The First America‘s Next Top Model

Background:

''I am not going to change. I refuse to be a diva.'' Adrianne Curry

After winning the first season (2003-2004) of ''America's Next Top Model,'' Adrianne Curry went on to star on the WB/VH1 hit reality shows ''The Surreal Life'' (2005) and ''My Fair Brady'' (2005-Present) alongside co-star-turned-husband Christopher Knight. She also appeared on "Half & Half," the 2006 "Lingerie Bowl," and was the co-host of the television game show "Ball Breakers." She was cast in the 2006 films "Light Years Away" and "Fallen Angels," and will next be seen in an upcoming thriller film called "Jack Rio."

The 5' 10½'' brown-haired, green/blue-eyed curvy brunette has posed for “Playboy” (February 2006 and January 2008) and “Maxim.” She was the face of Merit Diamonds The Sirena Collection and has been featured in “People,” “Marie Claire,” “US Weekly,” “Stuff,” “TV Guide,” “Celebrity Hair” and “Spanish Marie Claire.”

''My life's going to be good now. My family's life is going to be good now. Everything is going to change and it kicks so much a**.'' Adrienne Curry

Tomboy Adrianne

Childhood and Family:

"I have been a tomboy and athlete all my life. I play softball, basketball, run track, and workout a lot." Adrianne Curry

In Joliet, a small town in Illinois, the rather infamous working-class suburb of Chicago affectionately known as "prison-town," Adrianne Marie Curry was born on August 6, 1982. Growing up in this rough blue collar environment, Adrianne was the type of person who was always ready to get involved, was active in sports, an advocate for animals, and had a deep desire to make a difference in the world. She also has a lot of pets, including a pink-toed tarantula, a miniature collie, a huskie/shepard mixed dog and Ziggy Stardust, a black cat. She also had a pet snake named Regina Belle.

Adrianne attended Joliet West High School in Joliet, Illinois, but dropped out when she was a junior due to her involvement with heroin and cocaine. Although she eventually got her GED, Adrianne spent the next years bouncing around from one part-time job to another and worked as a telemarketer and a waitress at Hooters, Applebees, and Lone Star Steakhouse. She later went to rehab and kicked her drug habit before entering "America's Next Top Model."

While co-starring in the fourth season of ''The Surreal Life'' in 2005, she met Christopher Knight (born November 7, 1957), better known as Peter Brady from the timeless TV Classic "Brady Bunch." They became engaged on November 25, 2005, and were married on May 29, 2006.

In her off time, Adrianne enjoys playing with her pets or listening to rock music. Her favorite musicians are Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix. She loves to watch science-fiction and action movies such as ''Lord Of The Rings,'' ''A Clockwork Orange,'' and ''A History of Violence.'' Meanwhile, she also has spent a lot of her time raising money for cancer patients.

My Fair Brady

Career:

Having dreamed of becoming a model since the age of 12, Adrianne Curry got her big break when she saw a TV commercial announcing a casting call for a new UPN program called "America’s Next Top Model," a television competition about the transformation of everyday women into fierce supermodels hosted and produced by television personality, former supermodel and talk-show host Tyra Banks, who also serves as the lead judge and executive producer of the show.

Curry decided to give it a shot and submitted an audition tape. After beating almost 32,000 hopefuls, she eventually made it to the finals and beat runner-up Shannon Stewart to be crowned the first "America‘s Next Top Model." She subsequently became an instant celebrity and although her Revlon contract failed to materialize, she immediately received a string of modeling jobs and worked for such high-profile campaigns as Macy’s and Merit Diamonds: Sirena Collection. She also graced the pages and covers of numerous magazines, such as “Stuff,” “People,” “Maxim,” and Marie Claire, and was seen in a number of TV commercials.

On the Revlon contract she didn't get, Curry revealed, ''The show didn't put any money into us. I was supposed to get a Revlon contract, but that fell through. It was a wake-up call. I realized people will lie and walk all over you for self-gain if you're not careful."

Curry went back to television in late 2004 when she co-starred in the fourth season of the hit WB/VH1 reality TV series "The Surreal Life," alongside rapper Da Brat, actor and future husband Christopher Knight, retired professional wrestler Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, supermodel/TV personality Marcus Schenkenberg, actor/stunt man Verne Troyer, and Go-Go guitarist Jane Wiedlin. During this time, she developed an unlikely romantic interest with co-star Christopher Knight, who is 25 years her senior.

Their unexpected romance quickly became national headlines, resulting in the making of a spin-off show, "My Fair Brady," which documents their high-profile romance. The show premiered in September, 2005 and became an instant hit. At the end of the first season, Knight proposed to Curry, while the second season, titled "My Fair Brady: We're Getting Married," covered their preparations for the wedding. "My Fair Brady: We're Getting Married" premiered on air May 28, 2006, and the wedding episode aired on July 23, 2006. A third season called "My Fair Brady... Maybe Baby" begins on January 20, 2008.

Meanwhile, in February 2006, Curry appeared on the cover of “Playboy Magazine” for which she was reportedly paid $2,000,000, and appeared on TV's "Hot Properties," "Half and Half," "Ballbreakers," and "Lingerie Bowl," as well as in the 2006 films "Light Years Away," a fantasy starring Eric Roberts, and "Fallen Angels," a horror/thriller featuring Michael Dorn and Bill Moseley. She is currently working on her upcoming film project titled "Jack Rio," a thriller by director Gregori J. Martin.

Curry also has continued to add to her modeling resume by appearing in campaigns and runway shows for Famous Stars and Straps, Beverly Hills Choppers, Jaime by Jaime Pressly, Cuffz by Linz, and Ed Hardy, to name a few. Additionally, she has landed pictorials in “Marie Claire,” “Sync,” and “Maxim,” where she also made the prestigious "Maxim Hot 100" list of the “World‘s Most Beautiful Women.” More recently, she was on the cover of the January 2008 “Playboy Magazine's Holiday Anniversary” Issue.

Awards:
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