As a young girl in her native Dallas, Texas, Brooke Burns (%22Baywatch%22) was groomed to be in the spotlight and was a successful ballerina for 12 years -- until an unfortunate ski injury halted her dancing career. In reality, those years of discipline and training might have been good preparation for her recent stint on NBC's %22Fear Factor.%22
%22I was part of the first celebrity 'Fear Factor' and I saw some of what there would be if a show such as 'Dog Eat Dog' became 'Fear Factor' meets 'Weakest Link,'%22 says Burns as host of NBC's newest challenge reality show.
Describing her new role as host, Burns adds, %22I love the opportunity to be myself as opposed to playing a character. I'm excited about the improvisational side of the job, and I think the key to being a good host is listening and being who I am.%22
Burns' mother wasted no time after her daughter's ballet career ended, and quickly enrolled her at a modeling agency. By the age of 16, Burns was traveling and working throughout Europe. A year later, she returned to the United States and continued modeling in New York. After some work in commercials, she was cast as a regular in the series %22Out of the Blue,%22 which taped in and around Sea World in Orlando, Florida.
After relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a television acting career full time, Burns' first audition was for the popular beachside syndication series %22Baywatch.%22 Although not hired initially for that drama, she made numerous television guest-starring roles on other series, including Timothy Hutton's %22Nero Wolfe%22 and the recurring role of Jennifer, the fantasy girl on %22Ally McBeal.%22 Eventually, the %22Baywatch%22 producers cast her as Jessica %22Jessie%22 Owens,%22 a role which she reprised on the series' spinoff %22Baywatch Hawaii.%22 Burns made her comedic and feature-film debut in last year's %22Shallow Hal%22 (alongside Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black) as a young, tragically ugly girl whose inner beauty proves to be much stronger than her disagreeable outer appearance.
Currently, Burns resides in the Los Angeles suburbs and still enjoys dancing on a regular basis. Burns is an avid swimmer, loves the outdoors and writing (songs, poetry). She is also active in the Camp Baywatch and Planet Hope charities.
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