Hannah Kelsey Brown (born September 24, 1994)[1][2] is an American television personality, model, author and beauty pageant titleholder. Brown first gained recognition after placing in the top seven in season 23 of The Bachelor (2019). She subsequently starred as The Bachelorette in season 15 of The Bachelorette (2019). She competed on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars with Alan Bersten, and was declared the winner on November 25, 2019.[3]
Hannah Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown in 2018 | |
| Born | Hannah Kelsey Brown September 24, 1994 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Occupation | TV personality |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Alabama USA 2018 |
| Hair color | Blonde |
| Eye color | Green |
| Major competition(s) | Miss Alabama USA 2018 (Winner) Miss USA 2018 (Unplaced) |
Early life and education
editBrown was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to parents Robert Walker Brown and Susanne Brown. She was raised both in Tuscaloosa and in nearby Northport, Alabama.[4][5][6] She graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School, and later from the University of Alabama in 2017, receiving a degree magna cum laude from the university's College of Communication and Information Sciences.[1][7] In college, she was a member of the Alpha Upsilon chapter of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority.[8] Brown then worked as an interior designer in Northport.[7]
Career
edit2009–2018: Pageantry
editBrown began her pageantry career at age 15, competing in local Alabama teen pageants.[9] As a teenager, she had placed first runner-up in Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen 2010 and second runner-up in Miss Alabama Teen USA 2011. Brown later competed in Miss Alabama 2013, representing Tuscaloosa, however she did not place in the competition.[6][10][11] After a brief hiatus from pageantry, Brown returned to compete in Miss Alabama USA 2017, but did not place in the competition. She returned the following year, representing West Alabama, and was crowned Miss Alabama USA 2018.[12]
As Miss Alabama USA 2018, Brown was given the opportunity to represent Alabama at the Miss USA 2018 competition, held in Shreveport, Louisiana.[13] While at Miss USA, Brown was roommates with future The Bachelor castmate Caelynn Miller-Keyes, who had been crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2018. For the pageant, Brown adopted a platform of mental health awareness, as she had previously suffered from anxiety and depression which caused her to leave pageantry for several years.[14][6][7][9] Brown ultimately did not place in the competition and the pageant was won by Sarah Rose Summers of Nebraska. She resumed her reign after filming of The Bachelor had completed and crowned Hannah McMurphy as her successor in November 2018.[15]
2018–2020: The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars
edit
In 2018, Brown was cast in season 23 of The Bachelor, starring former professional football player Colton Underwood. Filming for the season took place throughout fall 2018, and Brown was later revealed by ABC to be a contestant on December 6, 2018.[16][17] Brown went on to place seventh in the competition, being eliminated by Underwood during the episode airing February 18, 2019, and filmed in Denver, Colorado.[18] During the second part of the season finale, aired on March 12, 2019, Brown was announced by host Chris Harrison as the lead for the upcoming fifteenth season of The Bachelorette. Brown is the first Bachelorette cast to not have placed in the top four of a season of The Bachelor.[19][20][21]
In the season finale of The Bachelorette, Brown chose Jed Wyatt as her fiancé, although they later broke up after filming after it emerged through People that Wyatt had been in a relationship with another woman prior to and during his stint on the show. Brown later asked runner-up Tyler Cameron out on a date during the finale, although their relationship did not progress.[22][23][24] On November 10, 2019, Brown won "The Competition Contestant of 2019" at the 45th People's Choice Awards for her time as lead on The Bachelorette.[25]
In August 2019, Brown was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars. Her appearance makes her the second woman in the show's history to participate from The Bachelorette, following Trista Sutter in the first season.[26][27] She was partnered with professional dancer Alan Bersten during her tenure on the show. In the finale, which aired on November 25, Brown and Bersten were announced as the winners.[3]
Dancing with the Stars (season 28 performances)
edit| Week | Dance / Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | 7 | 7 | 6 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Viennese Waltz / "Lover" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "Hold On" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "I Love It" | 8 | 81/8 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "A Whole New World" | 9 | 7 | 9 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Samba / "Southbound" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 7 | Jazz / "Bad Girls" Team Freestyle / "Somebody's Watching Me" |
8 9 |
9 9 |
8 9 |
Safe |
| 8 | Quickstep / "American Girl" Salsa Dance-Off / "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" |
10 Awarded |
9 2 |
10 Points |
Safe |
| 9 | Salsa / "No Scrubs" Tango / "Boy with Luv" |
8 10 |
8/82 9/102 |
8 10 |
Safe |
| 10 (Semifinals) |
Rumba / "Dancing with a Stranger" Contemporary / "Lose You to Love Me" |
9 9 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
Safe |
| 11 (Finals) |
Viennese Waltz / "Lover" Freestyle / "Girl on Fire" & "Hollaback Girl" |
10 10 |
9 10 |
9 10 |
Winners |
1 Score given by guest judge Leah Remini.
2 Score given by guest judge Joey Fatone.
2021–present: Books
editOn November 11, 2021, her memoir titled God Bless This Mess: Learning to Live and Love Through Life's Best (and Worst) Moment was published by HarperCollins.[28] The book debuted at number 13 on The New York Times best seller list in the Hardcover Nonfiction section.[29]
She released "a companion journal"[30] to her memoir called God Bless This Messy Journal: A Guide to Embracing the Beautiful, Messy You, published on April 12, 2022.[31] It included quotes, photos, excerpts from Brown's personal journals, Bible verses and lyrics.[30]
In 2023, Brown appeared on the first season of Fox's quasi-military training series Special Forces: World's Toughest Test. She was one of two contestants, alongside Carli Lloyd, to survive all 10 days and was also the last non-athlete standing.[32]
In September 2023, Variety reported that Brown signed a two-book deal with Grand Central Publishing's imprint Forever.[33] Brown's first romance novel written with Emily Larrabee, Mistakes We Never Made was published on May 7, 2024[34] and her second book scheduled for summer 2025.[33] Mistakes We Never Made follows the story of interior designer Emma Townsend, who embarks on a road trip with her childhood crush.[35] Brown described the book and main character Emma by saying: "Emma is not fully me, but she is a part of me. There's a core group of best friends in this book, and that's really where it all started for me. I think some of the best love stories in our life can be those that we have with our friends. And that's a real big foundation in this book that I hope that people really can see."[36] The book debuted at number 15 on The New York Times Best Seller list on May 26, 2024.[37]
Personal life
editBrown began dating Adam Woolard in early 2021. They got engaged in August 2023, and live together in Nashville, Tennessee.[38]
On May 16, 2020, Brown sang the lyrics of "Rockstar", a song by rapper DaBaby that included a racial slur, on Instagram Live. She was criticized by numerous media outlets, as well as other well-known cast members of The Bachelor, including former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. After initially denying that she used the slur, Brown issued a written apology on Instagram the next day promising "to do better".[39] Two weeks later, she made another, much longer apology on Instagram that was well received.[40]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Miss USA 2018 | Herself | Television special; Miss Alabama USA; unplaced |
| 2019–2020 | The Bachelor | Contestant; season 23; seventh place
Guest appearance; season 24 | |
| 2019 | The Bachelorette | The Bachelorette; season 15 | |
| 2019,
2023 |
Bachelor in Paradise | Guest appearance; season 6 and season 9[41] | |
| 2019,
2023 |
Dancing with the Stars | Contestant and winner; season 28[3]Guest performer; season 32 | |
| 2021 | The Celebrity Dating Game | Mystery Celebrity | |
| 2023 | Special Forces: World's Toughest Test | Contestant and winner on season 1; 10 episodes[42][43] |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | "Almost Maybes" | Jordan Davis | Love interest |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | People's Choice Awards | The Competition Contestant of 2019 | The Bachelorette | Won | [25] |
Published works
edit- Brown, Hannah. God Bless This Mess: Learning to Live and Love Through Life's Best (and Worst) Moment (November 11, 2021). HarperCollins.[44]
- Brown, Hannah; Larrabee, Emily. Mistakes We Never Made (May 7, 2024). Forever.[45][37]
References
edit- ^ a b "Hannah Brown Alabama". Miss Universe. n.d. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ Cohen, Jess (March 22, 2019). "How Hannah Brown's Bachelorette Journey Will Be Different From Past Seasons". E! News. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
Born Sept. 24, 1994, Hannah B. is now the youngest Bachelorette star in history at the age of 24.
- ^ a b c Seemayer, Zach (November 25, 2019). "'Dancing With the Stars' Crowns New Season 28 Champion -- See Who Took Home the Mirrorball Trophy!". Entertainment Tonight.
- ^ Flanagan, Ben (March 12, 2019). "Alabama's Hannah Brown is ABC's next 'Bachelorette'". AL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
Born and raised in Auburn...
- ^ Cacish, Allison (May 7, 2019). "Who are 'Bachelorette' Hannah Brown's Parents?". Distractify. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b c Harney, Erin (May 8, 2018). "Miss Alabama USA, Hannah Brown, hopes to bring joy to the lives of others". Alabama News Center.
The Northport native began competing in pageants when she was 15...
- ^ a b c D'Aluisio, Alexandra (March 12, 2019). "Who Is Hannah Brown? 5 Things to Know About the Next Bachelorette". Us Weekly.
- ^ "2016-17 Annual Giving Societies for Individual Donors". Alpha Chi Omega. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ a b Demaria, Meghan (January 14, 2019). "Who Is Hannah B. From The Bachelor? Here's What to Know About Miss Alabama". Popsugar.com.
- ^ Jaramillo, Natalia (January 17, 2019). "Who Is Hannah Brown? 5 Things To Know About The 'Bachelor' Contestant Who Went On The First One-On-One With Colton Underwood". YourTango.com.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (January 2, 2018). "Northport native to represent Alabama in Miss USA beauty pageant". The Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ Sison, Bree (November 8, 2017). "New Miss Alabama USA wants to talk about mental health". Fox 6 News. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "It's official: Miss USA 2018 pageant coming to Shreveport". KTBS-TV. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Falcone, Dana Rose (March 12, 2019). "Everything to Know About the New Bachelorette, Former Pageant Queen Hannah Brown". People.
- ^ Sison, Bree (November 18, 2018). "University of Alabama students win Miss Alabama USA, Miss Teen Alabama USA". WBRC-TV.
- ^ Flanagan, Ben (December 6, 2016). "Meet the Alabama women competing for Colton Underwood's heart on 'The Bachelor'". Alabama: AL.com. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ Krolak, Mike (December 6, 2018). "The Bachelor 2019 Cast: Meet Colton's Bachelorettes". ABC. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ Baldwin, Kristen (February 18, 2019). "The Bachelor recap: Cassie and Caelynn in the crosshairs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ Stone, Natalie (March 12, 2019). "Hannah Brown Named Bachelorette — and Bachelor Nation Has Mixed Reactions". People.
- ^ Melas, Chloe (March 12, 2019). "And the next 'Bachelorette' is ..." CNN.
- ^ Krolak, Mike (March 12, 2019). "Who Is the Next Bachelorette 2019? It's Hannah Brown!". ABC.
- ^ "Bachelorette Bombshell! Jed Wyatt's Ex Says They Were Dating When He Went on the Show". People. June 18, 2019.
- ^ "Who Is Scott's Girlfriend? 'The Bachelorette' Contestant Has Some Explaining To Do". Romper. May 13, 2019.
- ^ Falcone, Dana Rose (July 30, 2019). "The Bachelorette: Hannah Brown Ends Engagement with Jed Wyatt After Learning He Told 'Half-Truths'". People.
- ^ a b Colurso, Mary (November 11, 2019). "Hannah Brown says 'Roll Tide!' as she wins People's Choice Award". al. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ "'Dancing With the Stars' 2019: Hannah Brown, Karamo Brown, Lamar Odom and more to compete on new season". Good Morning America. August 21, 2019.
- ^ Dove, Steve (August 21, 2019). "Dancing with the Stars 2019 Cast Revealed for Season 28". ABC.
- ^ Hannah Brown Memoir at People.com
- ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Dec. 12, 2021 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "God Bless This Messy Journal: A Guide to Embracing the …". Goodreads. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (April 12, 2022). God Bless This Messy Journal: A Guide to Embracing the Beautiful, Messy You. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-06-311189-9.
- ^ "'The Bachelorette' and 'DWTS' Winner Hannah Brown Adds Another Reality Title to Her Resume". March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Thompson, Jaden (September 13, 2023). "'Bachelorette' Star Hannah Brown Inks Two-Book Deal for Fiction Romance Novels (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Mistakes We Never Made (Hardcover) | Prairie Lights Books". www.prairielightsbooks.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Stivale, Shelby (May 7, 2024). "Hannah Brown's Novel 'Mistakes We Never Made': Easter Eggs Uncovered". Us Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Hannah Brown's New Novel Has 'Easter Eggs' from Her Own Life: 'All Based in My Own Experiences' (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - May 26, 2024 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Massabrook, Nicole (August 28, 2023). "Bachelorette Hannah Brown Is Engaged to Adam Woolard After More Than 2 Years Together". Us Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ Torres, Libby (May 18, 2020). "'Bachelorette' star Hannah Brown was slammed for singing the N-word during an Instagram live. Here's a breakdown of everything that happened". Insider. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Hannah Brown Has Had 'Uncomfortable' Talks With Family on Racism". Us Weekly. June 5, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Former Bachelorette Hannah Brown Arrives on Bachelor in Paradise to Test the Singles' Relationships". Peoplemag. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test". Fox. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Cohn, Paulette (March 1, 2023). "Hannah Brown Adds Another Reality Title to Her Resume". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ Noble, Barnes &. "God Bless This Mess: Learning to Live and Love Through Life's Best (and Worst) Moments|Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (May 7, 2024). Mistakes We Never Made. New York: Forever. ISBN 978-1-5387-5677-5.