Twenty one year old Joy McElveen was born on October 17 and raised in West Columbia, South Carolina. Ironically, she has always been a tomboy even if she has competed in beauty pageants. Her mother single-handedly raised her while serving in the South Carolina Army National Guard during the Gulf War. McElveen has been playing basketball for thirteen years now and was even chosen to represent the United States on the People to People Sports Ambassador Team in Italy, when she was in high school. She then successfully brought home the gold medal. Other activities she had actively participated in high school were the junior ROTC, honor's choir, varsity basketball, and varsity track. In 1999, McElveen made history when she became the first African-American to win the Miss Fun Sun USA crown. She then attended University of South Carolina for two years and moved on to New York to attend Lehman Performing Arts College for a year. Aside from basketball, her hobbies are singing, board games and motivational speaking at high and elementary schools.
Joy McElveen is one of sixteen modern day pirate castaways on the new reality series from CBS, Pirate Master. She is a driven, vibrant and energetic woman who's ready to win a million dollars and the title as the ultimate Pirate Master.
(Photo courtesy of CBS)