Shauna Gambill
Encyclopedia
Shauna Gambill is a beauty queen from Acton, California
who has held the Miss Teen USA
title and competed in the Miss USA
and Miss World
pageants.
Gambill first won the Miss California Teen USA
title in late 1993. In August 1994 she competed in the Miss Teen USA
in the national pageant televised live from Biloxi, Mississippi
. Her performance in the preliminary competition placed her fourth among the top twelve semi-finalists, but her scores were consistently high throughout the three final rounds of competition, ranking highest in swimsuit (16 August). Having impressed the finals judges, Gambill was crowned Miss Teen USA at the end of the pageant broadcast. She was seventeen years old at the time.
In 1997, two years after passing on the Miss Teen USA crown, she won the Miss California USA
1998 title. Gambill then competed at Miss USA
1998, where she placed first runner-up to Shawnae Jebbia
of Massachusetts
. The competition between the two is widely regarded by pageant fans to be one of the closest decisions in recent Miss USA history. Gambill was placed third among the ten semi-finals in the preliminary competition, with Jebbia in the middle in fifth place. In the final competition, however, Jebbia won both the Swimsuit and Evening Gown competitions and ranked somewhat low in interview, while Gambill was consistently high across all rounds of competition. Had Gambill beat Jebbia to become Miss USA 1998, she would have been the second woman to compete at all 3 pageants (Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe) and the first Miss Teen USA to compete at Miss Universe.
Gambill went on to win the Miss World USA 1998 title (now known as US Miss World) and represented the United States at the Miss World 1998
pageant, where she was a semi-finalist. She is also the first Miss Teen USA to compete at Miss World.
Gambill attended Highland High School
in Palmdale, California
and was valedictorian
of her class. She married Mitch Gerth in Santa Barbara, California
on 23 October 2000, In 2004, she was a judge at the Miss Teen USA pageant won by Shelley Hennig
of Louisiana
.
Acton, California
Acton was founded in 1887 by gold miners who were working in the Red Rover Mine. It was named after Acton, Massachusetts by one of the miners. Two of the best-known gold mines located in Acton were the Red Rover mine and the Governors mine. Mining of gold, copper, and titanium ore continued into...
who has held the Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
title and competed in the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
and Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
pageants.
Gambill first won the Miss California Teen USA
Miss California Teen USA
The Miss California Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant is part of the Miss Universe Organization, owned by Donald Trump....
title in late 1993. In August 1994 she competed in the Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
in the national pageant televised live from Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
. Her performance in the preliminary competition placed her fourth among the top twelve semi-finalists, but her scores were consistently high throughout the three final rounds of competition, ranking highest in swimsuit (16 August). Having impressed the finals judges, Gambill was crowned Miss Teen USA at the end of the pageant broadcast. She was seventeen years old at the time.
In 1997, two years after passing on the Miss Teen USA crown, she won the Miss California USA
Miss California USA
Miss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
1998 title. Gambill then competed at Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
1998, where she placed first runner-up to Shawnae Jebbia
Shawnae Jebbia
Shawnae Jebbia is an entertainer and former beauty queen from Mansfield, Massachusetts who won the Miss USA title in 1998....
of Massachusetts
Miss Massachusetts USA
The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
. The competition between the two is widely regarded by pageant fans to be one of the closest decisions in recent Miss USA history. Gambill was placed third among the ten semi-finals in the preliminary competition, with Jebbia in the middle in fifth place. In the final competition, however, Jebbia won both the Swimsuit and Evening Gown competitions and ranked somewhat low in interview, while Gambill was consistently high across all rounds of competition. Had Gambill beat Jebbia to become Miss USA 1998, she would have been the second woman to compete at all 3 pageants (Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe) and the first Miss Teen USA to compete at Miss Universe.
Gambill went on to win the Miss World USA 1998 title (now known as US Miss World) and represented the United States at the Miss World 1998
Miss World 1998
The 48th Miss World pageant was held at the Lake Berjaya Mahé Resort in Mahé Island, Seychelles. 86 delegates from around the world competed for the crown. Ronan Keating then lead singer of Boyzone and MTV's Eden Harel hosted the event...
pageant, where she was a semi-finalist. She is also the first Miss Teen USA to compete at Miss World.
Gambill attended Highland High School
Highland High School (Palmdale, California)
Highland High School is located in Palmdale, California and is part of the Antelope Valley Union High School District. About 4,000 students attend Highland High School in grades 9 through 12. It received a California Distinguished School award in 2005....
in Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
and was valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of her class. She married Mitch Gerth in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
on 23 October 2000, In 2004, she was a judge at the Miss Teen USA pageant won by Shelley Hennig
Shelley Hennig
Shelley Catherine "Shell" Hennig is a beauty pageant titleholder from Destrehan, Louisiana who held the Miss Teen USA 2004 title. She is also an actress who played Stephanie Johnson on Days of our Lives...
of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.