Close Out Strong

Amanda, Miss October 2011

As we started 2011 with a string of disappointments at the Playmate position, it's only fitting that it comes back around. Playboy has always historically had their ebbs and flows, and it always seems as if great models come in waves. It usually coincides with milestone anniversary Playmate searches, where you'll see several women from the same talent pool featured in consecutive months (such as the Burciaga/Dastafieva combination a few years back). As redemption for this class, we're finally seeing the tide turn with some great talent streaming in.

Last month, we were graced with the seminal veteran talent of Tiffany Toth, who really brought a spark with her sparkling pictorial. For October, we find another fantastic entry in Amanda Cerny. Not only is Amanda an excellent and deserving Playmate, but she brings about a uniqueness that should ultimately go a long way in defining the 2011 class.

Indeed, Amanda gives the year an identity, finally. She possesses a lot of qualities that Miss Toth lacked - most notably, she's incredibly memorable. She has a fantastic level of variety in her crisp, polished pictorial, with an intro that can make your jaw drop. It's immediately apparent that Amanda has a kicker of a body, with strong, powerful legs and thick thighs that define her overall look. She establishes herself as a sultry, more nuanced Playmate than her predecessor, as her mysteriously intriguing facial features are always front and center.

Obviously, it's a given that Amanda's overall draw is her breathtaking body. We've seen some tight bodies so far this year (Toth, Hinton), but none have been as much of a spectacle in each and every shot. Amanda owns her pictorial, and the concept of using mirrors to accentuate her multidimensionality is a great move. Although she's not unusually tall, her frame allows her to look very long, and that works to her advantage wonderfully.

When taking all of Amanda's special quirks into account, though, you can tell that this isn't a 100%, truly polished model. She has some issues with her facial expressions, and her pictorial poses aren't always executed as flatteringly as possible, such as with her final few shots.

• Face: B+
  All at once being her one of her greatest assets and her biggest flaws, her face is ethereal and angelic, with a half open mouth begging for the camera's attention. At times, however, she can look unnatural and inconsistent, becoming the issue with some photos.
• Body: A
  Amanda has arguably the best body we've seen all year. While Tiffany is petite and nicely proportioned, Amanda's smooth, curvaceous frame is wonderful on camera. The addition of great pictorial techniques to photograph her full body just accentuates how excellently toned she is, especially at the lower body, with easily the best legs of 2011.
• Talent: A
  While Amanda would otherwise be the most talented model of the year so far, she has hitches throughout her pictures, where she has issues holding back. At times, she can be a bit too physical with her posing, but when she hits a great pose, she hits it better than anybody.
• Pictorial: A-
  Amanda's pictorial is creative and intriguing, with multiple themes complimenting her multifaceted, physical posing style. The use of mirroring in both her centerfold and the pictorial works great with her body, which is a knockout all-around. However well produced, though, it falls short at times, with some misses in her final voyeur-themed series.
• Centerfold: A+
  Continuing on the usage of the mirror theme, Amanda pulled out one of the best centerfolds in years. It all comes down to those spectacular legs, whose tone comes through in almost magical fashion in a picture that can only be described as perfection.
• Overall: A-
  Amanda, despite small shortcomings that prevent her from truly being the best model so far in 2011, is a very welcome addition to the 2011 class. In the end, she will go farther to define the class than any other model. With her unique, angelic face and a body to boot, she's already captured the hearts of fans all over, and instantly has placed herself in the conversation for Playmate of the Year. Whether she is an immediate favorite would be no surprise - her pictorial was executed amazingly, and she pulled out one of the best centerfolds I've seen in quite some time. With a cheery personality and a thorough, textbook posing style, we've possibly seen a PMOY blossom before our eyes. And with the issues with the rest of the ladies this year, Amanda might have the best opportunity to grab the ultimate prize that she possibly could.