The Pageant Life of Ali Landry: From Miss USA to Actress

The former miss USA of 1996, Ali Germaine Landry, was born on July 21, 1973. She's popularly known from being an actress and model and her commercials on the 1998 Super Bowl commercials as the Doritos Girl. She was also named one of 50 most beautiful people in the world by People magazine the same year.

Ali Landry spent most of her childhood in a southwestern region of Louisiana known as Breaux Bridge, which is often called Acadiana and means heart of Cajun country. She is made up of both Choctaw and Canjun descent and graduated Cecilia High School in 1991. Later, Ali went on to graduate and get her degree from University of Louisiana-Lafayette for Mass Communcations and is a sister member of the Kappa Delta Sorority.

Before graduating high school, Ali Landry had taken up the pageant life and was crowned Miss Louisiana Teen USA in 1990. At the same time, directed by RPM Productions she became the first representative of Louisiana. During the same year, in Biloxi, Mississippi she went on to represent Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant in July where she later placed 7th place.

After 5 years, Ali went on to win the Miss Louisiana USA title of 1996 becoming the first teen winner to win the Miss title. Broadcasted live from South Padre Island, Texas in February 1996, she competed in the Miss USA pageant placing third at after the preliminary competition and had the second highest average of the final event. She had placed higher than any other of the finalists and went on to win the Miss USA pageant of that year. Not only did Landry win the title that year, but she also became the first teen delegate to go on and win the the big title.

In 1996, Ali Landry decided to compete for the Miss Universe title. The pageant itself was held in Las Vegas in May of the same year. After the presentation show, she was ranked the highest and even got 2nd ranked in interview and evening gown show, but she could not hold on to the top as she placed 7th for the swimsuit competition. As she was about to be brought into the final round of 6 delegates, she fell out by answering the final question for a lower score.