Playboy 2000 Playmate Search

Here's one proven method for meeting women: Lease a 45-foot leisure bus typically used by rock stars on tour and refurbish it with a photo studio, two changing rooms and a reception area. Paint it black, then add a seven-and-a-half-foot silver Rabbit Head on each side and the words Playboy 2000 Playmate Search. Hire an experienced driver, no-nonsense security and an online reporter. Assign Playboy photographers to work in each of the 36 cities visited by the bus and 12 more where hotel suites double as temporary studios. Install seven phone lines so that test images of promising candidates can immediately be posted to the Playboy Cyber Club. Dispatch a publicist to spread the word in each city before the bus arrives, inviting women to audition for a chance to become the January 2000 Playmate (the winner, featured in this pictorial, will be revealed next month) and receive a check for $200,000. Erect an air-conditioned tent along the side of the bus as soon as the lines become too long to fit everyone on board, which happens in most cities before nine A.M. Usher each woman into the changing area, where she can slip into a Playmate 2000 robe before being called into the studio. Log 17,392 miles over five months as (text concluded on page 246)Playmate 2000(continued from page 162) you crisscross North America searching for undiscovered beauty.

We used this method to meet and photograph thousands of women. Typically, between 75 and 150 candidates posed each day, and in some cities, such as Toronto, Vancouver and Houston, hundreds showed up. Thousands more sent us their photos. Obviously, most of those women won't be featured in the magazine--we have to run articles once in a while--but we would like to thank everyone who took the time to pose. God has truly blessed both the U.S. and Canada, and sometimes you realize that only when everyone gets naked.

This pictorial includes a small sample of the women we met on the road. You have no idea how difficult it was to choose, which is why, in the future, you'll be seeing many more women discovered during the search. We've already selected a number of Playmates, including some of the women presented here, but we'll keep that a surprise. A month into the tour, when the bus reached Austin, Texas, we visited the crew to check for signs of babe overload (everyone seemed to be fine, and Hef later noted that babe overload isn't possible). We also asked crew members for their thoughts on the experience. This wasn't, after all, your typical cross-country road trip.

Leif Ueland, online reporter

The bus has definitely changed me. Now I talk about things I never would have talked about. I was hanging out with an ex-girlfriend and we got into an argument about bra size. She said she's a B cup but I said she's a C cup. Where did that come from?

One thing I've learned is that some people truly are photogenic. Another thing is that women like to take off their clothes, to feel sexy, to have their photos taken, but they need permission. That's why you see these lines outside the bus. This woman in Portland, she was on fire. Something clicked. I asked if I could snap a few photos for the Playboy Cyber Club, and she agreed. That's when I started thinking out loud, and as she posed I blurted out, "Oh yeah, that's it." The photo editor looked at me funny and I realized what I had said and covered my mouth. It was a reflex. I'm sorry.

I could fall in love here, but the cycle is so quick. You meet a beautiful girl, and then she leaves. What's interesting is that some of these women's lives will change profoundly. You know it, but they don't know it. I'll hang out with them and think, I hope you're ready.

Nadine Ekrek, publicist

You see how comfortable these women are with their bodies and their sexuality and you have to admire them for that. Occasionally, a woman who has real star quality comes aboard. You recognize it almost immediately; there's something about her personality, how she carries herself. We call it "the long burn."

In one city a reporter said to me, "I'm going to be honest with you. I came here to write about tall, blonde bimbos." I told her it wasn't like that at all. "We see all types of women, including your type. Why don't you audition?" She walked out of that studio giggling like a schoolgirl.

Eddie Sheehan, security

In one city we had a guy show up in a bikini. He said he lost a golf bet. I don't know about that.

Kevin Kuster, photo editor

Many women think we're after those big fake boobs and four-inch heels and tight T-shirts. But there's no formula. The last girl who caught my eye had on a frumpy shirt and jeans. What's sad is, some women get boob jobs because they think, This is all that's missing. But that's rarely it.

Jim Myers, driver

I've been driving a bus for a good many years, and I've been stopped by the police maybe twice. In the first week I drove this bus, with these huge Rabbit Heads on the side, I was pulled over six times. I'm never speeding, and I never get a ticket. Instead, the officer takes my license and registration and asks, "So, what's all this?" They're curious, like everyone. The truckers go crazy. They hoot and holler into the CB and ask how many Playmates are on the bus. You think I'm going to tell them it's just me and Eddie? It would break their hearts. I tell them all the Playmates are sleeping.

Leif Ueland

I love to meet women who break stereotypes. One curvy blonde worked as a guard at an Army prison. We found that out because she was hoarse from yelling at prisoners. She said she yells, "What are you looking at? You think you're going to fuck me? Think again!" She had been trained in psychological warfare. She hopes to become a drill sergeant. She was charming.

Another woman was beeped by her boss as she was about to enter the studio. Some computer emergency. A cop pulled her over as she rushed back to the office doing 70 mph. She was wearing little black shorts and a tight red shirt. The cop arrested her for reckless driving and took her to jail. She said the rest of the women in the pen were divided into two groups--those who wanted to have sex with her and those who wanted to beat her up. The police released her after six hours. She showered and had her sister drive her back to the bus, since her car had been impounded.

Before the search began, I debated with my female friends about where Playboy stands and what it means. Now that I've met some of the women who want to pose, I realize how far removed they are from the intellectual debate. They'll knock you down if you get in their way.

Kevin Kuster

After the launch party at the Mansion, I went to dinner with Photography Director Gary Cole. I told him, "The bus is on the road. The pressure is off." And he said, "Now all we have to do is find her."