Career
O'Brian was crowned Miss Texas Teen USA 2000 in a state pageant held Thanksgiving weekend 1999 in Houston, Texas. She had placed third runner-up to Misty Giles the year previously. In August 2000, O'Brian competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant held in Shreveport, Louisiana where she became the third Texas teen in succession to make the semi-finals.
In that section, she slipped to third behind Kristen Johnson of Kentucky and Jillian Parry of Pennsylvania. At the conclusion of the competition, O'Brian finished 1st runner-up to Parry, Texas' highest placement since 1996 when Christie Lee Woods was crowned Miss Teen USA. She gave up her Texas title to Katherine Perallo later that year. Only eight months later, O'Brian competed in the Miss Texas USA 2002 pageant as Miss Southeast Texas USA but did not place.
She was only 19 at the time, one of the youngest titleholders in the history of the pageant. O'Brian competed at the Miss USA pageant in 2003, which was televised live from San Antonio in her home state of Texas. She placed second runner-up to Susie Castillo of Massachusetts.
O'Brian attended at San Jacinto College, majoring in radio, television and film, but she hoped of becoming an actress. In 2004, she competed on The Amazing Race 5 with her then-boyfriend Brandon. The couple came in third.
The second-placed team included Christie Lee Woods, also a former Miss Texas Teen USA (but also Miss Teen USA 1996). O'Brian is currently a pageant consultant, preparing contestants for various Texas pageants.
