THIS GOLDEN GIRL WAS YOUR OVERWHELMING CHOICE
ll t was springtime II of 2005. Our crew JJ of photographers was motoring across the West in search of beautiful women to appear in a Girls of the Pac 10 pictorial. They visited Arizona State, USC and other campuses renowned for their student bodies. Among the hundreds
Sara Jean Underwood, an Oregon native, is a nature lover from birth, and she's all for treading lightly on this earth. "If I drove a Hummer I'd be such a hypocrite," she says. We figured this hot 2007 chili-red Mini Cooper S convertible would suit her, not to mention the $100,000 prize that comes with Playmate of the Year honors.
of hopefuls who turned up at our test shoots at Oregon State University was a young blonde named Sara Jean Underwood. Possessed of a curious blend of confidence and wholesome girl-next-door appeal, she immediately caught our attention. The more we looked, the more beautiful she became, yet this flaxen-haired lovely was so unassuming about her appearance that she was surprised when we found ourselves fumbling around her.
Not only did Sara appear in that pictorial, she was featured on the cover as well. Ten million readers saw through the body-painted Beavers jersey she was sporting and soon clamored for more. Less than a year later, Hef chose Sara to become Miss July 2006. And now here she is again—a little older (she's 23) and even more stunning—as playboy's 48th Playmate of the Year.
Raised in a tiny town in Oregon, Sara currently lives in Los Angeles, a stone's throw from the Mansion, in the Playmate House. Her housemates are fellow 2006 Playmates Alison Waite (May) and Janine Habeck (September). "We're attached at the hip," Sara says. "Their support for me is genuine." Sara has put her education on hold, but she's keeping her priorities in order. "I have four classes left," she says. "To go to school for four years and not finish would be insanity. It's too important to me. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I don't want to stretch myself thin trying to do too many things. I work my butt off for Playboy, doing promotions, signings and meet-and-greets. Whatever Playboy needs of me, I plan to be there 100 percent."
Sara is at heart a country girl, and for this pictorial we saw fit to shoot her outdoors beneath a big sky, where she is most comfortable. One look at any of these shots and you quickly sense her inward beauty—that curious blend of confidence, sexuality and wholesomeness that struck us the first time we met her. "I'm not an actress," Sara says, smiling, "and I don't pretend to be. I'm fine with just being myself. It comes easy."
Life at the Playmate House with Alison and Janine is wonderful, Sara says, but there is one thing lacking in her life. Get ready for a shock: "We have the hardest time meeting guys," she confesses. "Men don't approach us, so we go out and end up dancing by ourselves. I'm a regular girl, and I want to meet a regular guy, somebody sweet, family oriented, intelligent and genuine. Is that too much to ask?" Given all the PMOY votes Sara received from our readers, there is no doubt she is and will forever be a coveted creature. We predict her dancing-alone days will soon be over.
Your votes helped Sara become the 2007 Playmate of the Year. "It blows me away that people would take time out of their day to vote for me," she says, flashing that adorable smile of hers. "Readers wanted me to win for whatever reason, and it's so touching. I will never forget why I am here and how I got this title."
See mor<
relof Sara Jean's original Playmate pictorial Ll« at cyber.playboy.com.
