Shandi Finnessey Biography:
Shandi Ren Finnessey was born on June 9, 1978 in Florissant, Missouri. Prior her crowning as Miss USA, Finnessey was a student of Incarnate Word Academy and Lindenwood Academy, from where she graduated in 1996 and 1999 respectively. She first competed in the Miss Missouri beauty pageant in 1999, where she placed second. The following year, she tried her luck again, but only ended up finishing as second runner-up. Third time was the charm for Finnessey, for when she joined the pageant again in 2002, she not only won the title of Miss Missouri, but also became the first representative of Missouri to win the Miss USA beauty pageant. As the national beauty queen, she got involved in several charities like Variety Club Telethon, St. Louis Cardinals, the Special Olympics and the AIDS Foundation. When she competed in the Miss Universe pageant in 2004, she placed second to Australian beauty queen Jennifer Hawkins. Since completing her duties as pageant winner, Finnessey has gone on to pursue other projects, such as co-hosting the GSN shows Lingo and Playmania, and has been seen on the NBC reality series
The Apprentice .
Currently, she is busy performing on the stage of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars. Her partner is dancer
Brian Fortuna .
Brian Fortuna and Shandi Finnessey
(Photos courtesy of ABC)