Camille Kostek

Biography

Camille Veronica Kostek (born February 19, 1992) is an American model, host, and actress. She has appeared in the Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue and was featured on the cover of the magazine's 2019 edition. Kostek has hosted television programs including Wipeout and Dancing with Myself, and appeared in the film Free Guy (2021).

== Early life and education == Kostek was born in Killingworth, Connecticut on February 19, 1992, to Alan, a general contractor, and Christina (née Decosta), a gym manager. She is the eldest of four siblings, and is of Polish, Irish and Jamaican descent. She started taking ballet lessons when she was three years old, and continued her training at Broadway Dance Center in New York City while competing nationally. At Haddam-Killingworth High School in Higganum, Connecticut, Kostek was a cheerleader, lacrosse varsity captain, and host of her high school's broadcasting program. She studied communications with a minor in business at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she played lacrosse before joining its dance squad and working on its network show.

== Career ==

=== Professional cheerleading ===

Kostek started her professional cheerleading career at age 19 with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. In 2013, while a junior at university, Kostek made it to the roster of the National Football League's New England Patriots Cheerleaders. She landed the cover of the Patriots annual swimsuit calendar which was shot in Saint Lucia in 2014. She also joined the NFL Tour in China as the team's ambassador. Kostek was featured in advertising campaigns for Patriot Place and served as spokesperson for the cheer team. In her last game before retirement, she performed at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona for Super Bowl XLIX where the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks on February 1, 2015.

=== Hosting === Kostek was a reporter for NESN's Dirty Water TV from 2016 to 2017 covering travel as well as sports events, including NASCAR. Since 2018, she has hosted and corresponded for South by Southwest, the Super Bowl, the National Hockey League, and Levitate Music Festival, as well as lifestyle, red carpet and sports events for Maxim and Sports Illustrated. She has also co-hosted radio shows on SiriusXM. Out of college, Kostek was offered a job on ESPN's Saturday Night Football, but turned it down for the opportunity to travel while modeling. In September 2020, she was announced as on-field host of game show Wipeout on TBS.

=== Modeling === Kostek began working as a model in 2013 and signed with a modeling agency in Boston in 2015. Her early work included commercial and print advertising, followed by appearances in fashion and lifestyle publications. Kostek appered in editorials for Elle, and on the covers of Ocean Drive, BELLA, Haute Living, The Improper Bostonian among others. Kostek has done campaigns and ambassadorships for various clothing and cosmetic brands, including L'Oréal, Victoria's Secret, and Clarins. She also did ad campaigns for fashion line Kittenish, and walked the runway for its Spring/Summer 2019 collection at New York Fashion Week. Kostek is a longtime model and ambassador for Reebok, headlining the brand's PureMove Bra and Nano X1 campaigns.

Kostek initially found difficulty securing modeling representation as agencies kept telling her she was not tall enough at 5'8", or thin enough at dress size 4/6. She submitted a video of her experience to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue which was conducting an open casting call. She was scouted, and walked the runway for the SI Swimsuit Fashion Show during Miami Beach Swim Week in July 2017. The following month, she was photographed by Yu Tsai in Belize for the 2018 issue. Kostek was chosen from 5,000 open casting call candidates and won the inaugural Sports Illustrated Swim Search in March 2018. She walked the runway for Miami Beach Swim Week for the second time in July 2018, and closed the show the following year. The first model announced for the 2019 issue, Kostek shot in South Australia with photographer Josie Clough, and landed a solo cover in her official year as a rookie. Kostek has been called an "American Bombshell" and sex symbol for her blonde hair, blue eyes and curves. Connecticut Magazine named her in their "40 under 40" list of influential people of 2018, and she was included in Maxim's Hot 100 list of Sexiest Women in the World in 2019.