Kara Monaco (born February 26, 1983) is an American model. She was chosen as Playmate of the Month by ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

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

Playmate of the Year This is a list of models who were chosen as a Playboy Playmate of the Year for the American edition of ''Playboy'' magazine. List of Playmates of the Year *1953: Marilyn Monroe *1954: *1955: *1956: *1957: *1958: *1959: *1960: Ellen Stratton ...

Early life

Kara Monaco was born on February 26, 1983, in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal ci ...

. She worked as a

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

, modeled swimwear 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, fash ...

model. Monaco is a former competitive

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication 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 The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

, where she was one of the performers who portrayed

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

and

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

in the resort. She is related to fellow model and April 1997 Playboy Playmate

Kelly Monaco Kelly Marie Monaco (born May 23, 1976) is an American actress, model, and reality television personality, best known for her portrayal of Sam McCall on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and as the first season winner of the reality TV com ...

. She is Kelly's cousin.

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 unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

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 focuses on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive pr ...

'', ''

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–Jenner blended family, airing between 2007 and 2021. Its prem ...

'' 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 ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'' and ''

Men's Fitness ''Men's Fitness'' was a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series '' The Greatest American Hero''. The magazine's slogan was "How ...

'' 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 Playmate of the Month 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 Raquel or Racquel is a variation of the given name Rachel. Notable people with the name include: Raquel * Raquel (wrestler), Brazilian professional wrestler * Raquel Alessi (born 1983), American former actress and model * Raquel Naa Ayorkor Ammah ...

. 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 and his girlfriends. In 2006, Monaco also appeared in the game show '' Identity'' 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 Carrie Keagan (born July 1980) is an American television personality, actress, writer and producer, known as the host of ''Up Close with Carrie Keagan'', '' Big Morning Buzz Live'' on VH1 and for her appearances as a panelist on Fox News Channe ...

''; an episode of ''Model Dating: Hawaii''; and on an episode of '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', portraying Miss America for a skit. Branching off from reality television, Monaco portrayed Michelle in two episodes of the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

''. 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

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