Caitlin Upton

Last updated
Caitlin Upton
Caitlin Upton portrait.png
Upton in July 2007
Born
Lauren Caitlin Upton

(1989-03-27) March 27, 1989 (age 35)
Lexington, South Carolina, U.S.
Education Appalachian State University
OccupationReal estate agent
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Spouse
Charlie McNeil
​
​
(m. 2016;div. 2019)​
Children2
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007
Hair colorBlonde
Eye colorHazel
Major
competition(s)		 Miss Teen USA 2007

Caitlin "Caite"Upton (born Lauren Caitlin Upton; March 27, 1989, in Lexington, South Carolina) is an American real estate agent and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007 and represented South Carolina at Miss Teen USA 2007 where she placed 3rd Runner-Up.

Contents

Career

2007 Miss Teen USA pageant

Upton became Miss South Carolina Teen USA for 2007 in the November 2006 state pageant. She went on to place as third runner-up in the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Upton gained international notoriety for her convoluted and nonsensical response to a question posed to her during the August 2007 national pageant. [1] [2] During the pageant, Upton responded to a question posed by judge Aimee Teegarden: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?" Upton responded:

I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future. [3] [4]

As a guest on NBC's The Today Show , Upton told Ann Curry and Matt Lauer that she was overwhelmed when asked the question and did not comprehend it correctly. [5] The Today Show hosts gave Upton another opportunity to answer. She responded:

Well personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. And if the statistics are correct, I believe that there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better. [6] [7]

Both Curry and Lauer, along with unseen crew members, applauded her response. [8]

Post pageant career

Since then, Upton has modeled in advertisements for companies such as Nautica and Wrangler and has appeared in national magazines such as Seventeen , Cosmo Girl and American Cheerleader. [5] Upton later signed a deal with Donald Trump's modeling agency in New York City. [9]

Upton appeared in Weezer's music video "Pork and Beans", which was released on May 23, 2008, where the microphone she held became a lightsaber. In the same video, she blends "Maps" in a Blendtec blender. [10] [11]

In 2010, Upton was a contestant on The Amazing Race 16 , where she is credited as Caite Upton and finished the race in third place with her then-boyfriend Brent Horne. [12]

Most recently, Upton reported herself as selling real estate in Brentwood, Los Angeles. [13] She married personal trainer Charlie McNeil in 2016 and they divorced in 2019. [14] In December 2019, Upton announced that she was expecting her first child with her new boyfriend Stephen Zhang. [15] They welcomed a son in January 2020. [16] Their second son was born in March 2021.

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References

  1. ↑ Celizic, Mike (2007-08-28). "Miss South Carolina Teen USA explains herself - Caitlin Upton botched the map question because she was 'overwhelmed'". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  2. ↑ "Miss Teen South Carolina makes her mark with flubbed response to geography question". International Herald Tribune . Associated Press. 2007-08-28. Archived from the original on August 31, 2007.
  3. ↑ Adams, Richard (2007-08-27). "Now, where is America anyway?". The Guardian .
  4. ↑ Thomas, Karen (2007-08-29). "That wasn't Miss South Carolina's final answer". USA Today . Archived from the original on May 30, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Miss South Carolina Teen USA explains herself". 28 August 2007. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "Pageant Contestant Re-Answers Question". The Washington Post . Associated Press. 2007-08-28.
  7. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube .[ dead YouTube link ]
  8. ↑ Silverman, Stephen M. (2007-08-28). "VIDEO: Miss S.C. Teen USA Says 'I Made a Mistake'". People .
  9. ↑ staff (2007-09-20). "Miss Teen USA South Carolina signs up with Trump". News Limited. Archived from the original on 2007-10-29.
  10. ↑ "New Weezer Music Video: "Pork and Beans" Starring Caitlin Upton". COED. 2008-05-23.
  11. ↑ Scout, Web (June 7, 2008). "Weezer's YouTubian anthem". Los Angeles Times .
  12. ↑ Rose, Adam J. (December 2, 2009). "Caitlin Upton: Former Miss Teen South Carolina May Join Amazing Race". Huffington Post .
  13. ↑ Caitlin, Upton. "LinkedIn".
  14. ↑ "Former Miss Teen USA Contestant Caitlin Upton's Divorce Settled".
  15. ↑ Caite Upton (December 8, 2019). "Break ups are ok. Starting over is ok. Moving on is ok. What is not ok is staying somewhere where you are not happy, valued, or appreciated, that's not ok..." Instagram . Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ "No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside". January 19, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. Retrieved August 28, 2020./
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