Co Host/Emcee for the SAAHJ Silent Auction, 2010

A month after doing the TRENDS swimsuit cover,(see below) I get a call from one of my favorite people, the SA Express News Fashion editor, Mr. Michael Quintanilla asking me if I'd Co-Host the Silent Auction for the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists honoring Rosie Castro (our current Mayor's mother) and Marta Tijerina, a Pioneer for Women in the Broadcasting industry, as well as the recipients of the SAAHJ Scholarships. I had a BLAST doing this unique as I called it "Not so Silent Auction" because Michael and I were talking people through it...leave to us Latins because Lord knows we're talkers...hence why I'm a TV Host/Spokesperson! lol.

Meeting Little Joe, Jhordana (Project Runway), Jesse Borrego & Longhorn Gene

At a presentation regarding Arizona's Proposition 1070, I met a legend of the music industry, Mr. Little Joe. It was an honor! From there, I went to LA to Coach my Miss California candidates where I met one of my brother's fellow Project Runway Alums's and finalist, Jhordana. Here I am (below)at the 1st Annual Hispanic Heritage Organization Gala with Jesse Borrego (best known for his role in the original FAME and starring roles on ER) and with the Host of "Longhorn Live"Radio show, Longhorn Gene at the 1st Annual Red McCombs Golf Tournament with proceeds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

RealityTV Club's 1st Annual Reunion on Catalina Island!

Above, left to right: The BIGGEST Liar EVER on Survivor, Jonny Fairplay, Richard Hatch (1st winner of SURVIVOR Borneo) in the baseball cap, Aras Baskauskas (winner, SURVIVOR EXILE ISLAND)Jesse Csincsak (winner,Season 4:The Bachelorette) Evel Dick (yes, you read right..Winner Big Brother 8) Sandra Diaz-Twine (2 time winner SURVIVOR) Todd Herzog (Winner, SURVIVOR China).
Although it looks like we enjoy being miserable on SURVIVOR, once getting "voted off" (lol) we haven't stopped having fun. This past April, Catalina Island hosted the 1st Annual Reunion for participants of the shows SURVIVOR, BACHELOR, BACHELORETTE, AVERAGE JOE, BIG BROTHER and PIRATE MASTER. For us on SURVIVOR, it was a part 2 of the 10 year Reunion we had in January (that one was a bit more formal, a big Red Carpet event at CBS studios). This one, incredibly well put together by Christa Hastie Waydo (SURVIVOR Pearl Islands) more in the familiar island setting. At 1st, I was hesitant to "sign up" because they said we'd be in tents w/no electricity...not gonna willingly "sign up" for that (those who know my story know that I didn't sign up for SURVIVOR, but was recruited/spotted by an agent of the show). Anyhow, when I heard we could have all the food and hydration we wanted..I was in..lol! Was ensued was an unforgettable weekend, especially because I didn't know we'd be joined my participants from the above mentioned shows. New "alliances" were made and, happily, no one was "voted off!..."
The night before taking the ferry to Catalina Island, we stayed at "The Queen Mary" Hotel in San Diego. It's, literally, a cruise ship, alla "The Titanic." In fact, it's rumoured that ghosts inhabit the bungalow hallways. I shared a bungalow with the funny and sassy fellow Latina/ONLY 2 time WINNER of SURVIVOR, Sandra Diaz Twine. Here we are checking our phone's for our kids messages! the night before on "The Queen Mary." (Below)The next morning, we had to make a run to the nearest Walmart, cuz that's how Ms. Sandra remain's a millionaire..atta girl! to get a sweatshirt because the weather turned out to be about 20 degrees below what we thought it was going to be! Brrrr!! We ran into Richard Hatch (the infamous 1st winner of SURVIVOR and his partner, fellow South-American Emi)
The weekend was FULL of super fun activities. Below right:The Hiking Group photo. The last day, we had a Scavenger Hunt. Here I am with my team, "strategizing"..while the team to our right tries to cheat by listening in..Wow, what a surprise! It's Jonny Fairplay listening in!! This Scavenger Hunt was one of the FUNNEST times I've ever had. It was VERY hard and sooo tiring, but our "tribe" had a blast. Here I am with Arthur Wells (Bachelorette, Season 4)Suzie Williams(Bachelor, Season 5),Kendra Guffey(The Pirate Master), Dennis Luciani(The Beauty & The Geek)...not sure why Dennis was on that show cuz he's truly one of the coolest dudes ever!(below left)Contestants and now, my new friends from the Bachelor/Bachelorette Reality Show: left to right, Jesse Csinsak (winner of Bachelorette, Season4), but that didn't work out so he fell in love with another "Bachelor" contestant who's the one standing to his right, Anne Csinsak (yes, you read right..she's Mrs. Csinsank, they recenlty wed in Vegas! David Vargas, Jeannette Cherie Pawula, Arthur Wells Webb (the Bachelorette, Season 4),Elizabeth aka, Kitty Katt (The Bachelor Pad),Brian Westendorf (The Bachelorette, Season 4),Suzie Wells (the Bachelor, Season 5). The last night, at the campfire with Brian Westerndorf (The Bachelorette, Season 4)..I spared you the performance goin' on in front of us as Spencer (SURVIVOR Micronesia) was re-enacting one of the Lady Gaga videos..lol.
They are ALL so fun, down to earth and beautiful people inside out! So happy and blessed to have made these new friends..can't wait for next year!

On the Cover of TRENDS Fashion Magazine

The summer after appearing on SURVIVOR FIJI, I was very fortunate to have gotten a call from, Michael Quintanilla, the Fashion Editor for the SA Express News (former Fashion Editor of the LA times), with a proposal to feature me in a Cover Fashion Editorial for a magazine called SPICE. (http://ritaverreos.blogspot.com/search?q=News+Paper+Headline). I'm so blessed that, 3 years after my experience on SURVIVOR, I received, once again, a phone call from Michael wanting to feature me on the cover, once again with en editorial Swimwear photoshoot inside the magazine. I was so thrilled and grateful and VERY surprised that he chose to feature me on the cover. As if that weren't enough, a week after the magazine came out,he received a request from Dillard's to have me do an autograph signing due to the success in swimwear sales that,apparently, my images in TRENDS, had generated. Thus, I arrived at Dillard's on a weekend Saturday, this past June, to find the assistants filling a bunch of gift bags. I was worried they were filling too many!! God is so good to me, that my fear of no one coming out to see little ole me, were without foundation. The autograph signing brought out a wonderful outpouring of people who have been admiring my work from afar. I'm so grateful to everyone for the time they took to come out and meet me. I pray God continues to give me opportunities to keep doing things with my career that serve the double purpose of providing for my children and giving back to this city that I love so much.
Above, a short video at the autograph signing. Here I am w/Michael Quintanilla and, the photographer, Kevin Geil as he captures the last rays of sunlight! ...and below, the cover shot!
The Fashion Expert does his thing...placing the scarf just right:) To the right, striking one last pose..in the JW Marriott Resort Spa Pool..
Rita on the rocks..literally..lol!

My name comes up in Hollywood, thank you Jeanne!

I really can't believe this. My name mentioned in the same page as Eva Longoria's AND Drew Carey remembered me a YEAR after my appearance on the The Price Is Right??? I'm soo embarrassed, but my dad, like any dad would do for his little girl, reassured me telling me that what was important was to be remembered. You be the judge..LOL.


From Jeanne Jakle's SA Express News Column on Wednesday, Augt. 25th, 2010

While in Holly-wood recently, a couple of other TV writers and I grabbed Eva Longoria Parker after a Desperate Housewives press session to ask about the trade rumors swirling around husband Tony.
If the Spur gets traded, one critic asked, where would Eva want to live? New York?

"I can't imagine our life outside of San Antonio right now," she purred.

She also shared ways the two are eco-friendly. "I have a hybrid," she said, adding that she and Tony "don't have bottled water in the house; we have filtered water."

Yes, press conferences are OK, but the smaller scrums with the stars usually net juicier quotes, particularly when you're looking for something related to home. I found some such goodies while sifting through my recordings from Hollywood parties the other night.

Two happened at a CBS bash. Spying Drew Carey from The Price Is Right, I asked him about what looked like a painful encounter with San Antonio's Rita Verreos (of Survivor fame). It happened when she was a contestant on The Price is Right last summer. After winning a round, the pretty Verreos became so excited she jumped on Carey, accidentally bumping a sensitive area.

"She kneed me right in the nuts!" he replied, laughing. "It wasn't that great - I had to take a moment."

Oops. But don't worry, Rita, Carey didn't seem all that upset by the incident. "It wasn't the worst I've ever gotten," he said, smiling. "I've been hit by baseballs harder in high school."

See full article here: www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/columnists/jeanne_jakle/Jeanne_Jakle_Hometown_nuggets_at_Hollywood_press_junket_101427394.html

Team Survivor Stands Up | Stand Up To Cancer

FINALLY, "Survivors" Unite forces and go public with something we've been doing behind the scenes since the inception of the TV show, SURVIVOR. Since my participation on SURVIVOR, I, alongside everyone who has participated on SURVIVOR have flown to cities throughout the United States and in our communities, to give, in our own, usually fun and crazy way, to so many charities. I've been particularly fortunate to have been asked to use a bit of what I do for a living as TV Host/Spokesperson/Model, to Emcee many events. Please, take a look at this new way that I'm trying to help, once again, alongside my unique and so very special SURVIVOR family!
Team Survivor Stands Up | Stand Up To Cancer

Raising Funds for "Stars of Hope" foundation, July 2010

Thanks to Wesley Ratcliffe for recommending me to Rebecca Villareal, GM at Northwoods Cinema and to Rebecca for asking me to an autograph signing to help her raise funds for the "Stars of Hope" foundation. Thank you so much to those who donated! Every time you go to a Regal Cinema, don't forget to buy your "Star!" so others can keep having hope:)

Model/Emcee Double Duty during Aaron Ross' football camp weekend, June 2010

Very last minute, my agency here in San Antonio, Rome Talent, booked me to model and Emcee in a fashion show being held at the ATT Center courtyard as part of a series of events for the Aaron Ross Football Camp being held here in San Antonio in June, 2010. A couple of nights before, however, there was a fun basketball game at the Alamo Convocation Stadium featuring current & former NFL players. Since my son's a huge sports fan, I took them to the game. Thanks to Mr. Larry Williams (BLT entertainment) for the tickets to come watch the game with my kids and a couple of their friends. Here I am w/some of the basketball players in the background and with former NFL 49er,Green Bay Packer and New Orlean's Saint(among other teams)TJ Slaughter. Thanks to my son who breathes, eats, drinks and plays ALL sports, he recognized Sanya Richards, "The Fastest Woman in the World" of the 400m run. World Champion and 2X Olympic Gold Medalist. (below left)A couple of nights later at the ATT Center courtyard, I was pullin' double duty as Model/Emcee for the 4340 Agnes & Co. Fashion show:) Special thanks to Latoya Chenelle, the talented designer of 4340 Agnes & Co. for asking me to Emcee her show and for the special dress she designed especially for me to model that night! Also, a special shout out to my friend, Keely Klein for videotaping this for me! You can check out more footage of the fashion show at the 4340 Agnes & Company page on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Antonio-TX/4340-Agnes-Company/363681712568

Emceeing the Barbie Fashion show at Cabo Tropical Grille Lounge, 2010

Ms. Coco Warren, a talented Fashion Show Producer student of IADT, San Antonio, asked me to Emcee this event. Ms. Coco's productions are alwasy so professionally done. Sign me up ANYTIME she's producing anything. I've had the pleasusre of Emeceeing another event for her. A fashion show during the Water Symposium (Search:Emcee) on here and you can see that event:). This one was simply lighthearted and fun! Several IADT students and graduates presented their "Barbie" inspired designs at Cabo Tropical Grille. I couldn't help but think of my brother's Project Runway winning "Barbie Doll" design challenge:) (www.nickverrreos.blogspot.com/barbie). Here I am caught on the Red carpet on the way in to Emcee the show, by the beautiful Valerie Garza of 201tv:

"Success Starts Here," Meeting Edward James Olmos

Last month, I got a VERY last minute phone call from my favorite producer at UNIVISION, San Antonio, Roland Davila, asking me to do him a HUGE favor. It was 8am and he needed me in studio, camera ready, ASAP, because they had one of their biggest clients in the lobby ready to film promotional vignettes/segments for an upcoming event with Edward James Olmos. They suddently realized they didn't have a Host to conduct the vignettes. I'm all about helpign out my friends and Roland Davila, is my friend so off I went. I had a BLAST doing these segments which ran on UNIVISION for a couple of weeks leading to the event (I will post one as soon as I get a moment to upload it!). Often, I get people who sit there looking at me with that "you look familiar, but I can't figure out from where" look. When they build up the courage they always say...wait for it.... "you look familiar to me, bit I can't figure out from where?" LOL I don't know why, but I always feel awkward when people say that to me. I answer "well, you may have seen me from some work I do on tv. "What do you do?" When I get to SURVIVOR and World Car..before I can finish, I hear "that's where I know you!" One of the ladies that I was interviewing on the segment, Maria Cordoneda, turned out, was a really big Survivor fan! Thanks to that, she extended an invitation to me to attend the event with Edward James Olmos. See why I always say that Survivor, for me, is the gift that keeps on giving? When I arrived, I couldn't believe it, the Farmer's Insurance peple where so amazing to me, they treated me as if I were Mr. Olmos. I'm very grateful they were happy with my work. Here I am with Mr. Olmos who I also got to interview that night for a new tv show that I'm co-hosting, The After Party. The segment will be airing in a couple of weekends on Saturday at noon on Fox 11. Here's a part of Edward's presentation. Thank you God for making it easy for me to get ready soo quickly that morning so that I could run down to UNIVISION to do those segments! Look at the VIP seat I got! Thank you so much to the Farmer's Insurance people, in particular Maria Cordoneda for making me feel like a VIP. I even won an American Express gift card in the raffle! When the truth is they had no choice but to accept me as the Host of their vignettes because it was so last minute!!