Rita Verreos

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Survivor contestant
Rita Verreos
Date of birth July 19, 1968 (1968-07-19) (age 39)
Resides San Antonio, Texas
Season(s) Fiji
Finish 5th voted out
Tribe(s) Ravu

Rita Rosina Verreos[1] (occasionally Verreos Kennedy)[2][3] (born July 19, 1968 in Caracas, Venezuela)[4] is an Hispanic American beauty pageant contestant, image consultant, model, actress, and reality television contestant.

Contents

[edit] Personal life

A native of Venezuela, Verreos moved to San Francisco with her family when she was 8 years old. She attended UC Berkeley[5] before graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles with a bachelor's degree in Italian and French Literature. After college, she lived in Mexico City with her husband and children for 11 years before moving to San Antonio in 2003. She and her husband are divorced.[6]

Verreos dated singer Peter Gabriel in 1993.[7] She currently lives on the north side of San Antonio with her son and daughter, ages 10 and 6. Her brother, Nick Verreos, competed on the Bravo reality television program Project Runway.[8]

[edit] Pageants

Verreos was a contestant in the Miss Venezuela 1988 pageant while representing Estado Vargas,[2] and competed in the 1988 "Reinado Mundial de Banano" pageant in Machala, Ecuador, placing second to Ximena Correa of Ecuador. She also competed in the 1989 "Reina Internacional del Café" pageant in Manizales, Colombia, in which she did not place.[7][9] Verreos has also judged Miss Oklahoma USA and Miss Kansas USA pageants.[2] She currently works as an image consultant, coaching young women for the Miss Texas, Miss California and Miss USA pageants.[6]

[edit] Television appearances

Verreos competed in San Antonio magazine Conexión's 2005 "Hottest Latina" contest, placing as second runner-up,[3] and in the CMT reality television program The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search.[10]

Rita was recruited by Survivor casting director Lynne Spillman at a beauty pageant, and became a contestant on Survivor: Fiji, the 14th season of the series.[11] Her strategy was to draw on her sex appeal to win the show's million dollar prize.[6] She lost 15 pounds during filming, and suffered broken cartilage in her nose. Rita was the sixth castaway to leave the island, and was voted off because the other castaways thought she talked too much.[12]

Verreos is also a spokesperson for H-E-B, a San Antonio-based supermarket chain.[13]

[edit] Other

Verreos is a former professional ballerina,[14] and has modeled in Venezuela, Mexico, and Los Angeles,[6] for designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Victor Alfaro.[2] She also appeared in the 1990 film Marked for Death.[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rita Verreos Bio. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
  2. ^ a b c d What is Latina Crown USA. Latina Crown USA. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. “Model with representation of Grimmé Models: San Francisco, California. Runway model in different fashion shows for local designers as wells as international designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Victor Alfaro. Also, many informal modelling at Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's, Union Square. Training for Miss Venezuela beauty pageant. She was the finalist in Miss Venezuela. Runway modeling for local designers in Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Rita Verreos is also a full time mother of two. and was called to be judge in Miss Oklahoma USA pageant, and Miss Kansas USA pageant.”
  3. ^ a b "Heating Things Up in the Early Morning" (Fee required), Conexión, Hearst Corporation, 2005-03-24, p. 32A. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  4. ^ Model Rita Verreos. Archived from the original on 2006-01-12. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
  5. ^ Goodman, Tim. "'Lost Finds Its Way. 'Survivor,' Sadly, Does Not.", San Francisco Chronicle, Hearst Communications, 2007-02-07, p. E1. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. "Another contestant, Rita Verreos, 38, lived in San Francisco for a while and went to UC Berkeley." 
  6. ^ a b c d Arispe, Rudy. "Fiji Feels the Heat" (Fee required), Conexión, Hearst Corporation, 2007-01-18, p. 4A. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  7. ^ a b Rodriguez, Julio (2005-02-05). Noticias de Febrero 5, 2005 (Spanish). Belleza Venezolana.net. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. “Rita Rosina Verreos (Municipio Vargas) fue enviada a dos eventos. Primero al "Reinado Mundial de Banano 1988", en Machala (Ecuador). Clasificó como virreina. Ganó Ximena Correa (Ecuador). Posteriormente fue al "Reina Internacional del Café 1989", en Manizales (Colombia). No figuró. Se regresó a Los Ángeles, California (USA), donde vivía. En 1993 apareció en Venezuela, como novia del cantante inglés Peter Gabriel. Más nunca.”
  8. ^ Jakle, Jeanne. "S.A. Woman Takes 'Survivor' Challenge" (Fee required), San Antonio Express News, Hearst Corporation, 2007-01-13, p. 4B. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  9. ^ International Titles and Crowns. Miss Venezuela Organization (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
  10. ^ Rentería, Melisa. "Hot Latinas, Your Time to Shine is Now" (Fee required), Conexión, Hearst Corporation, 2007-02-15, p. 7A. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. "A finalist in the 2005 Hottest Latina contest, Verreos is a contestant on the reality show 'Survivor: Fiji,' currently airing on CBS. She also has competed in CMT's competitive reality show, 'The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search.'" 
  11. ^ Jakle, Jeanne. "Survival Skills" (Fee required), San Antonio Express News, Hearst Corporation, 2007-02-07, p. 1G. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  12. ^ Jakle, Jeanne. "'Survivor' Has Advice for Possible Contestants" (Fee required), San Antonio Express News, Hearst Corporation, 2007-03-28, p. 1G. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  13. ^ KENS5 Eyewitness News at 5. CBS. KENS-TV, San Antonio, Texas. 2007-02-08. Transcript.
  14. ^ "Ohioan woman selected for Survivor: Fiji", Dayton Daily News, Cox Enterprises, 2007-01-12. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. "Rita Verreos, 38, a former professional ballerina, is also among the castaways on the South Pacific island. She is the older sister of Project Runway fashion designer Nick Verreos, so maybe she and Yi discussed haute couture to pass the time." 
  15. ^ Rita Verreos - Filmography - Movies - New York Times. New York Times. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.

[edit] External links