Opinion Polls for 2008

I said I'd keep you all posted on the opinion polls for the Playmate of the Year 2008 race, even in the months leading up to the votes. I've looked through several of the early opinion polls in the Playboy community, including a couple of hotly contested ones with strong indicators for a couple of girls. Some polls show a very close race, so let's see how they stack up with my rankings...

Poll #1: 2008 Official Poll
(PlayboyCritic ranking given in brackets [ ] )

January - Jayde Nicole [3]		3rd	11.05%
February - Heather Rene Smith [5]		T-9th	4.65%
March - Tyran Richard [4]		T-5th	5.23%
April - Giuliana Marino [11]		T-5th	5.23%
May - Shannon James [2]		12th	2.33%
June - Brittany Binger [1]		1st	29.65%
July - Tiffany Selby [6]		11th	2.91%
August - Tamara Sky [10]		T-5th	5.23%
September - Patrice Hollis [9]		T-9th	4.65%
October - Spencer Scott [7]		2nd	16.86%
November - Lindsay Wagner [8]		4th	6.98%
December - Sasckya Porto [12]		T-5th	5.23%

This poll was particularly interesting and shocking because of the ranking of Shannon James, who placed last in votes, but was my #2 because of her fantastic pictorial. She's a beautiful woman, and I don't understand why she hasn't mobilized enough fans to get her going at all. One positive concurrence is obviously Brittany Binger, who gathered first place in both my ranking and in this poll. With more than a quarter of the votes, she's even rather far ahead of predicted fan favorite Spencer Scott, who is generating tons of buzz. As you know, I placed Spencer at #7, but the fans are obviously very excited about the young blond model. There are plenty of stalemates in this poll, but another piece of good news is the performance of Jayde Nicole, who placed third in both the poll and my ranking. I'd love to see her win it over Spencer, but it looks like Miss Scott might be at an arm's length by the time the votes are tallied. Also, Lindsay Wagner surprised me by placing 4th, as I didn't realize that she was generating this much buzz in the community.

Poll #2: General Fan Poll
(PlayboyCritic ranking given in brackets [ ] )

Miss January, Jayde Nicole		27	29.35%
Miss February, Heather Rene Smith		9	9.78%
Miss March, Tyran Richard		11	11.96%
Miss April, Giuliana Marino		13	14.13%
Miss May, Shannon James		6	6.52%
Miss June, Brittany Binger		51	55.43%
Miss July, Tiffany Selby		4	4.35%
Miss August, Tamara Sky		5	5.43%
Miss September, Patrice Hollis		10	10.87%
Miss October, Spencer Scott		27	29.35%
Miss November, Lindsay Wagner		20	21.74%
Miss December, Sasckya Porto		3	3.26%

This poll is definitely even more interesting, in that it gives Brittany Binger a massive lead over everyone else, with over 55% of votes! It also has both Spencer Scott and Jayde Nicole tied at 2nd with more than a quarter of votes! This huge gathering of votes by the clear top three makes it easy to narrow down the candidates: we should have Brittany, Spencer, or Jayde as our next PMOY. I was still upset that Shannon James placed at 9th and is doing so poorly in every opinion poll, although not as poorly as in the previous one. The poll was also showing that Sasckya Porto was a clear last-place finisher and an overall disappointment to many fans.

Given these polls, it's clear that we've got three candidates who are head-and-shoulders above all the others. Brittany, Spencer, and Jayde combined for a majority of votes in both polls, asserting their dominance on the field. It's my hope that Brittany or Jayde win over Spencer, but either of the three could prove to be a good candidate for PMOY. I'll keep everyone posted on any further developments.

In the meantime, enjoy the montages of what kinds of girls we might have taking the crown in April. 2007 was a great year of Playmates, regardless of who wins. With so many exotic faces and a markedly changing direction for Playboy, it'll be exciting to see what lies next in 2008.