Gia Marie Allemand, known professionally as Gia Allemand, was an American actress, model, and reality television contestant. Wikipedia
Born: December 20, 1983, New York City, New York, United States
Died: August 14, 2013, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Nationality: American
Height: 1.65 m
Education: University of Hartford
TV shows: Bachelor Pad
Modeling and acting
Gia Marie Allemand[3] was born to parents Eugene and Donna Allemand[4][5] in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and grew up in the borough of Staten Island and nearby in suburban Long Island,[6] where she graduated from Lindenhurst High School in 2001.[7]
Allemand's parents later divorced, splitting up in 1992, with her
mother later marrying Tony Micheletti, her step-father, who her mother
described her as being closer to than her biological father.[4] She began modeling at a very young age, and as a baby she appeared in Johnson & Johnson ads and as a Gerber Baby.[2] As a teenager, Allemand initially never thought about a career in modeling.[8] However, at 19 she began modeling after she was asked to enter a swimsuit competition she says she won.[8] Allemand finished second in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic competition and the Miss Red Hot Taj Mahal Super Bowl contest in 2005.[9] She is best known for appearing as a swimsuit model in Maxim in 2007.[2][10] In 2008, she was named Miss Bikini-USA's Model of the Year.[11] The following year Allemand placed first in the bikini short class of the NPC Arnold Amateur Championships.[12] In addition to modeling, Allemand worked for the modeling and creative-fields consultancy Dream It Make It.[2]
Allemand said in an interview that she has always had a passion for acting and performing.[8] She is a former professional ballet dancer,[8] but her dancing career was shortened after she injured her hamstring and Achilles tendon.[13] Nevertheless, Allemand took acting classes in high school and at Hartford College.[8][14]
In 2010, she was selected to play a role in an upcoming film produced
by Brett Ratner on the life of actor Gianni Russo. She was cast to play
the supporting role of actress Ava Gardner, who was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time.[15]
Russo personally cast her for the role saying, "Gia looks a lot like
Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast
her."[16]
Television
See also: The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love and Bachelor Pad
Allemand's work in television began when she was selected as a cast member on ABC's reality show The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love, season 14 of The Bachelor series which first aired on January 4, 2010. The show placed her with 24 other women all contending for the affection of pilot Jake Pavelka. She was the second to the last contestant eliminated by Pavelka.[17] On February 18, 2010 Allemand appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she discussed her life after being on The Bachelor.[18]
Afterward, Allemand joined the cast of ABC's Bachelor spinoff, Bachelor Pad.[19] The show premiered August 9, 2010 on ABC. She entered the show as the only contestant in a committed relationship.[20]
Allemand cited the relationship as the reason why she refused to
participate in the show's "kissing contest" game which led to her
elimination in the third episode.[19] Before appearing on Bachelor Pad Allemand was featured in a special edition of ABC's 20/20: Inside the Bachelor: Stories Behind the Rose.[21]
Allemand appeared in the episodic short film Ghost Trek: The Kinsey Report, a horror-comedy about a paranormal reality show, in which Allemand plays the role of producer Shawna Leibowitz.[22]
Death
On August 12, 2013, Allemand was admitted to University Hospital in New Orleans after an attempted suicide by hanging.[23] She was declared brain dead and removed from life support two days later at age 29.[3] At the time of her death, she was living in New Orleans.[6]
Her funeral was held at Trinity Grace Church, a non-denominational Christian church in Chelsea, Manhattan.[3][24][25]
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