[5] She was noticed waiting tables in East Williston, Long Island, and decided at age 18 to give modeling a try as a summer job to save money for college.

During the height of her popularity, she was the face of ad campaigns for Diet Pepsi, General Motors, Cover Girl Cosmetics, Noxzema, Hanes, Givenchy, Versace, Armani and numerous others.

She played Agent Monica McBride in a 1997 action film The Protector, opposite Matt McColm, and Karen Oldham in the television adaptation of Peter Benchley's Amazon (1999).

She took on a number of model/spokesman projects, including becoming a consultant with the Le Mirador skin-care line and appearing on late night TV infomercials.

[9] In 2006, Alt was honored as Grand Marshal at the German-American Steuben Parade in New York City, the largest celebration of German–American Friendship in the United States.

She ended up in third place before being fired, but was brought back for the final task of the show and was chosen by finalist Piers Morgan to help him to become the Celebrity Apprentice.

[10] In 2008 she also founded Raw Essentials, a skin-care and beauty products line with her partners (Philip Masiello and Steven Krane).

[14] In 2015 Alt co-starred in the Lifetime shoplifting comedy Stealing Chanel with Lydia Hearst, Anna Maria Cianciulli, and John Rothman.