Jessica Sierra/Personal

Jessica Sierra
Contestant
Season	4
Audition city	Orlando, FL
Placed	10th
Personal
Born	Jessica Ann Sierra November 11, 1985

Jessica Ann Sierra (born November 11, 1985 in Tampa, Florida) is an American singer and was the tenth-place finalist on the fourth season of American Idol. She was the third finalist eliminated, on March 30, 2005.

Biography

Sierra is from Tampa, Florida, and auditioned in Orlando. She was also a contestant on Star Search before auditioning for Idol, and was a nanny. Sierra started singing in church at the age of 3. As a teenager, she performed for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in singing and dancing ensembles. She first auditioned for Idol in the second season, but was rejected.

She was eliminated on March 30, during 1990s music week after she sang LeAnn Rimes' "On the Side of Angels", surprising some fans since Simon Cowell had previously stated that she was one of the strongest female vocalists in the competition.

Sierra dated fellow American Idol 4 contestant Nikko Smith for several months. In an April 2006 article in the Tennessean, Sierra confirmed the relationship but said the two broke up shortly after New Years 2007.

After American Idol

After American Idol, Jessica Sierra performed all over the world. She sang at many concerts and private events, including a private event in Kazakhstan. Jessica did concerts for charities such as the Special Olympics, and performed at numerous corporate events including shows sponsored by Kelloggs and Edy’s Ice Cream. In July 2006 Jessica visited U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait, performing six shows for an Independence Day celebration including a 4th of July show in Bahgdad.

Sierra lived for a time in Nashville, Tennessee where she wrote and recorded with producer Nick Brophy. Brophy has worked with The Rolling Stones, Avril Lavigne and Phil Vassar and cowrote some songs with Phil Vassar's ex-wife Julie Wood Vassar. Jessica is managed by Verge Management.

In 2006, Jessica was featured in OK! Magazine and appeared on TV Guide Channel's program Idol Tonight.

In late 2006, Jessica recorded a song, "Unbroken", for a Toys "R" Us Exclusive CD that came with the purchase of a Sony CD player. It was released as a single in early 2007 on iTunes.

On January 8, 2008, Verge Management released Sierra's "Deepest Secret" EP on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Rhapsody. On March 14, 2008, Sierra's Deepest Secret EP was made available in CD format via her official website: http://www.jessicasierra.com/. On March 15, 2008, Jessica's video for her single Unbroken was released. Unbroken is the song that Jessica sang on VH1 Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. As of April 10, 2008, Jessica's song, "Deepest Secret," sits at the #3 spot on Idolwaves.

On January 31, 2008 a sex tape entitled Jessica Sierra Superstar was released.

Rehab and Legal Troubles

A 59-year-old man from California was arrested on January 17, 2006 at the home of Sierra's grandmother. Tampa police reported that Daniel Young left at least 40 voice mail messages telling Sierra that he loved her and was willing to go to jail for her. Sierra was a spokeperson for the United States Department of Justice's National Stalking Resource Center, and was featured in a national campaign to promote awareness of the risks of and remedies for stalking; Diane Stuart, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, United States Department of Justice, worked with Sierra on this project.

On April 29, 2007, Sierra was arrested at a Tampa bar after throwing a glass at a fellow bar patron. During her booking, cocaine was found in her purse; she subsequently was charged with assault and possession of cocaine. Prior to her plea and sentencing on these charges, Sierra participated in a VH1 rehab reality show run by Dr. Drew Pinsky of Loveline. The show, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, was described by VH1 as a serious take on the difficulties of getting clean and staying sober. VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, featuring Sierra and eight other celebrities, was filmed during the summer of 2007 but premiered on VH1 on January 10, 2008. Consisting of 9 regular episodes and a reunion show, Celebrity Rehab aired each Thursday night on VH1. Participants were Sierra, actress Brigitte Nielsen, actor Daniel Baldwin, former pro wrestler Joanie Laurer (aka Chyna), Crazy Town singer Seth Binzer (aka Shifty Shellshock), Taxi star Jeff Conaway, porn star Mary Carey, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez, and Family Matters actress Jaimee Foxworth.

On November 19, 2007, after regular filming on Celebrity Rehab had ended but before it had aired, Sierra pleaded "no contest" in a Tampa courtroom to the assault and cocaine possession charges and was sentenced to 12 months probation. Less than 2 weeks later, on December 1, Sierra was arrested again at a Tampa bar, this time for disorderly intoxication (misdemeanor), resisting arrest without violence (misdemeanor), and violation of her probation. The police report of the incident stated that Sierra was out of control, offered a sexual favor to one of the arresting officers, and vomited in the police car. On January 7, 2008, after spending 39 days in jail without benefit of bond, she was sentenced to time served plus 12 months in rehab at the Pasadena Recovery Center, the same California rehab center where Celebrity Rehab was filmed, and three additional years of probation. The judge's sentence followed a plea to the court on her behalf from Dr. Drew Pinsky, who flew in to Tampa for her hearing. Pinsky stated in and out of court that Sierra was multi-diagnosed and had mental health issues in addition to her severe addiction issues. As part of her probation terms, Sierra was also prevented from getting within 100 yards of a camera or microphone, a restriction that kept her from participating in the reunion episode of Celebrity Rehab 1 as well as in update interviews for American Idol Season 4's Rewind episodes.

In March 2009, Pinsky stated in interviews and on his Twitter account that he had recently presented Jessica with her one year of sobriety celebration cake and that she was "a new woman". He also noted on his VH1 blog that court-mandated treatment had saved her life.

On April 15, 2009, a Florida judge lifted the media ban restriction on Sierra. It was noted in court that she had tested clean and sober for about a year and a half. On April 29, two years to the date after her initial 2007 arrest, Sierra credited Dr. Drew Pinsky with saving her life in a taped interview.