Kristina and Karissa Shannon

Kristina and Karissa Shannon

Karissa (left) and Kristina during Los Angeles Fashion Week (October 13, 2008)
Playboy centerfold appearance
July/August 2009
Preceded by Candice Cassidy
Succeeded by Kimberly Phillips
Personal details
Born (1989-10-02) October 2, 1989
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Kristina and Karissa Shannon (born October 2, 1989 in Ann Arbor, Michigan) are American glamour models, Playboy Playmates, and twin sisters.

Career

In 2008, the Shannons moved into the Playboy Mansion as two of Hugh Hefner's three new girlfriends; because of their relationship with Hefner, the Shannons began appearing on the E! network reality television series The Girls Next Door. Despite their "girlfriend" status, Karissa said the relationship she and Kristina shared with Hefner was more for fun and the opportunity to be on the show, rather than romance. The first episode they appeared in attracted 2.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched season premiere in the show's history;[1] five weeks after the premiere, ratings had dropped to 919,000.[2]

The Shannons appeared as Miss July and Miss August 2009 in the combined "summer issue" of Playboy magazine, the double issue was necessitated by financial problems at the publisher.[3] Unlike other previous centerfold twins, they managed to earn two consecutive months as Playmates, but shared a single centerfold.[4] By January 2010, the Shannon twins moved out of the mansion, though they continued to appear in The Girls Next Door.

The twins had small roles in Somewhere, a film directed by Sofia Coppola which won top honors at the 67th Venice International Film Festival in 2010.[5]

In 2010 Karissa Shannon attracted some publicity by confirming she had been involved in sex tapes with Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag.[6][7] One sex tape of her and boyfriend actor Sam Jones III was released on DVD by Vivid Entertainment in October 2010 as Karissa Shannon Superstar.[8] In 2011, Karissa and Sam Jones III released the song "Juice and Vodka", which is available on iTunes.[9][10]

On 5 January 2012, the twins participated in the ninth series of the UK reality show, Celebrity Big Brother in which they came 5th. They also appeared on the companion series to the show, Big Brother's Bit on the Side.[11][12]

Kristina and Karissa Shannon at Playboy's 55th Anniversary Party on 12 Dec 2008

Personal life

The twins were raised in Clearwater Beach, Florida and attended Largo High School for a time.[13]

In 2012, based on video and photos of the two (and Shannon's own admission), Kristina was reported to be dating fellow Playmate and 2009 Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist.[14] Ljungqvist was the Playmate of the Month for March 2008. The two met during the period when Shannon (and her sister) were dating Hefner and living at the Playboy mansion.[15]

Karissa was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge in November 2007.[16]

The Shannons were both charged in January 2008 with aggravated battery after reportedly fighting with two others at a house party. The assistant state attorney filed the charge as felony battery. After pleading no contest, they were put on probation and required to pay restitution.[16]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2009 The Girls Next Door Themselves 14 episodes
2010 Somewhere Cindy and Bambi
2012 Celebrity Big Brother Themselves
2015 Botched Themselves
2015 Cocked (TV pilot) Macy & Stacy
2016 Rob & Chyna Themselves Guest Appearance; Chyna's Friends

References

  1. "Cable Ratings: 'Knocked Up', New 'Girls Next Door,' Propel E!". Broadcasting & Cable. 2009-10-12. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  2. "Sunday cable finals: World War II in HD beats Curbed, Dexter, Prisoner and Californication". Tvbythenumbers.com. November 18, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  3. "Hugh Hefner sells LA property as financial crisis hits Playboy". The Daily Telegraph. London. August 11, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  4. Staff. "The Shannon Twins — Double trouble". FHM.com. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  5. "Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' Wins Venice Film Festival Top Prize". Bloomberg. September 11, 2010.
  6. Gensler, Howard (August 23, 2010). "More tawdry tales from the Spencer & Heidi show". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  7. "Playmate in Pratt-Montag sex tape". Toronto Sun. August 22, 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  8. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8316223
  9. "Juice & Vodka - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  10. Staff. "'Blue Mountain State' Star: I'm a RAPPER Now!!". TMZ. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  11. Staff. "Karissa Shannon". Amazon via IMDb. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  12. Staff. "Kristina Shannon". Amazon via IMDb. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  13. Clearwater Beach twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon reach Playmate of the Month status - Tampa Bay Times
  14. Bustillo, Deena. "Kristina Shannon Girlfriend: Ida Ljungqvist Pictures". Livingly Media via Zimbio.com. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  15. Kitchener, Shaun. "PHOTOS: CBB Villain Kristina Shannon Shows Off Playboy Girlfriend". Gigwise Media via Entertainmentwise.com. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  16. 1 2 MILLER, KORIN (October 10, 2008). "Double trouble! Playboy Hugh Hefner's new twins Kristina and Karissa Shannon have arrest records". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
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