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Evictee (NBC's "I'm A Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!")
Congratulations to Lou Diamond Phillips, the crowned King of the Jungle! Torrie Wilson & John Salley were the final celebrities to be eliminated. Each celebrity contestant was handpicked for their mental and physical toughness. Capsule bios are below, with full biographies available on NBC Media Village.
Chef Aaron Sanchez - HEAT UP THE SEASON LATINO STYLE
Owner/Executive Chef of Centrico & Paladar – Food Network Personality - The son of celebrated Mexican cooking authority Zarela Martinez, Aarón’s passion, commitment and skills have placed him among the country’s leading contemporary Latin Chefs. Aarón began his career with the Food Network as co-host of Melting Pot, where he introduced a national audience to his technique and creativity with contemporary interpretations of classic Latino cuisine. Today Aarón appears on multiple Food Network shows including; Chopped, Best Thing I Ever Ate, Iron Chef, Next Iron Chef, Throwdown w/ Bobby Flay, Food Detectives and more. Aarón is the owner and executive chef of Paladar and Centrico restaurants, both located in New York City. He also was a co-developer of the eatery Mixx, a part of the Borgata Hotel and Spa in Atlantic City. In February 2001, Aarón teamed up with Eamon Furlong to open Paladar, a pan-Latin inspiration on the Lower East Side. Funky but chic, Paladar incorporates the vibrant energy of the neighborhood with the relaxed intimacy and warmth of a Cuban Paladar. In its first year, Paladar won Time Out New York’s 2001 Award for Best New Lower East Side Restaurant and Best Latin American Restaurant in their 2002 Eating and Drinking Guide. In 2004, Aarón opened up Centrico with renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent of the Myriad Restaurant Group (Nobu, Tribeca Grill, etc.). With the new restaurant, Aarón goes back to his roots to cook the Mexican food of his childhood with a fresh interpretation. In 2005 Aarón was named one of People and People En Espanol’s (the country’s #1 Latin Magazine) 50 Most Beautiful People. The same year he was also nominated as the “Rising Star Chef of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation. In addition to being a world-class chef and Food Network personality, Aarón is also a consultant, spokesperson and author. His first book, La Comida del Barrio, including recipes and photographs by Emmanuel Bastien, was published in May 2003. Aarón makes international appearances conducting cooking demos and speaking, where her shares his knowledge and passion for cooking and Latin cuisine/culture with thousands of admirers throughout the year.
Bridlewood Winery
Our Bridlewood Estate Winery, on a hillside in the heart of Santa Barbara County wine country, is a place apart, completely dedicated to the pleasures of wine - and serious about Syrah. The Mission Style Winery, Tasting Room, and Visitor Center echo the traditions of California's past with long, cool verandas surrounding a stone courtyard graced by the sound of fountains splashing in the sun. In the Tasting Room Bridlewood offers a broad range of carefully crafted wines that demonstrate the creative commitment of our winemaker, David Hopkins, as he follows the flavor of great grapes from vineyard to vineyard throughout the Central Coast. If you are serious about Syrah, or if you simply seek the best of everything in the wine country lifestyle, Bridlewood welcomes you.
Chef Heather Gardea VP F B/Executive Chef Coco's and Carrow's Restaurants
It all began back in 1948, with one little restaurant along Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County, California. Today, there are over 110 Coco's Bakery Restaurants in the Western United States including California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado. We believe we can attribute our success to some very basic but important principles that we've never veered from. First, when you define yourself as being in the "Family Dining Category" as we have, then you'd better make sure you provide families with not just exceptional food, but exceptional value. Second, you have to remember that customers are more than just folks who come in for a meal. They're our special guests, and should be treated as such. And so our team members understand that since our guests make our business what it is, that they should always be made to feel at home. Third, we decided a long time ago to be more than just a restaurant. We are a bakery, too, just like it says in our name: "Coco's Bakery Restaurant." So in addition to creating many signature entrée items, we pride ourselves on delivering the tastiest, most mouth-watering freshly baked pies, cakes, muffins, cookies, biscuits and more. Being a bakery allows us to provide things other restaurants in our category simply can't, and it's become an important trademark of Coco's. From the magic of our holiday pies, right down to our baskets of freshly baked bread, we believe our bakery makes us special. Our current menu embraces today's emerging food trends with creative and diverse offerings as well as traditional favorites, and in the near future we'll be introducing many new innovative selections as well. For breakfast, lunch or at dinnertime, there are always many exceptional choices at Coco's. (Some restaurants even feature an Espresso Bar with a fine selection of Espresso, Cappuccino and Cafe Latte.) For more than 55 years, Coco's has had the privilege of serving guests. We look forward to serving you for the next 55 years and beyond, continuing to grow our reputation as that "Warm and cozy little place with the nice people and those amazing pies
STEPHEN BALDWIN is the youngest of the acting Baldwin brothers and his multi-faceted talents extend to include films, television, books, radio and more. His diverse film credits span more than 60 films and include key roles in everything from “The Usual Suspects” to “Bio-Dome.” Among his television credits include “The Young Riders,” “Fear Factor” and the seventh season of NBC’s hit “The Celebrity Apprentice,” where he placed fifth. He has his own production company that develops projects for both television and film and he also serves as the co-host of a nationally syndicated radio show “Xtreme Radio with Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough.” It is his current role as director, co-producer and founder of the Global Breakthrough Ministry that is bringing out his passion for reaching today’s youth with a positive faith–based message. He will be playing for the charity, Love 146.
PATTI BLAGOJEVICH, the wife of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and daughter of a Chicago alderman, is a licensed real estate broker and appraiser who owns her own real estate company. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in economics. She and her husband have two daughters, ages 12 and 6. She will be playing for Children’s Cancer Center.
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS is a versatile talent who has had success in feature films, television and theater as an actor, director, writer and producer. He first gained widespread attention starring as Richie Valens in “La Bamba” and solidified his reputation in “Stand and Deliver,” for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination and a Best Supporting Actor Independent Spirit Award. His vast resume of features includes roles in such films as “Courage Under Fire,” “Supernova,” “Hollywood Homicide,” “Young Guns I and II,” “The Big Hit,” “Brokedown Palace” and “El Cortez.” On stage, Phillips has appeared in numerous productions and earned a Tony nomination for Best Actor for his performance as the King of Siam in the Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King and I.” He can next be seen on the Sci-Fi series “Stargate: Universe” and continues to appear on “Numb3ers.” He will be playing for the charity, Art Has Heart.
JANICE DICKINSON is a successful model who has graced the covers of every major fashion magazine from Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and Playboy. She has also walked the runways in Milan, Paris, and New York, wearing the clothes of Versace, Armani, Calvin Klein and many others. Through “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency,” the Oxygen Network's most-watched docudrama, she has also fulfilled a lifelong dream to open her own agency representing ethnically diverse, cutting-edge talent while demonstrating her ability to balance life as a businesswoman, mentor, and mother. She will be playing for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.
FRANCES CALLIER and ANGELA V. SHELTON are better known as the comedy duo Frangela. Real-life best friends, they each have an array of television and film credits. Together they have appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” where they were dubbed as “America’s funniest people,” and were featured in the hit film “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Callier has appeared in “My Name Is Earl,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and is also a fan favorite as Hanna Montana’s bodyguard Roxie, on Disney’s “Hannah Montana.” Shelton has hosted the regional Emmy Award-winning PBS series, “The Cheap Show” and has television credits that include “Grounded for Life,” “Significant Others” and “Mr. Show.” They are regular pop cultural pundits on NBC’s “Today” show and “Dateline NBC,” “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet,” “Showbiz Today” and on “Headline News,” “Red Eye,” “The Big Story” and “The Big Debate.” They are also regular contributors to NPR’s “Day to Day” and “Off Ramp.” Together, the duo host their own Los Angeles radio show, “The Week According to Frangela” and fill in for the nationally syndicated radio talk show “Stephanie Miller.” They have co-authored a book called “Frangela’s Friendship Handbook.“ Callier will be playing for Feeding America while Shelton’s charity is Covenant House of California.
SANJAYA MALAKAR took the world by storm and gained national attention during the sixth season of “American Idol” when “Sanjaya” became one of the most recognizable “Idol” contestants in the history of the show. Earlier this year, Malakar released the autobiography, “Dancing to the Music in My Head: Memoirs of the People’s Idol,” which details his experience with the show. His debut EP, also titled “Dancing to the Music in My Head,” was released the same day as his book. He will be playing for the Shriner’s Hospital for Children.
HEIDI PRATT (formerly Montag) is on her fifth season of MTV’s popular reality show “The Hills.” In addition to her career in television, Pratt is a musician, fashion designer, aspiring actress and president of her own music label, Heidi Montag Records. Last year, she debuted her fashion line, Heidiwood, and plans to release another line later this year. She recently married her manager and “The Hills” co-star, Spencer Pratt, who will be joining her in the jungle. She will be playing for the charity, Feed the Children.
SPENCER PRATT is best known to audiences for his performance on the popular reality series “The Hills.” Recently married to his co-star Heidi Mongtag, who also will be participating in the show, he has used his celebrity and talents to further develop his career as an entrepreneur. In addition to his executive role on “The Princes of Malibu,” Pratt is an accomplished music producer and president of Innovator Management, a management company with clients that include his wife and MMA superstar Kevin Casey. He will be playing for the American Red Cross.
JOHN SALLEY is a 15-year NBA veteran and was the first NBA player to win four championships with three different teams that included the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. He has been featured in numerous feature films and television shows, including a seven-year stint as host of the Emmy Award-nominated “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.” He has had his own radio morning show, “The John Salley Block Party” which aired in Los Angeles and he also runs his own production company, Black Folk Entertainment, that has numerous television and film projects currently on the slate. Along with his brother Jerry, they head the Salley Foundation, which is involved with several important causes including raising awareness to the AIDS pandemic by working in conjunction with VH1 and the Global Fund, Operation Smile and PETA. He will be playing for Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
TORRIE WILSON started her career as a fitness competitor, model and actress before she was scouted and hired by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Wilson made her WWE debut in June 2001 and over a career in the ring that spanned nine years, became one of the most popular “Divas” -- competing in numerous WWE Raw and SmackDown matches. She has graced the cover of Playboy twice and was included in FHM ‘s “100 Sexiest Women in the World” list. Wilson has branched outside the ring with her official clothing line “Officially Jaded” and retail store “Jaded,” which she started along with former WWE wrestler Nick Mitchell. She will be playing for the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust.