Tami Farrell Biography

Tami Nichole Farrell (born October 5, 1984) is a former Miss Teen USA from Phoenix, Oregon who placed first runner-up in Miss California USA and was crowned Miss California USA after Carrie Prejean was dethroned by pageant officials in 2009.

Miss Teen USA 2003

Tami Farrell won her first title, Miss Oregon Teen USA in 2002 and reigned until she won the Miss Teen USA 2003 title in Palm Springs, California on August 12, 2003. She also won the "Miss Congeniality" award at the same pageant. Farrell was the third representative of Oregon to win the pageant.

By winning the pageant, Farrell had the opportunity of making television and modeling appearances for Donald Trump and NBC. Some of the other prizes included sharing a luxurious Manhattan apartment with the reigning Miss Universe and Miss USA, the Mikimoto crown and tiara, a six-week "Summer in the City" scholarship to The School for Film and television in New York City and a yearlong salary for appearances at charity events and movie premieres

As Miss Teen USA, Farrell represented the Miss Universe Organization. Her "sister" 2003 titleholders were Amelia Vega (Miss Universe, of the Dominican Republic) and Susie Castillo (Miss USA, of Massachusetts). In addition, during her reign as Miss Teen USA, Farrell helped raise just over $21 million for American Heart Association, The Sparrow Club and much more. She gave up her title to Shelley Hennig of Louisiana in Palm Springs on August 6, 2004.

Farrell later moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She spent the summer of 2005 in New York City, attending the summer intensive program of the School for Film and Television in New York.

Since giving up the crown, Farrell has also judged a number of state pageants, including Miss Washington USA 2006 and Miss California USA 2006. She has also made a guest appearance on the NBC soap Passions as part of one her many prizes for winning the 2003 Miss Teen USA pageant.

Miss California Ambassador

In the summer of 2008 she won the title of Miss Malibu USA 2009 and competed at the 2009 Miss California USA Pageant where she finished as first runner up to the winner Carrie Prejean. California pageant officials appointed Farrell as "our official Beauty of California ambassador".

Miss California USA 2009

On June 10, 2009, she became Miss California USA 2009 after executive director Keith Lewis alleged that Carrie Prejean had breached her contract and dethroned her (an accusation Prejean denied).

Farrell, who is a Christian, believes that marriage is between a man and a woman but has said "I don't think that I have the right or anybody has a right to tell somebody who they can or can't love. And I think that this is a civil rights issue. And I think that the right thing to do is let the voters decide."