Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) may have been the girl next door on the CBS sitcom Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967), but in real life, she was an authentic beauty queen. Wells was crowned Miss Nevada in 1959, and represented her state in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City in 1960.
Ginger might have been the movie star on Gilligan’s Island, but turns out Mary Ann had seen her share of time in the spotlight as well!
Wells had originally aspired to be a ballerina, but a knee injury ended that dream. She was a pre-med student at the time, but after switching to theater courses in college (due to her inability to participate in physical education), she saw the Miss Nevada pageant as a chance to perform.
In an interview, Wells stated that when asked to participate, she didn’t think she would win. Her primary motivation was that the pageant would be a good platform, and she “wanted to stand in front of people to do a scene.”
After winning the title of Miss Nevada, she went on to represent the state in the Miss America 1960 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She noted that back then, the pageant was heavily focused on scholarships, and she used the opportunity to practice her posture in front of crowds. She did not place in the top ten at Miss America.
Following her experience as Miss Nevada and the Miss America pageant, Wells decided to move to Los Angeles to try out an acting career. She gave herself a deadline to make it work, or she would return to her pre-med studies. This ultimately led to multiple television roles before she landed her signature role as Mary Ann Summers on Gilligan’s Island — the sweet, girl-next-door character who became one of television’s most beloved icons.
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