Born in Baltimore on Oct. 14, 1979, Stacy Anne-Marie Keibler grew up wanting to be a star. Her parents, Gary & Patricia, nourished their only child’s dream by taking her to ballet, tap and gymnastics lessons. By age five, Keibler had even earned her SAG card. As a teen, she attended an all-girls school before studying at Towson University with a major in Mass Communications. She joined the Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders in 1998, where she graced a Ravens trading card. A year later, Keibler’s life changed forever when she entered a dance contest for a spot in the WWE Nitro Girls lineup. After winning the contest and $10,000, Keibler joined the crazy world of wrestle-mania by dancing with her fellow Nitro Girls during commercial breaks of “WCW Monday Nitro” (1995-2001).
It did not take long for producers to notice the 5’11” stunner’s leggy athleticism. After only a month, she was promoted from sideline dancer to wrestler in the ring – using the stage name Miss Hancock on TV’s popular “WCW: Saturday Night” (1991-2000). Keibler learned the ropes and soon became a fan favorite – especially when administering her trademark moves like the spinning karate kick and the foot choke. By 2004, Keibler was voted the WWE “Babe of the Year” and Kid Rock recorded his version of ZZ Top’s hit “She’s Got Legs” in tribute to Keibler’s most famous assets.
Apart from her wrestling career, Keibler tried her hand at acting, appearing in small roles in “Pecker” (1998), “Liberty Heights” (1999) and “Bubble Boy” (2001). While contemplating her next career move and at her mother’s behest, Keibler tried out for the second season of ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars” (2004 - ). The call-in show had certainly put former unknown soap star Kelly Monaco on the map, so Keibler met with producers and waited several months before hearing the good news.
Teamed with partner Tony Dovolani, Keibler established early on that she was a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor. After a particularly sizzling samba, judge Bruno Tonioli called her “a weapon of mass seduction.” Despite the fact that few outside the wrestling world knew her name, her talent, gams and great attitude brought her back each week by popular demand. She was the only dancer to receive perfect 10’s across the board two weeks in a row. As other more famous contestants such as Tatum O’Neal, Tia Carrere and George Hamilton fell by the wayside, the former Miss Hancock kept cranking it up a notch. In true Betty Grable fashion, Keibler even traveled to Camp Pendleton to perform her jive dance for the troops – all of whom seemed more than happy to see her long legs in person.
Unfortunately for Keibler and partner Dovolani, the odds-on-favorite couple to win were the first to get booted off during the "Dancing" grand finale. The less talented dancer but beloved former football great Jerry Rice bested Keibler with viewer votes, providing the only shock of the night. The "Dancing with the Stars" champion -- once Keibler lost her shot -- went, not suprisingly, to former 98 Degrees singer and brother of Nick, Drew Lachey. Although Keibler lost the dance-off, she became an overnight star, more in demand than ever before. Not a bad consolation prize.