| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Born | Brook Antoinette Mahealani Lee January 8, 1971 Pearl City, Hawaiʻi |
|---|---|
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Miss Hawaii USA 1997 Miss USA 1997 Miss Universe 1997 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Hawaii USA 1997 (Winner) Miss USA 1997 (Winner) Miss Universe 1997 (Winner) |
Brook Lee (born Brook Antoinette Mahealani Lee on January 8, 1971) is an American beauty queen from Pearl City who was Miss Hawaii USA and Miss USA prior to winning the title of Miss Universe on May 16, 1997. For the past 13 years, she's been the last Miss USA to capture the Miss Universe crown. Till date, Lee is the oldest Miss Universe in history as she won the crown at 26.
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Lee's Korean name is 이시내 (Lee Shi-nae).[1][2] Her Korean grandfather immigrated to Hawaiʻi in the 1950s. Immediately prior to winning the Miss USA and Miss Universe crowns, she pursued graduate-level studies in Communication at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also attended University Lab School for one year, 1987–1988. Lee graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 1989.
Lee was crowned Miss Hawaii USA on her first try, then went on to participate in Miss USA 1997, broadcast live from Shreveport, Louisiana on February 5, 1997.
Months prior to the pageant, outgoing Miss Universe, Alicia Machado of Venezuela, was criticized for gaining weight during her reign. When the final 3 contestants were announced and the final question, which alluded to the controversy, was asked to the finalists, about how they would handle weight gain, Lee said, "I think I would take a good hard look at myself, and I'd look from the inside out, and I'd know that I was the same girl that was crowned that day and it really didn't matter what I look like on the outside because I won for what I was in here [points to her heart as a sign of courage]. So if I go up, I go down, I get taller, I get shorter, my nose is bigger or smaller, I'm still who I was when that crown was on my head and I'm a good representative no matter what." Brook's answer to the final question greatly impressed the judges and gave her the Miss USA crown.
Three months later at the age of 26, Lee represented the United States in the Miss Universe pageant, broadcast live from Miami Beach, Florida on May 16, 1997. Once again, she was among the final 3 contestants, and when asked what she would do if she could do something outrageous and didn't have to follow any rules for one day, she replied, "I would eat everything in the world! You do not understand! I would eat everything... — twice!" becoming the oldest contestant ever to win the Miss Universe title.
At Lee's urging, the 1998 Miss Universe pageant was held in her home state of Hawaiʻi, in Honolulu, for the first time, where Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago was crowned Miss Universe 1998.
After her reign as Miss Universe, Lee has made several cameo appearances in movies and television shows, and has hosted numerous television shows in Asia and the United States. One of her most recent projects is a regional television show known as Pacific Fusion, which focuses on Asian-American lifestyles. She has hosted episodes of "Great Cruises" on the Travel Channel, which highlights cruise travel around the world. Lee is married to Torry Mell and have a son named Fynnegan.
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