Centerfold.com : Playboy Playmates Directory : PMOY 2000-2006

• PMOY 2000-2006 •

PMOY 2006 : Kara Monaco

Princess Monaco

A warm and sunny Miss June brightens the Sunshine State

Since Kara Monaco appeared last August in our Women Behind Bars pictorial featuring sexy bartenders, guys wandering near her watering hole in Orlando, Florida have been unusually thirsty. "People come in every night wanting me to sign something for them," she says. "The owners loved it, and while I thought it was sweet, it got a little overwhelming." Kara, who describes herself as "a bit shy and reserved until you get to know me," found a way to deflect some of the attention. "I have a co-worker who looks enough like me that people think we're sisters," she says. "At one point, when someone came in and asked, 'Are youKara from Playboy?' I said, 'Oh no, she's right over there.' She got to play my body double. It was funny."

Such shyness, however, is seldom more than a temporary condition with Kara. Though the petite 22-year-old starts out quiet, her emerald eyes light up before long, and her friendly laugh turns into an exuberant cackle. This is especially true once you get her going about life in the Sunshine State. Tourists, she says, are easy to spot "because they're always sunburned"--a detail she first noticed while fulfilling a tour of duty working in Mickey Mouse's playground. "I dressed as seven different characters, including Cinderella, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland and the Little Mermaid," she says proudly. Kara also danced in the Disney World parades, a not unexpected distinction on a resume that includes years of dancing and gymnastics and a stint coaching a competitive dance team. "It was a jazz-funk, hip-hop kind of thing," she says. "That's what I do best."

One thing you won't find Miss June doing much is hanging out in bars after work. "After being in that environment all day I'm done with partying," she says. "I love going to Miami, where these pictures were taken, but the city is a little crazy for my taste. I'm more of a homebody now."

A homebody but not boring. Kara never lets her relationships become routine and predictable. "Being spontaneous always helps," she says. "Surprise your significant other by making dinner or preparing a bubble bath for both of you. I try to keep things spicy." So when this bartender is finished pouring shots at work, does she then call the shots in her relationships? "I'm in charge, but I make him think he is," she says with a sly grin. "The one thing I won't tolerate is cheating. I warn guys I date that they get one chance with me, and if they cheat it's over. I've never cheated on anyone, and I want the same respect."

This summer Kara wants to learn how to wakeboard, a sport that will separate her from her constant companion, Chloe, a teacup Chihuahua she carries everywhere in a pooch purse. Their relationship is very L.A.--a city to which the aspiring actress is thinking of moving. "I've set goals, and I hope within five years I'll be doing something actingwise, whether it's a film or a TV show," she says. "I would love to do something totally opposite from myself that even downplays my looks, like Charlize Theron's role in Monster." Her five-year plan is hardly a deadline, however. "I don't think I would give up after a certain amount of time," she says. "I'll just keep trying."

Kara is one of a number of Sunshine State sweeties who have become Playmates recently, including Miss May, Jamie Westenhiser. The two girls are actually friends who met on modeling assignments prior to appearing in Playboy. Unlike Jamie, who wants to make her home in Florida, Kara has more wanderlust. "I might use some of my Playmate money to finance my trip west, after I visit somewhere I've never been before," she says. "Right now I live with my mother, who raised my sister and me all by herself. I'm trying to convince her to move with me. She's a personal hero and someone whose advice I take to heart. My mom has been very supportive. When I first asked her what she thought of my being in Playboy, she kind of gave me a push and said, 'Go for it.' I always try to."

Photography by Arny Freytag and Jarmo Pohjaniemi

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2006 : all playmates

PMOY 2005 : Tiffany Fallon

Christmas with Tiffany

Miss December arrives unwrapped

Florida-born Tiffany Fallon has a Dixie flair for putting everyone at ease, which explains how she has sashayed from one career choice to the next. "I dare myself to try things," she says. The 30-year-old earned a college degree in sports management and now gives the inside scoop on college football recruiting as a host at Rivals.com. "I'm a sports fanatic," she says. "In high school I played volleyball and soccer and ran track. After I moved to Atlanta I became a Falcons cheerleader. We went to the Super Bowl in 1999 against the Broncos and lost, but I was happy just to be there. I had never cheered or danced professionally before." Her next adventure involved entering the Miss USA pageant, where, as Miss Georgia USA 2001, she finished as second runner-up. "The idea to do a pageant came after I worked as a flight attendant," she says. "I enjoyed being social with the passengers. I tried to look tailored--to be a throwback to the good old days. Sometimes I'd get in trouble because my skirt was too short or my hair wasn't right. I'd be like, 'I'm just trying to look fabulous, people!'"

Next, country music star Toby Keith cast Tiffany as the playful vixen in his "Who's Your Daddy?" video. "Now I get recognized anywhere country music is popular," she says. "I have spoofed myself in other videos, playing everything from a farmer's daughter to a tap-dancing envelope. Glamorous, huh? But I like to make people laugh."

Miss December's large extended family has holiday cheer to spare, dressing as pilgrims and Indians on Thanksgiving and as elves for Christmas. "For years I thought everyone did it," she says. "Now I look at pictures and think, Lunatics!"

When asked what she wants from Santa Claus this season, Tiffany responds with a knowing smile. "I'm a low-maintenance person, I swear," she says. "I drive a pickup truck and wear jeans and a T-shirt every day. I've dated poor guys, millionaires and men in between. But there is a side of me that likes being spoiled. I love jewelry and I like tokens of affection, but I would just as well go to a football game and eat a hot dog and nachos. I just happen to love the old-fashioned way of being courted."

Photography by Stephen Wayda

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2005 : all playmates

PMOY 2004 : Carmella DeCesare

Spring Fever

miss decesare came, saw, conquered

It seems Carmella DeCesare, a fresh-faced 20-year-old from Westlake, Ohio, took her share of knocks in high school. "I was the girl everybody liked to tease," she confesses. "I wanted to be friends with everyone and have a good time, but it just didn't work out that way. I had three good girlfriends in high school and they stuck by me. Kids at that age are horrible and look for someone to pick on, and I guess I was it. I hadn't grown up yet -- I had big red-frame glasses and no style. My mom and my stepdad always told me, 'Those boys who make fun of you are going to want to date you later.' I never believed them, but now it's my time to shine." Her first triumph over her tormentors came when she beat out thousands of hopefuls to become one of the 12 chosen for Fox' Girl Next Door: The Search for a Playboy Centerfold. Unfortunately, she was one of the two girls who dropped out of the show early. "When I went to California, I was excited and had a different vision," says Carmella. "I thought I would meet all these girls and we would hang out and have fun. Everybody was cutthroat and really wanted to win -- it wasn't the friendliest contest. It freaked me out. I decided to leave because it wasn't for me." But Hef wouldn't let Carmella just disappear. "He asked me if I wanted to rethink my position," she says. "Hef invited me to a Mansion party and I had a blast with him and the girls. He asked me to do a test shoot in Chicago, and I accepted. I became February's Cyber Girl of the Month on Cyber.Playboy.com."

Now that she's Miss April, Carmella says she'd welcome a full-time modeling career, but she's been working on a backup plan. "I'm a college senior studying business administration, and I work as a marketing representative who recruits accounts from mortgage companies. One day while calling on a client, I heard about an open casting call for Playboy in Cleveland. I had done some local modeling, so I thought it would be fun to audition. Interestingly, my mother had auditioned for Playboy 20 years ago. My tryout was her way of living through me, being proud of me and offering support." Carmella's boyfriend also supports her Playboy appearances. "He's respectful of my feelings and understands this is a dream of mine," she says. "He's really cute and we get along remarkably well -- he's my best friend."

Right now Carmella is back in Ohio working and studying at night, but she breaks up the routine by wakeboarding and Jet Skiing on Lake Erie. Every once in a while, Hef invites her and her girlfriends to fly out to the Mansion for a weekend.

"When I'm busy with work and school, I take my best girlfriends to Los Angeles for an awesome night out," she says. "When I think about those kids who teased me in high school, I don't get mad anymore. I don't want to fit in and be like everybody else. If people can't accept me for me, then they don't need to hang out with me. I just want to be Carmella."

Photography by Arny Freytag and Stephen Wayda

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2004 : all playmates

PMOY 2003 : Christina Santiago

LATIN CLASS

miss august sets a high mark for herself

Because you watched Fox' Girl Next Door: The Search for a Playboy Centerfold, you know that Christina Santiago was one of three finalists. "I wasn't a sore loser when I lost to Lauren Anderson, but I was disappointed because I didn't understand what Playboy was looking for in a Playmate," she says. "When I got the phone call saying I was going to be Miss August, I had to eat my words."

The 20-year-old Chicago native's striking features helped her become a professional model, but she doesn't think she had an advantage over the other 11 women. "I'd never done nude modeling before," she says. "I didn't feel uncomfortable, because I'm content with my body, and I'm not afraid to show it." She was even less shy around the cameramen recording her every move for two weeks -- much of the footage was deemed too hot for television. "We couldn't talk to the crew at all," she says. "The only thing that we could do when the cameramen left the room, which was probably mean on our part, was to purposely do something outrageous so they'd run back to the room trying to get to their cameras. I made out with this girl on the show, but I don't think you see that on network TV." So all signs point to the contestants' getting along, right? "Everyone thought there would be catfights. But the contract specifically said, 'No pulling hair, no spitting, no biting,'" she says. "I was laughing so hard!"

Christina thinks she will eventually move to Los Angeles and wants to attend a school that specializes in the performing arts. Her experience with Playboy and meeting Hugh Hefner only encouraged her more. "Hef knows I'm a strong person and sees potential in me," she says. "He's willing to give me the chance that no one else has given me. In the next five years, I hope to audition for a big movie, soap opera or sitcom. I'd like to be a choreographer and would love to be onstage for the Oscars or Grammys performing with Jennifer Lopez or something. I try to do the right things in life. Whenever a good opportunity has knocked on my door, I've always tried to make the most of it."

Heads up, guys -- Christina is single and looking for Mr. Right. "Why would I want men going through my life, in and out?" she asks. "I want just one. I'm attracted to guys who are older than 26, over six feet tall, with a nice ass. I'm a butt girl, so I like a guy who has a nice body and takes good care of himself. He doesn't have to be cut, just not fat, OK? I would love it if a guy would take me out to karaoke on a first date, because that would show how open-minded and courageous he is. I can always feel the vibe right away if there's the potential to date someone seriously. In the near future, I see myself with my man in our house, being very happy."

Photography by Arny Freytag

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2003 : all playmates

PMOY 2002 : Dalene Kurtis

Dalene

it's no accident that miss september is pursuing an acting career

DALENE KURTIS arrived in Los Angeles with a bang, but not the type she expected. Shortly before her photo shoot, the 23-year-old Apple Valley, California native found herself in a seven-car pileup on the freeway. "My car was totaled and my life flashed before my eyes," she says. "Ever since then I've been really grateful for the good things in my life." Dalene was driving home that day for her parents' anniversary in Bakersfield, California, where she grew up. "Being an only child made me a stronger person, but I definitely want at least two kids someday," she says.

After graduating from high school and attending business college, Miss September worked for three years at an insurance agency before she tried modeling. A state semifinalist for both Hawaiian Tropic and Venus Swimwear, she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a Budweiser girl and landed other modeling gigs. She met Hef at a Playboy party in February. She says that she reminded him of Doris Day, and when you take another look at her sweet, fresh-faced good looks, Hef makes a persuasive point. She started seeing him soon after, joining his party posse at clubs such as Las Palmas, Barfly and Deep. She moved into the Mansion in May and this is, she says with a bit of wonder in her voice, the happiest time of her life.

Dalene has dreamed of being a Playmate since she was 14, and she felt the tug of Hollywood from an early age as well. "It's hard for me to think I'm actually going to be in Playboy, because I'm so critical of myself," she says. It should come as no surprise that she is addicted to working out when she isn't taking acting classes. "I'm a Scorpio, so I'm trustworthy, honest and determined. I've made some good choices recently and I want to keep that momentum going." One look into her glistening green eyes and you know she will.

Photography by Stephen Wayda

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2002 : all playmates

PMOY 2001 : Brande Roderick

BRANDE

if you distilled her personality you'd find it very spirited

IN THE WINE COUNTRY of northern California, 1974 must have been a vintage year-if not for wine, then certainly for Brande. That's Brande Roderick, who left the vineyards behind three years ago and is now looking to taste the fruits of an acting career in Los Angeles. You may have already seen Brande in the background on Babylon Five (she was an alien) or in Armageddon, in commercials for Dr Pepper, Snickers or the Duke Nuke'em video game -- or more recently in featured roles on such television shows as Beverly Hills 90210, Love Boat and Two Guys and a Girl. The roles are getting bigger, and so are her goals.

Q: Before your photo session, had you ever stomped grapes?

A: No. These days, they have machines for that. But when I was younger, my friends and I used to go to a vineyard near my house and steal grapes. My mom would say, "Are you sure you got those at the store?"

Q: Any other childhood memories?

A: Every birthday I had a big party with about ten other girls. During the day we'd have a pool party with cake and ice cream, and then we'd watch two or three of the scariest movies we could find. My dad would set up a big tent in the backyard, and we'd sleep out there. Then he'd sneak out and make scary noises or shake the tent, and we'd all run into the house. It was the same thing every year, and it was so much fun.

Q: So you're a horror movie buff?

A: Oh yeah. I know it sounds cheesy, but I'd love to be in a horror film. I like all movies. It was always my dream to be an actress.

Q: What made you decide to pursue that dream?

A: I never thought it was within my grasp, so I got my real estate license by the time I turned 18. But people weren't ready to buy a house from an 18-year-old girl. So when I was about 21, I thought, I really want to act. If I don't do it now, I'll never do it. So I moved to Los Angeles. At first I didn't have a car, didn't have a job. I was sleeping on people's couches.

Q: Do you get back to northern California often?

A: I go home probably five times a year. There's always something going on, because I'm at that age where all of my friends are getting married or having baby showers.

Q: Feeling left out?

A: No, I still have plenty of time. I want to get my career off the ground first. At 25, the clock started ticking a little bit, so I thought, I'd better get a puppy. That'll be good for another five or ten years.

Q: We hear you're organizing a Playmate softball team to raise money for charity.

A: Yeah, that's really exciting. Growing up, I was a tomboy. I remember arm-wrestling all the boys in my fifth-grade class, and winning. I still love playing sports. But I have a very feminine side, too.

Q: What do you hope the PLAYBOY experience does for you?

A: It's more something I'm doing for myself, something to cherish and remember. It's like a family. Playmates have a special bond that nobody can break, and I wanted to be a part of that so much.

Q: Do you feel like part of the family now?

A: Definitely. I had my last birthday party at the Mansion, and it was like going back to my childhood. I invited about 15 girls. We laid out hot dogs and hamburgers, chips, sodas and ice cream, and played volleyball, swam and shot people with water guns. Then we watched Austin Powers on the big screen.

Photography by Stephen Wayda

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2001 : all playmates

PMOY 2000 : Jodi Ann Paterson

BUSY BEAVER

miss october crawled out of her shell in college -- and we're delighted she did.

Out on the town in Hollywood or at parties at the Playboy Mansion, Jodi Ann Paterson hears the question a lot. She'll be talking to someone, going on about the joys of camping or the importance of character or the value of a strong work ethic, and they'll look at her strangely and ask, "You're not from around here, are you?" She's not. She was born in Balikpapan, Indonesia, the second child of an Indonesian mother and an American father. Her parents later moved to Oregon, where Jodi Ann attended school, won beauty pageants (including Miss Oregon Teen USA 1994), became a spokesperson for the state's DARE program and a motivational speaker for teens and later attended the University of Oregon and Oregon State (she received a bachelor's degree in speech communications from OSU). Throw in summer jobs every year from the time she was 12, stellar grades and an extracurricular slate that would exhaust most students (at OSU it included the debate team, the school newspaper and the campus television station) and you have a young woman with a powerful drive to succeed.

Q: What brought you to Playboy?

A: I'd never been to Los Angeles, and I flew down to visit my best friend from college. She picked me up at the airport and said, "The Playboy bus is in Century City, and I want you to hop on it." She really pressured me, so I finally told her, "I'll do it if you swear you won't tell anybody in Oregon about it."

Q: But now everyone's going to know. Will they be surprised?

A: My friends from college, no. My friends from high school, yes. I don't think I crawled out of my shell until college.

Q: Had you done any modeling before?

A: I did some swimsuit stuff connected with the beauty pageants. I'd been studying to be a news reporter and I'd worked for the local CBS station, and I knew that if I were to appear in Playboy, it would mean that my career would take a different path.

Q: Why did you do it?

A: Well, it kills me to see people have opportunities and not take advantage of them. Playboy was a great opportunity.

Q: How did your parents react?

A: I didn't tell them until I started posing for the Centerfold. They supported my decision. They knew I wouldn't do something if I had a bad feeling about it. I think they were worried that I might want to get implants or something, but I would never even consider that. I wouldn't even get fake fingernails for the photos. I did streak my hair [laughs]. But everything else is natural, 100 percent me.

Q: Were your parents always protective?

A: Oh, yeah. They were completely against the beauty pageants I did. They were afraid I might start valuing appearance over brains. My father always told me, "It's easy to be attractive -- all it takes is a little work and some luck. But it takes effort to be knowledgeable, and to be a good person." I ended up winning the first pageant that I entered, which was a huge shock to everyone. That's when I fell in love with public speaking.

Q: Which you'll do plenty of as a Playmate.

A: Yes, I see it more as a public relations job than as a modeling job. I'm representing the magazine and the organization -- I'm representing Playboy itself.

Photography by Arny Freytag

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2000 : all playmates

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• PMOY 2000-2006 •