CELEBRITIES

Tila Tequila

BIO

Born October 24, 1981, in Singapore, Tila Nguyen first gained notoriety for her popularity on the Internet. To date, the Houston-raised bad girl has acquired nearly 4 million friends on MySpace, though her reach extends far beyond that thanks to her blog, Twitter account, reality TV dating show, book and music career. Nguyen—who goes by Tila Tequila professionally—became Playboy's Cyber Girl of the Week on April 22, 2002, and eventually became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month.

As her web personality garnered more attention, in 2006 she found herself among Hollywood stars like on Eva Longoria and Scarlett Johansson on Maxim's "Hot 100 List." MTV executives took note of her rising star power, and in 2007 she began filming her reality dating show, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. For the first time, Tequila publicly announced she was "a bisexual freak," opening the competition up to both genders. The show ended after its second season in 2008, when Tequila was replaced by the Ikki twins.

Shortly after the show wrapped, Tequila began dating Courtenay Semel (star of E!'s Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive). Their romance fizzled, and in 2009, Tequila became involved with San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman. In September of the same year, he was arrested on suspicion of choking and throwing the reality star to the ground, though the charges were dismissed in court days later.

Still looking for love, Tequila found romance with Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson (who had also previously dated Semel). The two announced their engagement on Dec. 9, 2009 via the Internet. Weeks later, Tequila announced she was pregnant, serving as a surrogate for her brother and his wife. Unfortunately, her joyful news was overshadowed when Johnson passed away on Jan. 4, 2010. Not one to grieve in private, Tequila took to her blog and Twitter to express her mourning over her late fiancee's death. Currently, Johnson's family is distancing themselves from the Shot at Love star as they mourn in private.