Kara Monaco (born February 26, 1983) is an American model. She was chosen as

Playmate of the Month A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

by ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' magazine in June 2005. She appeared on the cover of the June 2006 issue of ''Playboy'' as the 2006 Playmate of the Year.

Early life

Kara Monaco was born on February 26, 1983, in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

. She worked as a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...

, modeled

swimwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types and styles may be worn ...

and was a

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

model. Monaco is a former competitive

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

, and has spent time as a dance team coach in addition to her fitness video work. She also worked at Disney World, where she was one of the performers who portrayed characters such as

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

and

Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...

in the resort. She is not related to fellow model and April 1997 Playboy Playmate Kelly Monaco.

Career

Monaco has appeared in various

reality television 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 ...

series, such as ''

The Girls Next Door ''The Girls Next Door'' (also known as ''The Girls of the Playboy Mansion'') is a reality television series which focused on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who lived with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive ...

'', ''

Keeping Up with the Kardashians ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian family, Kardashian–Jenner Stepfamily, blended family. It aired ...

'' and '' Big Brother 14''. Besides her Playmate appearance, she has been a part of various other ''Playboy'' related media, such as the 2006 ''Playmates at Play'' swimsuit calendar and '' Playboy Special Edition Girls of Summer''. Monaco appeared in '' FHM'' and '' Men's Fitness'' magazines. Her connection with ''

'' began when she chosen as one of "Playboy's Sexiest Bartenders 2004" and she appeared on the cover of '' Playboy Special Edition Girls of Summer'' in August 2004. Later, Monaco was chosen as

by ''Playboy'' magazine for June 2005. That same year, she participated in a home video fitness program, ''Envy'', under the name "Vala" (the "V" in "Envy"), and acted together with C.J. Gibson, sister of Playmate Raquel Gibson. In June 2006, she was chosen as Playmate of the Year and later appeared in episodes of the E! reality television series ''

'' which followed the lives of Playboy creator

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...

and his girlfriends. In 2006, Monaco also appeared in the game show ''

Identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

'' and the television film ''Sideliners''. She also appeared in the 2006 "Playmates at Play" swimsuit calendar. In 2007, Monaco appeared in three episodes of '' Up Close with Carrie Keagan''; an episode of ''Model Dating: Hawaii''; and on an episode of ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'', portraying

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

for a skit. Branching off from reality television, Monaco portrayed Michelle in two episodes of the

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' Passions''. Monaco continued to make guest appearances in ''The Girls Next Door'' throughout 2007 and 2008. In 2008, she appeared in three episodes of another reality show, ''Mind of a Model''. On July 4, 2012, Monaco was revealed to be one of 16 houseguests participating in the fourteenth edition of the reality competition series '' Big Brother''. Monaco was mentored by '' Big Brother 10'' winner Dan Gheesling. She was evicted from the show on July 19 which was Day 13 in the house. Monaco was the second person evicted, coming in 15th place.

References

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/girls-next-level/id1637803173?i=1000642444991

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Monaco, Kara 1983 births Glamour models Living people People from Lakeland, Florida People from Orlando, Florida 2000s Playboy Playmates Playboy Playmates of the Year Big Brother (American TV series) contestants Lake Brantley High School alumni