Alyssa Marie Campanella (born March 21, 1990) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned

Miss USA 2011 Miss USA 2011 was the 60th Anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, held at the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts in Paradise, Nevada, on June 19, 2011. Rima Fakih of Michigan crowned her successor, Alyssa Campanella of California, at ...

. Having previously been crowned Miss California USA 2011. Campanella was also crowned Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2007 and was first runner-up at

Miss Teen USA 2007 Miss Teen USA 2007, the 25th Miss Teen USA pageant, was held on August 24, 2007 in Pasadena, California, Pasadena, California. At the conclusion of the final night of the competition Hilary Cruz of Colorado was crowned Miss Teen USA 2007 by outg ...

. Campanella was the sixth woman representing California to win the Miss USA title. As Miss USA, Campanella represented the United States at Miss Universe 2011, where she reached the Top 16.

Early life and education

Campanella was born on March 21, 1990 and is of mixed

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, Danish, and Lithuanian descent; her father's family originates in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, while her maternal grandfather emigrated from Espergærde in Denmark to the United States in the 1950s. Campanella was born in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Manalapan Township, New Jersey Manalapan Township (, ) is a Township (New Jersey), township in western Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley Region and is a pa ...

. Campanella graduated from Freehold Township High School.

Pageantry

Miss Teen USA

In October 2006, Campanella was crowned Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2007 and represented her state at

, broadcast live from

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

on August 24, 2007, placing first runner up to eventual winner, Hilary Cruz of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. She is currently the highest placing New Jersey teen state titleholder in the

Miss Teen USA Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19 years old as of January 1st of the competition year. They must be US citizens, and cannot have been married, pregnant, or ...

competition. She is the most successful contestant from New Jersey, as first runner up at Miss Teen USA and later winning

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

Miss USA

Campanella competed in the Miss New Jersey USA pageant twice, placing first runner-up in 2009, losing to Kaity Rodriguez and in the top fifteen in 2010. On November 21, 2010, she competed in the Miss California USA pageant and won the title and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Nicole Johnson. She was the first

state delegate to represent California at

since Shauna Gambill in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. On June 19, 2011, she won the Miss USA title in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. She is the second redhead (although she is naturally blonde) and the first

first runner up to win the Miss USA title, as well as the first winner from the West Coast since Shannon Marketic won in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

also representing California and the first from the Western region since Brook Lee in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

who won representing Hawaii. After winning Miss USA, Campanella crowned

Miss Teen USA 2006 Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19 years old as of January 1st of the competition year. They must be US citizens, and cannot have been married, pregnant, or ...

titleholder

Katie Blair Katie Blair is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Teen USA 2006, becoming the first person from the state of Montana to win a major pageant title. At Miss California USA 2011 Blair was originally the first runner-up, but after t ...

as her Miss California USA successor. Her sister titleholders were Danielle Doty of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and Leila Lopes of Angola. In July 2011, Campanella attended the Miss Teen USA 2011 competition in the Bahamas. She also traveled to Los Angeles, California to attend the premiere of Captain America: The First Avenger. In October 2011, Campanella traveled to Chicago on behalf of the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

for their Star Spangled Banner Salute Gala. She also traveled to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

to promote breast cancer awareness month with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In November 2011, Campanella traveled to the Bahamas to attend the Battle 4 Atlantis Basketball competition with several state titleholders about to compete at Miss USA 2012. In December 2011, Campanella traveled to

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

before traveling to

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

and Monaco for the Five Star Diamond Awards. She traveled back to Los Angeles to attend the First Annual American Giving Awards on NBC. She then traveled to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

to make an appearance at

Tribute to the Troops ''WWE Tribute to the Troops'' is a former annual American professional wrestling event that was held and produced by WWE and Armed Forces Entertainment. The show aired as a television special during the month of December (specifically during the ...

In January 2012, Campanella traveled to

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

to attend the Miss California USA 2012 pageant. She also attended the

Miss Nevada USA The Miss Nevada USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Nevada in the Miss USA pageant. While Nevada did well in the early years of the Miss USA pageant, they only placed once from 1987 to 2000. This s ...

2012 pageant in

later that month, where she was a special guest at the grand opening of 1Oak at

The Mirage The Mirage is a defunct casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The 65-acre property included a casino and 3,044 rooms. Mirage Resorts, Golden Nugget, Inc., led by developer Steve Wynn, purchased the future lan ...

. In March 2012, Campanella traveled to Germany with her sister titleholders for a week-long

/Armed Forces Entertainment tour on March 9–14, 2012. In May 2012, Campanella traveled to

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

to cohost the Runway for Hope fashion show with

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway theatre, Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on ''Saved by the Bell'', ''S ...

before traveling to

to pass on her crown. On June 3, 2012, Campanella crowned

Olivia Culpo Olivia Frances Culpo (born May 8, 1992) is an American model, actress, and media personality. Culpo has won Miss Rhode Island USA, Miss USA 2012, and Miss Universe 2012. Early life and education Olivia Frances Culpo was born on May 8, 1992, ...

as her successor in Las Vegas, who ultimately went on to win the title of

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

. During her reign she traveled numerous trips across the United States and made many appearances throughout New York City. She also traveled to

, Monaco, Brazil, Germany, Canada, and The Bahamas.

Miss Universe

As Miss USA 2011, she went on to compete at Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil, from August 19–September 12, 2011 and reached the top 16.

Other work

Campanella began modeling at age 16 in New York City and has appeared in ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

'', '' Allure'', ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...

'', ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'', and ''

Women's Health Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Often treated ...

'' magazines. She has modeled in campaigns for

Sherri Hill Sherri Hill (born Sherri Branum; 1949) is an American fashion designer and businesswoman who specializes in formal evening wear. Early years Sherri Branum, known professionally as Sherri Hill, is one of five children born to James and Rob ...

, Aloxxi International, and Conair. Campanella has modeled in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Campanella appeared in

Old Navy Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay, San Francisco, Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of t ...

's "Bold is the New Black" commercial in 201
Old Navy Commercial
Campanella stars as a "Hotbot" in a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

2013 commercial to introduce

Kia Motors Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, ...

' new 2014 Forte Compact Sedan. In January 2012, she was one of eight celebrities participating in the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

'' Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off''. She was eliminated in the second week of the competition. In 2013, she posed partially nude, with three other Miss USA winners for a

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

anti-fur campaign to "put an end" to the use of fur coats as award prizes in pageantries. She now runs a style and travel blog called "The A List."

Personal life

Campanella began dating Canadian actor Torrance Coombs in 2010. On June 12, 2015, it was announced that she and Coombs had become engaged a month earlier. On April 2, 2016, they were married in

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 ...

. In April 2019, the couple announced they had separated earlier that year and amicably divorced. Campanella announced on her Instagram in 2022 that she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend. She gave birth to a daughter in November 2022.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Campanella, Alyssa 1990 births Living people American beauty pageant winners Beauty pageant contestants from California Beauty pageant contestants from New Jersey Female models from New Jersey Freehold Township High School alumni 2007 beauty pageant contestants 21st-century Miss Teen USA delegates Miss Universe 2011 contestants Miss USA 2011 delegates Miss USA winners Participants in American reality television series People from Manalapan Township, New Jersey