Rachel Smith facts for kids
Rachel Renee Smith, born on April 18, 1985, is an American actress, TV host, and model. She is well-known for winning the Miss USA 2007 beauty pageant. Before that, she also competed in the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. Rachel represented the United States at Miss Universe 2007, where she finished as the 4th Runner-Up.
Quick facts for kids
Rachel Smith
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Rachel Smith at Miss USA 2007
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Rachel Renee Smith
April 18, 1985 |
| Alma mater | Belmont University, (BS) |
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) |
| Title |
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| Spouse(s) | Mike Weed (m. 2021) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Agency | Greenwood Productions (State Titles) Miss Universe Organization (National Title) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Black |
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Contents
Early Life and Education
Rachel Smith was born in Panama on a U.S. Army base. Her family later moved to Clarksville, Tennessee. She went to Clarksville Academy and then graduated from Davidson Academy for high school.
In 2006, Rachel graduated with high honors from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism. Rachel finished college a semester early, in December 2006. She received a full scholarship, which paid for her schooling, because of her community service and good grades in high school.
While at Belmont, Rachel worked as an intern for eight months. She worked for Harpo Productions, a company owned by Oprah Winfrey. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey chose Rachel to volunteer for a month at her Leadership Academy for Girls.
Beauty Pageant Journey
Rachel Smith has competed in several beauty pageants throughout her life.
Cinderella Scholarship Program
In 1993, when Rachel was young, she took part in the Miniature Miss Division at the Cinderella International Pageant. She represented Tennessee and was crowned the 1993 International Miniature Miss.
Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2002
Rachel won her first big pageant title in 2001. She was crowned Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2002. She had tried for this title before and placed third the previous year.
After winning, Rachel competed in the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. This event was shown on TV from South Padre Island, Texas. She made it into the top ten finalists and also won the Miss Photogenic award, meaning she was chosen as the most photogenic contestant.
Miss Tennessee USA 2007
On October 7, 2006, Rachel became the fourth person who had been Miss Tennessee Teen USA to also win the Miss Tennessee USA title. She won the title in a state pageant held in her hometown of Clarksville.
Rachel was one of three contestants from the Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2002 pageant who later won the Miss Tennessee USA crown in a row.
Miss USA 2007
Rachel represented Tennessee in the Miss USA 2007 pageant on March 23, 2007. The event took place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. She became the second person from Tennessee to win the Miss USA crown.
Rachel performed very well in both the swimsuit and evening gown parts of the competition. She was crowned by the previous winner, Tara Conner, who she had also competed against in Miss Teen USA 2002. Rachel was the third former Miss Teen USA contestant in a row to win the Miss USA title.
Miss Universe 2007
As Miss USA, Rachel represented the United States in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant. It was held in Mexico City, Mexico, on May 28, 2007. She arrived in Mexico on May 1 and spent weeks preparing with 77 other contestants.
During the national costume competition on May 20, Rachel wore a costume inspired by Elvis Presley. This costume showed off her home state of Tennessee. However, the Mexican crowd booed her loudly during this part.
In the pageant finals, Rachel made it into the top 15. She placed sixth in the swimsuit competition and moved on to the top ten. During the evening gown competition, Rachel slipped and fell. But she quickly got back up and finished her walk with grace. She still made it into the top 5 despite the fall.
The crowd booed Rachel again when she was announced as a top five finalist, especially because the contestant from Mexico did not make it. This continued as Rachel answered her final question. She ended her answer by thanking the crowd in Spanish, which finally made them cheer. Rachel finished as the fourth runner-up, just like the Miss USA before her, Tara Conner, did in Miss Universe 2006.
The audience's reaction was thought to be because of political issues between the two countries. In August 2007, Mexican tourism officials apologized for the crowd's behavior. They said Rachel was welcome back in Mexico anytime.
Time as Miss USA
During her first week as Miss USA, Rachel Smith appeared on many TV shows. These included The Today Show and Late Show with David Letterman. On Letterman, she shared a "top ten" list called "Top Ten Things I Can Say Now That I'm Miss USA."
She was also a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. There, she talked about her experience working as an intern for Oprah's company. As Miss USA, Rachel had the chance to ring the opening bell at the American Stock Exchange twice.
In early June, Rachel traveled to Kenya to volunteer for Project Sunshine. When she returned to the United States, she attended an event at the White House. This event celebrated Black Music Month, and Rachel introduced President George W. Bush to the audience.
She later traveled to Chicago for a soccer final between Mexico and the United States. This led to more talk in the news about how the Mexican audience treated her at Miss Universe. In November, she rode on a float in the 2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In December 2007, she went on a USO tour to Kuwait, Iraq, and Spain. She traveled with famous people like Kid Rock and Robin Williams to visit military members.
Rachel was featured on the cover of Supermodels Unlimited magazine in 2008. On April 11, 2008, Rachel crowned Crystle Stewart as Miss USA 2008. This was the first time that two African American women had won the Miss USA title one after the other.
Television Career
Rachel Smith starred in Donald Trump's MTV reality show Pageant Place. She was on the show with other pageant winners like Riyo Mori (Miss Universe 2007) and Tara Conner (former Miss USA 2006). The show first aired on October 10, 2007.
In August 2010, Rachel appeared on a special episode of NBC's Minute to Win It. The episode was called "Last Beauty Standing." It featured 10 beauty pageant winners competing for money for their chosen charities.
Rachel has worked as a reporter for E!. She also used to co-host ABC's entertainment show OnTheRedCarpet. She was the "pop news" correspondent on the Saturday morning show Good Morning America. She is also a co-host for Amazon's Style Code.
Rachel joined ET as a correspondent based in New York. She has interviewed many famous people, including Rihanna, Ryan Seacrest, and Katy Perry. Rachel also co-hosts "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" on CBS with Bobby Bones.
See also
In Spanish: Rachel Smith para niños
