Sushmita Sen |
Miss
Universe 1995 |
Succeeded by Alicia Machado |
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