No Other Choice

Kayla Love
CGOM December 2011

While 2011 was a decent year for Playmates, with things looking up in the second half of the year, the same can't be said for Cyber Girls as of late. The year was abysmal for Cyber Girl of the Year candidates, with no one seemingly taking the lead as we saw last year. In 2010, Bethanie Badertscher looked like a lock as soon as her pictorial debuted. In 2009, there were a handful of excellent candidates who are among the best Cyber Girls ever.

But, there is a saving grace. December's Cyber Girl of the Month, Kayla Love, is fantastic. She is, without a doubt, my choice for CGOY in 2012.

It all starts and ends with her posing talent. Kayla might be the most talented model of the year, even when taking Playmates and other models into account. Just take a look at her pictorials, and you'll understand. Her sinewy body does some awesome things, as she can curl up and minimize her frame to look vulnerable, or she can do her signature move, standing tall and creating a lean, sleek set of lines.

I could go on and on referring to some of her wonderful photos, but the fact is that her slim body and sharp posing sense meld almost magically. She might be a lightweight in appearance, but her curves look spectacular when viewed as a profile, in shots like this one or this.

While Kayla's face might be her Achilles' heel in the end, with a lack of definition that makes her look rather generic, she's still pretty, and this shouldn't detract from her sexy presence. She also looks incredible in videos, flashing a melting gaze along with her ability to stand tall and deliver a great picture.

In the end, the other ladies of 2011's Cyber Girl class don't deserve a full rundown. The bottom line is, there's Kayla, and then there's everyone else. We've seen a similar talent and body type last year (Bethanie, anyone?), and Kayla delivered just as well. However, let's cross our fingers and hope Miss Love  can deliver on a CGOY bid that will dig us out of our current rut.

Hello, Goodbye

In the past three years, you could say we've seen some major missteps in terms of Cyber Girls. We've seen some greats come and go, and a pair of questionable calls at Cyber Girl of the Year (Sharae Spears and Tess Taylor Arlington) made many shake their heads in confusion. How could great entries like Jamie Graham, Trina Marie, Jia Lynn, and Tasha Nicole get tossed aside so easily?

Thankfully, this year's dark cloud has a silver lining. You might have noticed that I did not even bother to write a Cyber Girl Recap post for this year's class, simply because I thought it was abysmal all throughout. Well, except for one girl - Bethanie Badertscher, our 2011 CGOY.

Some might recall how I gushed about Bethanie after her CGOM debut back in July of last year. I went on about how she was the "one to beat" for the CGOY title, and her all-around perfection inspired me to award her a spot in my PlayboyCritic Hall of Fame with an A+ rating. And lo and behold, Bethanie's taken the title with relative ease. And believe me, she won't disappoint.

No, Bethanie could easily be the greatest Cyber Girl of the Year we've seen since Jo Garcia, and could even surpass that prolific woman by leaps and bounds. It's no secret that she's got a lot to live up to: 4 previous CGOYs are in my Hall of Fame (Jo Garcia, Monica Leigh, Amy Sue Cooper, and Merritt Cabal). Those ladies had some dazzling showings in their monthly installments, but I have no doubt Miss Badertscher will be able to hold her own, and eventually cement herself as one of the great Cyber Girls in history.

Seeing her first pictorial just reaffirms my fascination with this girl. Bethanie is just a different breed of poser - a fresh breath in an era of boring Barbie doll models with lifeless posing styles. Beth has loads of talent, and her debut pictorial is saucy and spectacular. The sexy, strappy lingerie combined with a wholly different look offers a window into how Bethanie's reign as CGOY will be. The ability to deliver variety is key, and there may have never been a CGOY with more varied talents like this one. She can change her look with a flip of the hair or a flash of her smile, and her body is just immaculate in every photo. I'll wait to really judge where Bethanie will sit in the order of past CGOYs, but it's safe to say that it will be exciting from beginning to end.

Tess had a rough outing
as CGOY, drawing the ire
of many fans

The same, unfortunately, can't be said about our outgoing Cyber Girl of the Year, Tess Taylor Arlington. Her twelve months have been unbelievably forgettable, and her unfortunate pick over fan favorite Jamie Graham still is a sore spot among many. I held out hope when she was selected, even saying that she would turn out some memorable performances to silence her critics. Now that her reign is over, how would I rank her among the CGOY's of the past?

See my original Cyber Girl of the Year rankings from 2009

#1. Amy Sue Cooper ('05)
#2. Monica Leigh ('06)
#3. Jo Garcia ('08)
#4. Merritt Cabal ('03)
#5. Sharae Spears ('09)
#6. Erika Michelle Barre ('02)
#7. Alicia Burley ('04)
#8. Breann McGregor ('07)
#9. Tess Taylor Arlington ('10)


So there you are. I believe we just went through the worst CGOY we've ever seen. Now that it's over with, we can bask in the glow of Bethanie, who I believe will have a good chance to usurp even the biggest names on that list. Fingers crossed!

Cyber Girl of the Year - Surprise, Surprise

After seeing the Playmate of the Year choice unveiled as someone who didn't even appear in my top 5, I, as many people, felt that the Cyber Girl of the Year nomination would be limited to two simple choices. Both girls were in my top two, and both were to be sure locks as soon as their monthly pictorial sets were released.

One was Hillary Fisher, who was a huge star as soon as her CGOW pictorial was unveiled. She had the talent, the looks, the body to truly be a major star as CGOY. She had tons of potential, although her CGOM showing fell a bit under par. The other, my #1, was Jamie Graham. Miss Graham easily had the best body I saw in 2009, of any model. Her picture-perfect proportions and incredibly down home good looks were paired with a wonderful knack for posing. I just dreamt of all the amazing pictorials she could bring in an entire year.

Instead, my #3 Cyber Girl won the nomination. It was recently announced that Tess Taylor Arlington won the grand prize of the year. It's easily the most prolific position in the Playboy world, and it immediately ignited mixed reactions in the community. I put Tess as my #3 girl in a pretty weak class - in any other year, I'm not sure if she'd even crack my top 5. However, Tess showed some amazing promise, with a great posing style and an agressive, sexual look.

The huge caveat, though, is Tess' tattoos. Much discussion has been thrown around about them, and if you look at her new CGOY pictorials, she's gotten a couple new celebratory tats, right along her arms. Without the body art, could Tess be broadly accepted as a unanimous winner, but because of her incessant lack of taste, it definitely has cut into her fan base.

As I've said, Tess is extremely talented and cute, and has a very nice body... but Cyber Girl of the Year?? Not even close. Tess' inked up skin is a disaster, and brings down the standard of holding such a high position. Indeed, this is a title that has had some amazing girls, like Amy Sue Cooper, Monica Leigh, and Jo Garcia, some of the best models in Playboy's history.

Now, to be fair, I'll stand back and assess Tess over the year. She has many chances to show that she deserves the title. If you remember, last year I adamantly wrote off the selection of Sharae Spears as CGOY. Although Sharae had an inconsistent showing throughout the year, she was awesomely talented in many of her photo sets, with an extraordinary physique and a load of talent. Do I still think other candidates would have done better? Definitely. But she certainly proved her might.

Will Tess prove me wrong, as Sharae did? I have full faith that she will. Although Jamie Graham would have been the dream girl for the job, Tess will listen to her detractors and turn in some very memorable performances.

_________________________

Speaking of Sharae, where does she rank in my ranking of the

best Cyber Girls ever? Take a look...

#1. Amy Sue Cooper ('05)

#2. Monica Leigh ('06)

#3. Jo Garcia ('08)

#4. Merritt Cabal ('03)

#5. Sharae Spears ('09)

#6. Erika Michelle Barre ('02)

#7. Alicia Burley ('04)

#8. Breann McGregor ('07)

2010 Cyber Girl of the Year Candidates

As we close in on April, the announcement of this year's Cyber Girl of the Year is imminent. The most prolific and perhaps most important position in the Playboy world, their fans all know that the CGOY has a chance to display her talents for a full year. That means, she'd better be good! This year, however, the field of Cyber Girls is extremely top-heavy. There is some great talent in the top 3 or 4, but there is a major dropoff after that. Anyone outside the top would be a very unfortunate choice. Let's take a look...

#12 Rebecca Lynn (January)

How She Got Here: Rebecca beat out Stephanie Strong, one of the best Cyber Girl of the Week candidates of 2009. That's saying something about how bad the voters screwed up. Stephanie would easily have been a CGOY contender, but sadly, she didn't get the chance.

The Good: Not a whole lot to say about Rebecca... but she does have a bit of variety in her poses.

The Bad: She doesn't have even a shred of talent in her pictorials. Her body is disproportionate, her photos are washed out, and her costumes are atrocious. You can fault Playboy all you want for their terrible production quality, but the bottom line is that Rebecca is just not very attractive.

#11 Jessa Lynn (October)

How She Got Here: Jessa beat out two great candidates: Heather Hughes and Anna Lynn. Heather was particularly clean-cut and beautiful, but Jessa's CGOW pictorial was deceivingly alluring.

The Good: Jessa's got a very interesting face, and her platinum locks make her an interesting girl to watch. She has a presence that may catch the audience's attention.

The Bad: Jessa simply is another repeat of the other "Lynn" on our list. Her interesting face is counterbalanced by a bawdy, gaudy look, with big hair and a full-on style that is anything but subtle. Her posing style is nothing but old and tiring, and we've seen this sort of Cyber Girl time and time again.

#10 Victoria Ivanova (December)

How She Got Here: Victoria certainly had the best performance of all of the August CGOW's, with a cute and polished pictorial. There's no mystery there, though Summer Lena was an intriguing number two.

The Good: Victoria certainly has a very intriguing look. She has an Eastern European look that sets her apart, and her posing style is both sensual and dynamic, with the producers doing a good job of showing off her versatility.

The Bad: Yes, it's true... Victoria's horrific boob job has dropped her from a potential top 5 all the way down to number 10. That's how bad it is. They look like large balloons hanging from her chest, and are a huge distraction on an otherwise pretty girl. It's a huge shame, since Victoria has ample talent, but that physical caveat truly hinders her position.

#9 Netty Maj (August)

How She Got Here: Netty was part of a very weak group of CGOW's back in April. None of the others are even worth mentioning, since Netty's pictorial was very sexy, unique, and spot-on.

The Good: The way Netty got here is through her main strength, and she displayed it in even more detail during August: she took on an all-natural, flowing style. Netty was always mesmerizing, and definitely the toughest girl to figure out... perhaps the most enigmatic model of all 2009. Netty's unique posing style is very passive, but deep and interesting. She's raw, doesn't wear a lot of makeup, and does everything very naturally.

The Bad: Perhaps Netty's strong points are her biggest problems, as well. While she is intriguing in her au natural look, she also lacks a whole lot of "pop" in the process. Netty's shy, reticent style puts her on a different stage from the other contenders, and puts her at a low profile. She's a bit less accessible than the others, but that's what makes her interesting. Still, she's not downright pretty enough to stand by passively.

#8 Jennifer Lewis (February)

How She Got Here: Jennifer's CGOW pictorial was gorgeous and mature, with Playmate-esque poise. She faced up against a strange and unique group, including Jane Taylor and Jennifer Kohut, who generally didn't have much of a chance.

The Good: Jennifer's look is very girl-next-door and outrageously stripped down. She is the ultimate "everygirl," with minimal makeup and no signs of enhancement. Her easy going style is also very endearing, and her overall friendliness makes her the "Miss Congeniality" of the 2009 class.

The Bad: What keeps Jennifer from being truly great, and in the top half of the 2009 class, is that she is woefully unpolished. The production team did absolutely nothing to help her out here... all of Jennifer's flaws are there for the public to see. This is a problem with many girls who make the transition to CGOM: they just don't have the natural looks to punch through the production quality of their CGOW pictorials. Jennifer suffers from this dearly, as she looks pale and disproportionate.

#7 Lauren D'Marie (March)

How She Got Here: Lauren had what was possibly the best CGOW pictorial of 2008. That's saying quite a bit, considering the competition. She was absolutely immaculate, and wholly engaging; Lauren was destined to become one of the great African American models in Playboy history, in my eyes.

The Good: Lauren has a perfect balance of natural beauty that really makes her worth looking into. Her face is beautiful - with a pouty stare or a wry smile, she delivers a very unique look. The production quality of her pictorials is also great, as they put her in perfect situations to perform at her very best. Her body proportions can't be argued against, as they complement her style wonderfully.

The Bad: I have a major question for the Playboy producers here: what happened?!? Lauren was a lock to be a major contender for Cyber Girl of the Year, as soon as I saw her CGOW pictorial. It was amazing to watch her soft features clash with color and style. In her CGOM pictorial, Lauren was reduced to a completely mediocre entrant. Her posing was boring and long-winded. Her hair was curled and frizzy, completely ruining the look that accentuated her legginess and height. The pictorials were overly dark and uncharacterized. What... happened?? Lauren turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of 2009.

#6 Carlie Christine (May)

How She Got Here: Carlie had another one of the best CGOW pictorials we saw in 2009. She was truly a bright spectacle that completely outshone her competitive opponents, Krystie Lena and Danielle Fornarelli. They had no chance against Carlie's bright eyes, though.

The Good: Carlie makes it to the top half of my ranking by simply being a beautiful girl. Her body is voluptuous and stacked proportionally, her face is gorgeous, and her eyes continue to twinkle as they did in her CGOW pictures. She continued to have a refined, stately look that gave her a clean but sensual feel. Her pictorials have some good costuming, and do a good job with matching her passive intensity.

The Bad: It seemed that Carlie lost a huge amount of her luster when she transitioned to the CGOM role. As with almost any of the other ladies, such as Lauren D'Marie, a lot of production quality is lost in the transition to the monthly crown, which exposes flaws and forces girls to tough it out with raw talent. Carlie is a beautiful girl with a great body, but that twinkle in her eyes just isn't the same at this stage. Her intriguing look is roughed up a bit, and you tend to see the flaws in her pale skin and inconsistent posing. Definitely not a CGOY-caliber performance.

#5 Cassie Keller (June)

How She Got Here: Cassie had an admirable debut pictorial in January of '09, but I felt that her selection was a pretty sizable upset over Chase Medley, who had a very wholesome and cute look. Cassie's pictorial held its own, though, with some bright colors and solid posing.

The Good: Cassie's strengths are not immediately apparent. Her style and appearance take some getting used to, but ultimately her greatest qualities are in her height and her posing. Even her great posing abilities do not come across that well in her pictorials, but as a Cyber Girl, videos are fair game, so you would be obliged to check them out. Cassie's video performances are easily some of the best of 2009, and she truly shines because of her congenial personality and her outstanding size. Her sinewy, leggy body is amazing to watch in motion, as she contorts and moves herself in ways that would boggle your mind. Not to mention, she's quite a sight to behold.

The Bad: The main problem with Cassie is what can keep her from being immediately attractive to all viewers: her posing ability and performance don't translate that well to her pictorials. In fact, most of her photos are poorly produced, with a complete lack of quality lighting or proper photography. Cassie is often made-up wrong, and has unflattering poses taken of her. However, if you haven't been able to give her a good look, skip the pictorials and check out her videos, as she definitely shines when she's in motion.

#4 Kaytee Bees (April)

How She Got Here: December 2008 was where it came time to select the "Cyber Girl 100" winner, who would become the 100th CGOM to be selected all-time. Kaytee shone in her pictorial, with a soft, exotic look that truly stole the show. She was understated in her looks, beating out the competition, with contrasting styles of the other candidates being shut out.

The Good: Though not as wholesome as she was in her CGOW days, Kaytee put on quite a show due to her posing prowess. Her flash and pomp throughout is hard to match, and she deals out dynamic poses and juicy sexual positions in every photo. Kaytee is very true to her style, and that style is one of unrelenting sensuality. She isn't very subtle with her actions, and delivers sizzling hotness with every picture. Having a body like hers also helps -- she's very voluptuous and buxom, with colossal breasts and a curvy body that brings the point across.

The Bad: Kaytee's got the style and body that fit what she's trying to bring to the table, and there's no doubting that. However, she ends up being very one-dimensional for the same reasons. In her CGOW pictorial, she had a good mix of everything, and came across as a wholesome girl-next-door who could "flip a switch" and turn into a sexual goddess in a flash. However, she loses that multidimensionality with her monthly debut, cutting out any sense of intrigue. Kaytee looks far too artificial, always made-up and overly enhanced. Her breasts look larger, and although they might not actually be, they are overstressed in her pictorial, and her body takes more precedence over her own skills.

#3 Tess Taylor Arlington (November)

How She Got Here: Tess beat out some pretty strong candidates with some pretty weak material. Brook Ericson seems like she had a chance, but Tess's performance was far more nuanced and mysterious, and was by far the most intriguing CGOW pictorial of the month.

The Good: Tess Arlington is, without a doubt, the biggest surprise of the 2009 Cyber Girl class. Not only is she a scrappy 20-year-old with a very unique face and personality, but she is outstandingly talented. She knows how to wear a sexy smirk in just the right way, just enough to tickle your curiosity and please the audience. She poses with unbelievable confidence, and carries herself with great professionalism. It almost feels like she's been doing this forever, and it just feels very natural. All in all, her pictorials are done beautifully, too. The producers capture her skin tone and style in a great way. Tess has a great balance of sexual passion as well as innocence, and is a great girl-next-door persona when she wants to be. Above it all, she has a chiseled, awesome body... probably one of the top 3 in the class. The style, the poise, the beauty... It's hard to express just how amazing Tess is.

The Bad: It is very unfortunate to say it, but Tess would be easily the #1 or 2 girl of the year if not for one fatal flaw: her tattoos. Normally, I can ignore some body art as long as it doesn't get in the way of most photos, but Tess has huge tapestries carved across her picturesque body. How she can mar such amazing skin is beyond me, and really brings her down to #3, in my eyes. If she didn't mess with perfection, Tess could catch the attention of many more fans, and could have gone down as one of the best Cyber Girls in history.

#2 Hillary Fisher (September)

How She Got Here: It was a simple path for Hillary - she started out in Playboy's "Girls of Hooters" feature, after which she became CGOW back in last May. There, she was an immediate hit, providing what was easily the best Cyber Girl of the Week pictorial of 2009. In doing so, she blew out her competition as a major fan favorite - the other girls aren't even worth mentioning here. Hillary's CGOW pictorial was extraordinary, and hit every good angle of her luscious body.

The Good: It's simple: Hillary Fisher is the epitome of sexy. She is probably the most outrightly photogenic model of all the CGOM's in the 2009 class, with a beautiful face and an equally busty body. Her slim stature and respectable proportions complement her incredibly tough, hard body. While not the best body of 2009, Hillary's certainly stacked far up there. What makes her my #2, however, is not her physique, but more in her overall friendliness in photographs. When Hillary hits a sexy pose, she does it with passion and a charming accessibility that gives her a massive fan following. On top of all that, she is very overtly sexual, but in a playful way. She could be your girl next door, but you can also picture her being outright raunchy when she feels it, and she does a great job of conveying attitude in her pictorial.

The Bad: Hillary could easily have been the best model, far and away, of the year. The caveat that kept her from reaching the summit was, without a doubt, her poor CGOM performance. If you add it all up, she has a perfect face, an amazing body, and a photogenic quality that makes her timeless. However, her CGOW pictorial was far and away her best work. Her CGOM series was an utter disappointment. The production quality vastly suffered, and besides her final pictorial series (May 18th), she didn't offer much in the way of quality photos. In fact, she has a hard time being consistent in these photos, and oftentimes looks uptight and misses her poses. It's actually incredible that I could rank her so high, but that is just a testament to how gorgeous she is, inherently. Without those striking good looks, she would have been a disaster, given what she had to work with. This amazing girl deserves a shot at CGOY, to showcase what she can really do with lots of time.

#1 Jamie Graham (July)

How She Got Here: Jamie created loads of fan buzz when she appeared in a spread for last year's "Girls of the Big 10" college issue, where she showed off her serious body for all to see. She then took a feature as CGOW, where her legend grew through a series of playful, college-themed shots that easily blew past the weak competition. Still now, Jamie carries this close following as she heads into the CGOY race.

The Good: There is only one place to start when you talk about just how hot Jamie Graham is: she has a fantastic body. There are no two ways about it, Jamie has what is probably the best body of any Playboy model of 2009. That's a tall order, but just take one look at her picture-perfect physique, and you should agree that it's better than perfect. Her breasts are taut, her back is curvy, and her butt is absolutely perfect. Her whole body, from head to toe (and yes, including those amazing legs) is absolutely toned, muscular, and the ultimate picture of femininity. Ok, all of this gushing aside, Jamie isn't just a (hot) piece of meat. She is also an impeccable poser, with an amazing attention to detail and a great sense for the camera and environment. She has a very general, girl-next-door demeanor, yet unleashes a tide of sexual energy in every photo, making her a very enigmatic model, and one that always stays interesting. Jamie is truly the strongest candidate for Cyber Girl of the Year, given her cult-like following and near perfect execution of nude modeling. She is absolutely the most promising Cyber Girl since Jo Garcia, and that's saying quite a bit.

The Bad: It's tough to pinpoint flaws in Jamie, but to be straightforward, her looks are not for everyone. Sometimes, her face may be her ultimate flaw, as she is uneasy with her smiles, and looks different from separate angles. Her hair can also look too conservative at times, and she can sometimes use a rougher look to complement her physical beauty. Still, Jamie's got the most momentum in the CGOY race, and should be formidable. Wouldn't it be amazing to see 12 months of that body?

The Real CGOY

Robbed. Robbed! That's the best way to describe the nomination of Sharae Spears as 2009's Cyber Girl of the Year. I've recapped the years of CGOY's since 2002, and marveled at how the past choices have all been from the cream of the crop as far as Cyber Girls go. Past CGOYs, like Monica Leigh, Amy Sue Cooper, and this past year's Jo Garcia are all some of the most beautiful women ever to become part of the Playboy family. This year's upsetting result broke that tradition, picking a majority favorite without any real identity at all.

So who should have been CGOY 2009? The luscious Tasha Nicole? Buxom Jia Lynn? Cute-as-a-button Trina Marie? Not a single one... the real winner only made it to the first round, and not any further.

Dana Dicillo was a little piece of heaven from Las Vegas, Cyber Girl of the Week for March 17th, 2008. She lost to Heidi Wheeler, a relative Playboy insider with connections as a bunny in the industry. The loss was plain unfair, because Dana was, bar-none, the sexiest girl of 2008. Dana deserved to win CGOM in July, and to move on to become CGOY for this year. Why? Because Dana has the "it" factor to be an enduring Playboy symbol.

Dana proved it to me with her "Good Fortune" pictorial this New Years, 2009. Dana absolutely floored me in what was one of the very best pictorials I'd ever seen. Dana's body was shining in a brilliant glowing light provided by the production crew, with this initial shot making my jaw drop. As Dana spreads her petite 4'11" frame along those white sheets in a classic, gorgeous, tried and true theme, she looks visually stunning. As Dana continues to strip off her undies in every little flowing move, she looks like a girl with years of modeling experience.

The key to Dana is her angelic appearance. With those eyes, which very well might be some of the greatest eyes to appear in Playboy EVER, Dana is radiant and devastatingly pretty. One look from those eyes and with that slim, sleek body to back it up, and it's hard to argue that Dana has any equals in the Playboy scene. Those sexual hands and lips take it to another level, as well, as Dana really does a great job going from scene to scene with flawless sensuality. As Dana finishes off the pictorial with that amazing stare, it's hard not to have to hold your breath and take her in. This girl is absolutely one-of-a-kind, and might be a girl for the ages.

It was a plain injustice for Dana not to take it all for 2008. It's she who should be popping up on our screens when we click on our monthly "Cyber Girl of the Year" feature on the Club. Dana is a thing of beauty, an almost heavenly goddess who certainly deserves a chance to show all her glory in additional material as soon as she can. What was everyone thinking???


One parallel I can draw is that of Hillary Fisher, a Cyber Girl of the Week earlier this month, and someone who I gave an "A" rating earlier. Hillary should be on the fast track to CGOM, and possibly after that to CGOY stardom, but this is all too familiar. Granted, she has the existing fame coming in from doing Special Editions material, but this had better not go awry. Hillary has met her toughest competition of the month this week, in the emergence of the very beautiful Markesa Yeager. However, Miss Yeager is only a pushover compared to Hillary, who is in many cases the model of a lifetime. We can only wait and hope that the past doesn't repeat itself...

Cyber World

A lot's been going on in the world of Cyber Girls, from top to bottom: there are plenty of developments in the CGOM world, with two new great runners for next year's CGOY title. Not to mention, we have crowned a new official Cyber Girl of the Month. And to top it all off, we've got a couple of extremely exciting candidates emerging as CGOWs, including this week's new emerging contender. So let's get started!

Let's start at the top... with Sharae Spears, who was recently crowned CGOY. If you look back to my rankings, you'll remember that Sharae was nowhere near the top for me, in fact, she came in at a measly #8, and for good reason. As I said, this was one of the stronger Cyber Girls years as of late, and the candidates were rife with talent. The pool was deep, and the top three were amazingly beautiful, with Tasha Nicole, Trina Marie, and Jia Lynn all being stellar candidates who could have put on breathtaking performances in their reign.

Who do we get instead?? Absolute mediocrity!! This has to be one of the biggest missteps Playboy has made in recent years, along with Dana Dicillo's snub earlier last year. One flub I can take, but SHARAE WINNING THE YEAR'S CROWN?!? This is just ridiculous. Sharae is pretty, but has nowhere near the kind of talent needed to deliver month after month on the big year's stage.

Aside from that, it looks like Playboy's changed to formatting for the way they're doing the CGOY feature. Gone are the days of Jo Garcia's prolific set of 12 months' pictorials, or Monica Leigh's breathtaking performance over the course of the year. Now, we got unprofessional, boring blog posts and shoddy material. Is that what the fans deserve? A girl we didn't vote for, giving us crappy material??

To put a positive spin on things, I can at least look forward to next year's CGOY. Yes, it might be early, but with this result, I can't help but look forward (HOW could they deny Tasha or Jia another shot??) First, we have last month's Cyber Girl 100 winner, Kaytee Bees.

Kaytee was my pick for CG 100, and although the candidates weren't really extraordinary in the first place, Kaytee really stuck out with her CGOW pictorial set. Kaytee did a great job with her CGOM pictorial sets, too, showing a bit of an edgier side than she'd previously shown. Kaytee is extremely busty, which surprised me because somehow I missed that big detail when I first looked her over. Also, Kaytee's cute face has soft features and is unique in a sort of exotic way, mainly in her eyes, which are extremely seductive when she focuses them and gives a squinty, quick look.

The bottom line with Kaytee is that she is a well-deserved winner as the 100th Cyber Girl of the Month, with an excellently curvaceous body that's overly extravagant with its curves. In fact, they can sometimes be a bit too much for the eye to behold, as Kaytee truly excels when the camerawork is made to subtly accentuate her body, without going too overboard. She's a definite Cyber Girl of the Year candidate for 2010, and her performance in her Week 4 videos may throw her over the top if enough fans take a good look at them. Kaytee is a very talented poser, and her strip teases are extremely engaging and active.



Consensus... B+

Kaytee Bees
Cyber Girl 100 Winner
Cyber Girl of the Month
April 2009




This month's girl, May's Carlie Christine, is also a real looker. She was my choice to emerge from her CGOW competition, and for plenty of reasons. Carlie had a sort of classical look to her, a quintessential bright-eyed Playmate who hearkens back to the 1960's, when the starlet-esque gaze was all the rage. Although Carlie's lost that production value a little bit with the transition over to CGOM, she still looks radiant in her photos. Carlie is a real natural beauty, and it's my hope that Playboy doesn't over-sexualize her and make her into a "porn star," and lose the luscious charm that she embraced so well as a CGOW. It's a little startling how much of that sparkle Carlie's lost in the transition already, and hopefully the photographers will bring that luster back in the next two weeks.

Getting all the way to the nitty-gritty of recent developments, let's take a look at a long-awaited Cyber Girl of the Week appearance, Hillary Fisher. Hillary has appeared in numerous Playboy Special Editions features, but fans always felt that she deserved a higher stage because of her great sense of professionalism and immaculate beauty. Well, that wait has come to an end, as Hillary has gotten her chance to shine on the big stage with her CGOW pictorial coming out today. The expectations were high, but the general fan consensus is that Hillary absolutely hit it out of the park.

Hillary looks so extraordinary in her pictorial, she absolutely floored me in it. The hard spotlighting upon her finely tanned skin looks breathtaking, and the photographers really did a great job with the production on her set.

And hey, a hot model doesn't hurt, either. Hillary has been a longtime fan favorite because of just how sexy her body is, and how positively radiant her face looks. Her body, a slim, petite, rock hard work of art, is tight and fit. And, it's curvy in all the right places. On top of that, Hillary has one of the most beautiful and dynamic faces you can find anywhere in Playboy. She's got a hundred different looks, and her infections, pearly white smile is to die for.

Ultimately, Hillary is one of the most exciting CGOW's to emerge since Lauren D'Marie. If you take into account Lauren's flop of a CGOM pictorial, then you could go all the way back to June 2008's Tasha Nicole for an equivalently exciting pictorial. Hillary, in my mind, is not just an early favorite for CGOM for her respective month, but for 2010's Cyber Girl of the Year nomination. If all goes well, Hillary could have a spectacular showing as CGOM, as long as Playboy doesn't stray from the formula that makes her spectacular. If all of that goes well, we could be witnessing the ascent of one of the great Cyber Girls of all-time.

Too early? Hey, after Sharae's win, I've got to keep hope. Perhaps it's Hillary that will usher in the "return" of the Cyber Girl?




Consensus... A

Hillary Fisher
Cyber Girl of the Week
5/11/2009

2009 Cyber Girl of the Year Candidates

With the time we have left before the imminent Cyber Girl of the Year announcement, I've decided to curtail the long, descriptive reviews of each of the girls in the running, and instead give a very short synopsis on what I think about each candidate, along with ratings and a ranking. Sorry for not having made a longer, more in-depth record, but hopefully this will suffice. Needless to say, no matter how I rate these ladies, this CGOY race will be one of the tighter ones of all time, because of just how many extraordinary girls popped up all throughout. Enjoy...

Meghan Allen - January

When I first saw Meghan in her CGOY spread, I had very high expectations. She failed to match them by a mile, as soon as I saw how unpolished her posing was. Although she has a fantastic body, she didn't necessarily start off 2009 with a bang, and she fell off the radar for the year's title as soon as she made her debut.
Consensus...
Posing: B-
Body: A-
Face: B+
Material: B-
Overall: B-

Amanda Hanshaw - February

Amanda's very outrageous proportions are what got her the CGOM nomination in February, but when it came down to it, she couldn't hold her own in terms of professional, interesting posing talent. Even her massive plastic implants couldn't make up for her complete lack of any spark.
Consensus...
Posing: B-
Body: B+
Face: B
Material: C+
Overall: B-

Trina Marie - March

As far as I was concerned, the year could have ended here in March. Trina was extraordinary in terms of her unique beauty and understated sultryness. She had loads of talent, but didn't always seem very comfortable in her role until later on in her apperance. Weeks 3 and 4 were fantastic, and, in my mind, made her a top contender for the CGOY prize. Her cute face would be a joy to see year-round, but I'm still questioning her ability to pose with lots of variety for 12 monthly featurettes.
Consensus...
Posing: B+
Body: B+
Face: A
Material: A
Overall: A

Destiny White - April

Destiny's task of following Trina wasn't a simple one, but she was an interesting girl in this age of curvier bodies and tanner skin. She is a bit of a truer "girl next door" candidate with an adorable sense of spunkiness to her. Although she isn't the best or most interesting poser, and cannot be a serious contender for CGOY, she was cute and worldly enough to be a nice breather for the midway point of the year.
Consensus...
Posing: B
Body: B
Face: B+
Material: B+
Overall: B

Alexandra Penovich - May

A midwestern beauty with a smooth body and an interesting look, fans are generally torn about Alex. Some love her, and some think the total opposite. I personally happen to think she's a very nice pick for CGOM, particularly because she has a cute sense of sensuality that really comes a cross in her posing. She does a great job of getting cuddly with the camera, and sometimes turning on the heat and knowing what looks good in pictures. Her body's also a real tight package, seemingly having all the right moves. One thing that folks take issue with is her face, which might not appeal to everyone. It might be the only fatal flaw that keeps Alex from being in the top three.
Consensus...
Posing: A-
Body: A-
Face: B-
Material: B+
Overall: B+

Amanda English - June

By far the weakest girl in the 2008 Cyber Girl class, Amanda fell completely flat with her pictorials and videos. While she did look promising in her CGOW entry, Amanda is simply a dull model with very little to offer in an age where models have to make a serious impact in order to get noticed. Amanda's short hair and tried-and-boring style just doesn't cut it.
Consensus...
Posing: C
Body: B
Face: B
Material: C
Overall: C

Heidi Wheeler - July

The second half of the year ushered in a string of Cyber Girls that comprise one of the most competitive classes ever. It started with Heidi Wheeler, a Playboy insider who beat out huge fan favorite Dana Dicillo (an issue I still have a bone to pick with Playboy about... probably the biggest mistake of 2008!!). Heidi won, and she put out a performance that showed that she can really contend with the best. The main comment I have with Heidi is that she is on and off in terms of her posing talent, but her body is by far the best of all the girls' in 2008. Look over her videos and pictorials, and compare them with the others, and you'll see why. Heidi is stacked, hard, and has a breathtaking figure. If that was all that was needed, we could give her the crown right away.
Consensus...
Posing: B+
Body: A+
Face: B+
Material: B
Overall: B+

Sharae Spears - August

Sharae is a true summergirl Playboy model with a cute Barbie doll face and a nice, innocent smile. She's also a bigtime fan favorite, and currently leads in many of the major fan polls. This was surprising to me because I felt Sharae had a lot to offer, but lacked the bigtime talent to carry her through to a CGOY nomination, or anywhere close to it. Sharae just wouldn't cut it with such a large load of pictorial material to do... although she's pretty and looks great naked, her photos just don't come out with the sort of pizzazz you'd expect from a truly great model. A middling woman isn't what we're looking for here.
Consensus...
Posing: B
Body: B
Face: B+
Material: B-
Overall: B

Jia Lynn - September

In terms of sheer professionalism and impact on the 2009 race, no girl made a bigger splash than Jia Lynn. Her CGOM debut was anticipated for months ever since she released her hugely popular Cyber Girl of the Week feature, but no one expected her to completely come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. Jia is wildly talented, interesting, and has a penchant for being extremely photogenic and likeable. Her body is near perfect, and she moves like an angel in her videos. She has every "it" factor to be CGOY, and is certainly tops in the running.
Consensus...
Posing: A
Body: A
Face: B
Material: A-
Overall: A

Tasha Nicole - October

Tasha was also highly anticipated since her debut in her CGOW pictorial, and for all the right reasons, just like with Jia. It was an excellent one-two punch when they came out consecutively, immediately spicing up an already interesting race toward the end of the year. I personally preferred Tasha's look in her CGOW pictorial, simply because it was so polished and sexual, and didn't have much room for flaws because of its short length. With a full four-week feature, Tasha showed that she is pretty flawed in being able to push a pictorial all the way from beginning to end. There are hits and misses with her photographs, but when it comes down to it, she's got far more raw sexuality than any other girl in 2008, and boy, does she have one heck of a body. It's athletic, long, and golden brown. If she posed more consistently, she'd be a perfect candidate.
Consensus...
Posing: B
Body: A
Face: B+
Material: B+
Overall: A-

Debbie Beal - November

Debbie didn't catch my eye until I started to peruse her material more carefully. I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found -- a simple, straightforward model with a new look and an absolutely adorable face, wrapped in a sexy, trim body and an engaging feel for the camera. She stole my heart for a bit, and... what can I say... I was wooed. But it takes a little exploration, and she's not always a hit. When Debbie does hit, however, with those big eyes and those cute pearly whites, she's hard not to love.
Consensus...
Posing: B+
Body: B
Face: A
Material: B
Overall: B+

Kristina Jarvis - December

The last girl of the year has been getting constant mushy adoration from fans from all over. She's unique, she's feminine, she's a very mature poser with a seductive face... but through it all, I haven't been very impressed by Kristina. She doesn't have the "it" factor, although she is very pretty. None of her material tends to jump out at you, and although she's a beautiful young lady, like so many other girls this year, she just hasn't found a way to stack up well against this fierce competition. It's a tough year to compete for mediocre girls, but they were fun to watch along the way.
Consensus...
Posing: B-
Body: B
Face: B+
Material: B
Overall: B

Final Rankings:
12. Amanda English
11. Amanda Hanshaw
10. Meghan Allen
9. Kristina Jarvis
8. Sharae Spears
7. Destiny White
6. Alexandra Penovich
5. Heidi Wheeler
4. Debbie Beal
3. Tasha Nicole
2. Jia Lynn
1. Trina Marie

One thing I definitely can predict right now is that there are going to be plenty of disagreements when the winner emerges. I suspect that many folks won't agree with my assessment and final ranking, and believe me, it was very, very difficult to put these girls in any particular order. Tasha, Jia, and Trina were simple to rank for me, since I felt these three ladies were head-and-shoulders above all the other ladies in the field. The rest were a muddled mass of girls, some indistinguishable even after four weeks of material to sort through.

I picked Trina to come out on top because of that special something that she brought to the table. Jia was more polished, Tasha was more raunchy, but Trina was a girl that was almost tangible, that you could almost feel. Not to mention, she's incredibly beautiful in so many ways. Won't be long before we find out the winner... this could get nasty.

Best Cyber Girl of the Year Ever?

So here we are, on the cusp of the nomination of a new Cyber Girl of the Year, after the unveiling of the final installment of Jo Garcia's CGOY pictorial series. In recent years, the Cyber Girl of the Year winners have been given the most exposure of any girl in the Playboy realm, with monthly installments of well produced pictorial series for a year after their designations to the position.

So, there's the topic of Jo. Jo is still the only girl I've given an "A+" rating on my blog, after she absolutely floored me with her Cyber Girl of the Month entry way back when. Now, we've seen her entire repertoire unfold, and we have a question to answer: with all the hoopla and praise that's gone on for Jo within the past year or more, you have to wonder... how does she stack up against all the CGOY winners of the past? Arguably, there has never been a dud in the CGOY race, and all the girls have been deserving, so with these amazing gals, how did Jo do?

#7. Breann McGregor (2007)
Breann was a hit because of her incredibly smooth and photogenic body, pure and simple. I never thought she had the talent to truly cut it as CGOY, but she won in a year that was arguably the weakest CGOM lineup ever. Don't get me wrong, Breann is a phenomenally gorgeous girl, but she definitely did not have the talent to follow her five unbelievable predecessors. Still, her voluptuous body was very nicely caught by cameras, often milky and slick in her hum-drum pictorials.

#6. Alicia Burley (2004)
Alicia is a girl that I believe is the most surprising selection for CGOY there's ever been. The Cyber Girl Class of '03 had candidates like Heather McQuaid, Carmella DeCesare, Shamron Moore, and Tiffany Lang, all better choices. I hadn't even thought of Alicia, but I gave her a chance far after her nomination. What I saw surprised me, especially from her videos. Although I'm still unsure as to whether she deserved the win, Alicia's body and moves are spectacular in motion. Although her pictorials were always unimpressive to me, her look is completely different when she goes into motion. Her body is really something, a combination of Latina voluptuousness and a sort of slender sense of substantial height (although she is 5'4"). Just exotic enough to warrant another look, but Alicia is still an odd choice years later.

#5. Erika Michelle Barre (2002)
This is where things get interesting. The very first CGOY ever is an often forgotten model nowadays in the whole context of what's happened since then. Back then, Cyber Girls didn't get a whole lot of exposure or material, and were way in the back seat compared to the Playmates. How things have changed... if Erika was given the kind of pictorial series that's available to the girls today, she would be a real star. Take a look back and see Erika in all her glory, and you'll find a very, very unique model with a buxom body, a face with softly defined features, and a load of interesting posing talent. It was she who set the benchmark for the lengthy pictorial series that we have now, but if only she had that sort of stage, she would really have had a great run. Definitely worth revisiting.

#4. Merritt Cabal (2003)
Merritt took the precedent set by Erika and injected a lot of variety into the mix. Merritt was the kind of girl that was selected, and had a fanbase, but people didn't know what to expect from her. Would she show off a more defined look and a straightforward pictorial type? Instead, Merritt showed off her incredible versatility, with a large number of pictures showing off this mysterious model. Merritt is still tough to describe in words... she's not like most models, but yet she is generic enough for someone to have a tough time to choose something that really stands out about her. But that's a good thing with Merritt, whose talent was endless, and who brought a real sense of importance to the CGOY position. It's tough to describe her, but boy, is it incredible to look at her and her curvy body.

#3. Jo Garcia (2008)
This is where Jo belongs. Yes, we haven't had a lot of CGOY's, but they've all been amazing talents. Jo's ranking as #3 is very high and very well deserved when you consider the girls who made it to this level. We've seen Jo from week to week, and several things set her apart from the other CGOYs of the past, as well as pretty much any girl who's ever appeared in Playboy. The main thing is her sexuality. She has a sly sense of sexual presence that she really exudes throughout every single photo and video, thrusting her hips or pouting her lips. This much is true: Jo Garcia is the hardest working model we've seen Playboy produce in years. She puts each and every effort into everything she does, puts a little sweat into her posing and does some real active movement in every little thing she does. You can see it, you can almost feel her presence throughout. Not to mention, Jo's body is unique in her height and slim profile, while not sacrificing curves. She has the body of a runway model, and the sophistication of one, too. On top of that, she's got that overt sex appeal that is unabashed and uncontained. Jo, you were amazing, and certainly one of the most iconic Playboy models of our generation, if not of all-time.

#2. Monica Leigh (2006)
Monica is even more of an icon of modern Playboy than nearly anyone in recent memory. She is quite possibly the most prolific Playboy model ever, having produced enough material to peruse for hours on end. From the start of her stint as Cyber Girl, traversing the ranks and attaining the title of CGOY, to her appearance as a Playmate, Miss March 2006, Monica really is one of the "most seen" girls ever. Every single inch of her is documented, every possible look is captured. And with all of those photos and videos, one thing is certain: there's a reason for all this adoration. This New York beauty is exotic, stacked, and unbelievably sexy. Her face is the epitome of perfection, her body is just the right amount of curvy, with breasts and nipples that could make you lose your breath. She looks great in just about any costuming, and her videos are extraordinary. The thing that makes Monica great is that her look is timeless, but it isn't really too assuming in any way... like Merritt Cabal, Monica can be the face of the 'generic girl' very easily. She is an "everygirl," a sort of a girl next door, while also having the appearance of a Hollywood starlet. How does she create this female paradox? It's what makes her one of the most amazing girls in Playboy's history.

#1. Amy Sue Cooper (2005)
Amy Sue was an iconic Playboy girl, brought up in small town USA and with an exotic enough mix of Native American genes. She is about as American as apple pie, and audiences truly ate her up when she hit the scene with her CGOW pictorial in April of 2004. Back then, the relatively unassuming and noticeably budding star had much smaller breasts, but still had the innate talent and incomparable beauty that made her a superstar just a year later. That year made all the difference, with a one-of-a-kind campaign for the annual prize, complete with a CGOM pictorial set that set her competition into a tailspin and made her the unanimous winner. The heaps of praise that Amy's garnered since then come as no surprise-- Amy Sue, like several of the other Cyber Girl of the Year winners before and after her, is a true Playboy icon of the modern era. She took the art of the digital Playboy appearance and revolutionized it, and did so with that piercing gaze and a body that wouldn't quit. The result was constant magnetism with the camera and an unrelentingly fierce posing style that make her instantly recognizable in any model lineup. Her versatility was shown off in her excellent CGOY sets, with each pictorial ranging from the subtle to the sexy, giving off a sense of true professionalism that makes Amy Sue the greatest Cyber Girl of all-time.

Cyberstars

Spring is a wonderful season, and historically has been a great time for Playboy's best to shine. It's the time when some of the best Playmates of the Month in history have been featured, and it is, of course, the great time of year when Playmate of the Year and Cyber Girl of the Year selections are made.

This year, though, with all the great recent influx of talent pouring into Playboy, it's no wonder that Playmates simply can't bear all the best all the time. There are simply too many beautiful girls who are interested in posing for the magazine. But now, we see that effect finally impacting the quality of Cyber Girls, with a Cyber Girl of the Year with tons of true potential: Jo Garcia.

Yes, it's official, Jo Garcia is Cyber Girl of the Year 2008. I've raved before and went on and on about how Jo is one of the greatest talents Playboy has seen in the past decade, and I'll stand by that. Her CGOY pictorial made its debut today, and it surely is the start of a fantastic year of naked heaven.

In her inaugural set of photos, Jo is, as always, sultry and dynamic. She never just takes the passive "stand and pose" routine, but always has something to say with her photos. She's always saucy, always aggressive. Jo hasn't gone unnatural on us by changing her breast size (something that upgraded Playboy winners are certainly prone to do), but instead just grew some pubic hair, which isn't a bad idea, giving her a more natural look. Her first pictorial shows her with a cute fishnet top, showering beachside. I didn't think the pictorial played to her strengths so well, but she does look very radiant and piercing as she did in all her pictorials earlier. After her shower, she climbs among the rocks, then takes a sexy stroll on the beach. This outstanding panorama shot is an almost glowing portrayal of her engaging skin tone and her sexy height. The end of the pictorial is somewhat of an ode to 2003's amazing CGOY, Merritt Cabal, because of the dimly lit beach theme.

All in all, a promising start for Jo. It didn't play to her strengths as well as I would have hoped, but we've still got 11 more pictorials to set our sights on. Jo is bound to be perhaps the most creative Cyber Girl ever. One of the biggest challenges to producing a full 12-month pictorial set is variety and keeping things interesting, something that the first two trials, Monica Leigh and Breann McGregor, weren't able to do very well. Jo, however, arguably has far more posing talent than those two ladies, so things are looking up for the new CGOY!



Consensus... B

Jo Garcia
Cyber Girl of the Year 2008

Pictorial #1




While the reign of a current CGOY is just beginning, a successful bid for the position of CGOY 2009 has just ended with every single expectation met. Trina Marie just finished her last week as March's Cyber Girl of the Month, and exited with a huge bang.

If you still haven't seen Trina's week four videos, watch them before you read on. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to understand my praise for this young hottie. Trina, from day one, gave me a fantastic impression that she was going to be a star. Back in November 2007, her Cyber Girl of the Week pictorial came out, and I raved about it in my "Rising Star in the Spotlight" article, talking about how much potential she's got, and that she gave us perhaps the greatest CGOW pictorial ever.

Well, compare that and her audition footage to her current pictorials, and you can see a noticeable change. Throughout all the weeks, Trina has done an incredible job of showing just how hot she can get. How about a week-by-week recap:

Week 1: Trina started off a bit cold here, but still looked beautiful and radiant with her lovely eyes and hair. Trina has one heck of a cute face, and her natural posing ability shone. Still, not a great strip tease and a pretty unoriginal set of photos.

Week 2: After being apprehensive with the first week, I was afraid that Trina's talent wouldn't pan out. I had nothing to worry about, come week 2. The pictorial is all over the map, and her poses are so varied that she wows with every single move. Laying flat and flashing that HOT smile; I haven't seen someone so naturally talented and effortlessly sexy in a while. The pictorial then gets wild and playfully kinky, with Trina stripping off that underwear. As she went on, this was a shot that really did it for me, in the video as well. Very simple and natural, but showing off her excellent curviness and very unique face. This laying down shot was also a great one, showing off an air of elegance. That's juxtaposed with this frazzled and wild shot with Trina on her knees, a real hot one. She just looks so versatile from this pictorial, it's amazing.

Week 3: The pictorial in Week 3 didn't really convey the message here, but the video definitely did, so make sure to check that out. Still, Trina's hot highlighted hair and a steamy, effortless shower scene round it all out. Especially in the video, her profile is truly spectacular in the shower for some reason, and she hits all the right poses, so see that to find out just how awesome this pictorial was.

Week 4: A set of videos, so I can't really link to anything, but a definite must see! The first video has Trina climb up on her dresser and carefully strip off a sexy set of pink lingerie that complements her body type flawlessly. Throughout, she poses like an experienced veteran, hitting all the right spots, looking innocently at the camera, and putting on an overall unforgettable performance. In the second video, Trina is also out of this world, writhing in her bed like Jo Garcia in her final CGOM performance. It's sultry and awesome.

We've seen our little Trina grow up before our eyes in these last couple of pictorials, and you can see the progression. Week 1 starts off a bit cold and timid, unsure of what she is to do with herself. Then, week 4's videos show a model who is ultimately very comfortable in the nude, and knows how to use the atmosphere, setting, and costume to achieve a very memorable pictorial. Trina has worked hard enough to become a true early frontrunner for 2009's Cyber Girl of the Year, and even with only three months gone out of the year, she will be extremely tough to beat, barring yet another revolutionary Cyber Girl.


Consensus... A

Trina Marie
March 2008
Cyber Girl of the Month

Weeks 1-4

Cyber Girl of the Year: Revealed

Yes I know, Cyber Girl of the Year doesn't get announced until March 31st, according to this announcement on the Cyber Club's "coming soon" page:









Well, through a bit of investigation by Playboy's loyal members of their Message Boards, some folks have done some research, and it's been revealed whose photo this is. It was tricky, and the folks at Playboy didn't make this little morsel a part of a future pictorial of the Cyber Girl of the Year, but instead took it from an older, but rather hidden, pictorial:

That's right, it's part of Jo Garcia's "Employee of the Month" pictorial, where she got her start for audiences! That's right,

JO IS OUR 2008 CYBER GIRL OF THE YEAR!

As you already know if you read my blog, I chose Jo Garcia as my favorite candidate for the year's best Cyber Girl. Not only that, but so far Jo is the only girl, since my blog was started, to achieve an A+ rating from me, on October 12th of last year.

In recent months, I wasn't so sure that Jo was necessarily the clear frontrunner. In fact, polls in the Cyber Club in early February showed Jo coming in 3rd in single choice polling, and only conceded in early March, where Jo moved up to the 2nd place spot by a small margin. Indeed, Jennifer Hurt was a major fan favorite, and there is a group of devoted fans who propelled her into greatness with almost a quarter of the Message Board votes.

Through all of that, Jo proved her mettle... Jo really was the CGOY all along. It's obvious to think about it that way. Jennifer Hurt or Jillian Beyor are great, but they're just pretty girls. Many Playboy girls are pretty girls. On the other hand, you have all-time greats like Miss Garcia. Jo is arguably one of the best girls Playboy has ever taken photos of. To skip her over would have meant that another girl just like her would never have come by again, and that would have been a major mistake. They didn't take any risks this time, and we're going to see an entire year of amazing pictorials from Jo herself.

After coming off a bland and down year of Breann McGregor, one thing I realized is that Cyber Girl of the Year is an extremely crucial title in this day and age. By that, I mean that we get TONS of photos of this lucky girl, who works hard to give us a feature month-by-month. Since the lovely Monica Leigh, we've been getting that kind of format, and you just can't have even slightly mediocre girls getting this award, because you need to have loads of talent and depth to carry on for an entire year.

Jo IS that kind of girl.

She has unbelievable depth and talent, as you can see from any of her videos. She knows how to pose like it's her God-given gift, and she does it with poise and ease. It'll be a pleasure to look forward to her each and every month, and so I salute Playboy for choosing such a radiant, unique model. Kudos!

So in the meantime, we'll look forward to the end of the month and Jo's official coronation as 2008 CGOY. What a day that'll be! In the meantime, check out the other current happenings:

• Trina Marie, March CGOM, is having a slow start, but good things lie ahead
• Magen Lugo, March Coed of the Month, is also a little cold with her first two features, but she's got the talent to make a major splash for the first time a COTM has in a while
• Janine Habeck, in her Playmate Xtra pictorials, is looking absolutely stunning; even better than she looked in her original pictorial... check out her Week 2 videos, they're breathtaking!
• Regina Deutinger, another German Playmate (in Miss Habeck's footsteps), and the upcoming Miss April 2008, looks great in her Playmate Preview pictorial, and might just surprise us to no end, come April
• Oh, and did I mention Jo Garcia is our next CYBER GIRL OF THE YEAR!? I might've forgotten to...
  

Update on the Races

New developments on the soon-to-be-announced winners of the Playmate of the Year and Cyber Girl of the Year races occur every day. It's a tight one, and since the girls themselves give input into the status of the races through message boards, etc., we can get an interesting amount of speculation on potential winners and losers.

In the CGOY race, the top 5 in the polls are as follows:

1. Jennifer Hurt (24.86%)
2. Jo Garcia (17.68%)
3. Jillian Beyor (16.57%)
4. Patrycja Mikula (10.50%)
5. Mallory Dylan (8.84%)

Compare this to previous poll numbers:

1. J. Hurt - 22.78%
2. J. Beyor - 17.72%
3. J. Garcia - 17.09%
4. P. Mikula - 10.76%
5. M. Dylan - 9.49%

The numbers are more or less the same in terms of Jennifer Hurt's massive lead. While Jillian Beyor was in 2nd place last time, in a matter of weeks Jo Garcia has caught up and moved into the second slot, but still well off from Jennifer's commanding presence. It's clear that Miss Hurt is a steady fighter and a clear fan favorite. What's interesting is how little hype Jennifer has gotten while still being a major favorite. Meanwhile, there have been major campaigns for Jo and Jillian, but to no avail here.

In addition to poll numbers, there have been some rumors lately of Jennifer being absent from message boards and mysteriously disappearing for a period of time. It might be that she's lost and they don't want her to spill the beans, or it's likely that she has already won and is busy putting together her first spread. That's a very real possibility, since Jennifer has skyrocketed into popularity has certainly garnered her share of votes.

In the Playmates' race, things are a little less competitive, but also less clear. In terms of these girls, Brittany Binger is a major leader in fan polls, with one multiple choice poll showing these numbers:

1. Brittany Binger (62 votes)
2. Jayde Nicole (36 votes)
3. Spencer Scott (30 votes)
4. Lindsay Wagner (29 votes)
5. Tyran Richard (19 votes)

The astounding numbers on this poll are pretty interesting to watch. Brittany's lead of a whopping 26 votes over Jayde Nicole is insurmountable, and considering the once-thought level playing field of this PMOY race, it's very strange to see that so many fans are rallying behind one single model so heavily. It's been a gradual trend, however, that Brittany has gained popularity and acceptance among the community. I think that more and more people, over time, have embraced Brittany as a potential (and potentially spectacular) Playmate of the Year, and have taken to her accordingly.

Many are even starting to turn away from once-formidable Spencer Scott. When we last visited the polls back in January, Jayde and Spencer were tied for 2nd place in multiple choice polls with 27 votes to Brittany's 51. Although Miss Binger's lead was large back then, it was obvious that it was a three-way race. In official polls, Spencer was the clear 2nd place with about 17% to Brittany's 30%. Now, we see a troubling trend for Spencer, with less than half the votes of Brittany and falling behind Jayde, as well.

I believe the trend is due to the same factors that are putting Brittany so far ahead: more fans are moving away from Spencer and into a more mainstream, acceptable candidate. Spencer's lack of material and fight eventually drew fans away from her, that's what happened. Even Spencer herself initiated rumors of her drop and her eventual lack of relevance in the race.

Now, as the races are getting more and more one-sided, we can speculate and project winners in Jennifer Hurt and Brittany Binger. By the looks of the major leads these girls have, it would be highly disappointing to a majority of fans if they lost. Some things have changed since last time, as 2nd place surgers include Jo Garcia and Jayde Nicole, but they have plenty of ground to make up along the way. One thing is certain: both girls will have a lot to prove if they win, as this is certainly an overwhelming endorsement by fans.