Monday, May 16, 2011

2011 PMOY Review

As everyone saw coming several weeks ago, this year's Playmate of the Year is Claire Sinclair, Miss October 2010. It came as a bit of a surprise to many, including myself, that Claire was able to nudge out some stiff competition. 2010 was an excellent and very deep Playmate class, as I reviewed months ago.

With some awesome candidates like Amy Andrews, Katie Vernola, and Jamie Faith Edmondson, it seems strange that Playboy would go with a Playmate who comes from complete left-field to take the title. Although Claire was at #5 on my ranking, it comes as a bit of a disappointment. Claire has talent, and is undoubtedly a pretty girl, but she just doesn't have the all-around package that a PMOY really should have.

Claire lacks the body of a Playmate, and although there's nothing wrong with a few curves, her body is just not very photogenic. Her pale skin and lack of sleek, tight contours really hampers her appearance. The biggest issue with her, however, is her gimmicky look. Her entire PMOY pictorial stands as a perfect example: it showcases Claire in over-the-top "pinup" style poses, which is creative, but incredibly tacky. When it all comes down to it, fans just want to see some comfortable, sexual posing with intimacy and grace, like all the greats have done it. Miss Sinclair completely misses that boat, lookin overproduced and silly in a cartoonish beach setting, or in a bizarre bunny costume.

When it comes down to it, Claire is a sensible choice for PMOY. She's a bit of a risky pick, but it's somewhat refreshing to see a throwback girl take the title. On the other hand, it always feels like a whole lot is missing whenever Claire poses, and it leaves an empty feeling throughout her pictorials. The overdone pinup girl thing is cute for a while, but as in every great Playboy model, keeping it simple is always a great rule of thumb.



So, another year has gone by, and another Playmate prediction has gone awry. To be more accurate, I never "predict" the winner in my PMOY rankings, but merely identify who I think should win. So, let's take a look back at my picks for the ultimate Playboy title, and see who's won the prize instead for the last 10 years.

Year My Pick Winner Winner's PBC Ranking
2011 Amy Leigh Andrews Claire Sinclair #5
2010Jessica BurciagaHope Dworaczyk#8
2009Juliette FretteIda Ljungqvist#3
2008Brittany BingerJayde Nicole#3
2007Monica LeighSara Jean Underwood#2
2006Raquel GibsonKara Monaco#3
2005Tiffany FallonTiffany Fallon#1
2004Carmella DeCesareCarmella DeCesare#1
2003Teri HarrisonChristina Santiago#5
2002Jennifer WalcottDalene Kurtis#3
2001Shannon StewartBrande Roderick#7

Ouch. Well, here's to next year!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another year, another disappointing choice: Claire isn't even in my top 6...

Nate said...

Claire wasn't even in my top 11...more disappointing that it was actually a good year with a lot of really worthy girls.

Off topic...how the hell did we end up with a Coed of the Month who was never a Coed of the Week????

Leo said...

Awesome Review PPC!! You hit the nail in the head every time!! Claire is a pure "gimmick". She plays her pinup card to the end. Very tacky like you said as well. Just downright cheesy to be completely honest. The best PMOY pictorial in recent years was Jayde Nicole. Very photogenic, she looked like she improved since she was pmom and the pictorial was very simple, graceful but still very inimate and sexy. Claire makes me appreciate Hope more. The top 3 were definitely Edmondson, Vernola and Andrews by far. Maybe also Bechard. I see the "inside girl" always gets it (a-la Underwood in '07). PMOY 2012: Sophia Berglund. I think Hef should not even have a voting next year, as some people actually text and waste money for no reason. I remember back in the old days when you actually had to call in to vote for PMOY. I beleive the first online voting was for pmoy 2002. Clairissa Irene Riccio (Claire) proves any girl can be a PMOY now a days. KYLIE FOR PMOY 2012!!