Candice Stewart facts for kids

Candice Dontrelle Stewart (born September 19, 1983) is an American television personality and former beauty queen from Metairie, Louisiana. She is known for competing in major beauty pageants like Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. Candice also became famous as a contestant, called a HouseGuest, on the 15th season of the American reality TV show Big Brother. During her time on Big Brother, she faced some challenges and unfair comments from other HouseGuests. She was the first person to join the Big Brother jury that season.

Candice's Pageant Journey

Candice Stewart has had an exciting career in beauty pageants. These events are competitions where people are judged on their looks, talent, and personality.

Winning Teen Titles

In late 2001, Candice won the title of Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2002. The competition took place in Lafayette. After winning, she went on to represent Louisiana at the 2002 Miss Teen USA pageant. This national event was held in South Padre Island, Texas, in August 2002. The winner that year was Vanessa Semrow from Wisconsin.

Becoming Miss Louisiana USA

Just one year after her teen reign, Candice returned to the pageant stage. In 2003, she placed as the first runner-up in the Miss Louisiana USA 2004 pageant. She didn't give up! The very next year, she tried again and won the title of Miss Louisiana USA. This was a special moment because she was the first African American woman to win this specific title.

In April 2005, Candice competed in the Miss USA 2005 pageant. This big event was shown live on TV from Baltimore, Maryland. Chelsea Cooley of North Carolina won the Miss USA crown that year. Interestingly, Chelsea had also been Miss North Carolina Teen USA in 2000.

Life Beyond Pageants

While competing, Candice was studying speech pathology at Xavier University. She was also a talented dancer for the New Orleans Saints football team. Candice was supposed to pass on her Miss Louisiana USA crown in November 2005. However, a big storm called Hurricane Katrina hit her state. Because of the storm's impact, the pageant was postponed until January 2006. Her successor was Christina Cuenca of Arabi.

Time on Big Brother

In 2013, Candice Stewart was chosen to be a contestant on the American reality television series Big Brother 15. On Big Brother, a group of people, called HouseGuests, live together in a house. They are constantly watched by cameras and microphones. Each week, HouseGuests vote to evict (remove) someone from the house. The goal is to be the last person remaining to win a big cash prize.

Challenges in the House

Early in the game, Candice was nominated for eviction. This means she was one of the HouseGuests at risk of being voted out. However, another HouseGuest used a special power called the Power of Veto to save her. Candice also had to be a "Have-Not" several times. Have-Nots have to eat plain food and take cold showers.

As the game continued, Candice and another HouseGuest, Jessie, became targets for eviction. They tried to get other HouseGuests to vote differently, but their plan didn't work. This made Candice and Jessie feel like outsiders in the house. During one week, Candice won a $5,000 prize! But soon after, she was nominated for eviction again. She lost a competition and had to wear a funny "Clownitard" costume for a week. Candice was eventually the sixth HouseGuest to be evicted from the house. She received seven votes to leave.

Facing Unfair Comments

While in the Big Brother house, Candice became friends with Howard Overby. Because of their backgrounds, Candice and Howard faced unfair comments from some other HouseGuests. Candice handled these difficult situations with strength and grace.

Later in the season, during a competition, Candice had a disagreement with another HouseGuest. She spoke up about the unfair comments she had experienced. After her eviction, Candice became the first member of the Jury. The Jury is a group of evicted HouseGuests who get to vote for the winner of Big Brother. This meant Candice still had a say in who won the game.

Candice's Life Today

In 2006, Candice earned her bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology and audiology. She studied at Xavier University of Louisiana. Before her pageant and TV career, she was a cheerleader for the New Orleans Saints football team.

See also

• Big Brother (franchise) US and English Canadian version
• National Football League Cheerleading