Former Pageant Queen Nia Booko Is Navigating Drama on 'The Valley'

When surviving the drama of Vanderpump Rules gets to be too much, it might be time to relocate to The Valley. The latest Bravo reality series is the fourth spinoff for the Vanderpump cinematic universe and follows former cast member Brittany Cartwright as she and her new famous friends try to tackle all sorts of adult responsibilities like raising a family. But not even adulting can tone down the drama as the stars get into the screaming matches and melodramatic tension that Bravo is known for.

Many of the main players in The Valley are trading their lavish lifestyles and crazy parties for "adulting" and being just a tad more financially responsible. This includes Nia Booko (née Sanchez), who's going from pageant queen to mommy dearest as she tries to raise a family. That said, she has garnered an impressive legacy on the pageant circuit leading up to her brand-new reality show stint. Get to know Nia Booko as she settles into The Valley on Bravo.

Nia's new starring role in The Valley is somewhat ironic, considering she started her career as the lady of the hour in another valley of sorts. She participated in her first beauty pageant at age 13 at the Miss San Jacinto Valley. She would go on to Miss Citrus Valley USA when she was 19 years old. Her pageant career would only skyrocket from there.

She received a commendable runner-up prize in the Miss California USA 2010 pageant and later won Miss Riverside County USA in 2011. LIin 2014, she was crowned Miss Nevada USA on her first attempt. She subsequently won Miss USA in the same year while representing the state of Nevada. In the same year, she placed 1st runner-up at the Miss Universe competition. As part of her many accomplishments, she's also a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo.

In 2015, Nia married actor and model Danny Booko. Years later, they welcomed three children to their family.

As of this writing, Nia currently works in pageant coaching and hosts her own podcast called Hold My Crown, in which she discusses different facets of her life both as a pageant winner and as a person navigating both fame and real life.

And in all likelihood, we're going to get an even better look at what her life is really like on The Valley.

Nia and her husband join several Vanderpump Rules veterans on the new series as they each tackle adulting while being major celebrities in their own right. But with the level of reality show drama that the show has been teasing so far, there's no telling whether Nia will have to whip out her taekwondo expertise in response to all the scandal.

The Valley premieres on March 19, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo. The show will stream the next day on Peacock.