The Girls' Bracket Challenge Picks

Amanda Cerny is not just another pretty face; Miss October 2012 is a thrill-seeker, a world traveler, a humanitarian, a straight A student, and a black belt in karate. She's lived in five different states, toured Europe, been sky-diving, bungee jumping and zip-lining, studies international affairs at FSU, and sat on the advisory council in Jacmel, Haiti, following the countries devestating earthquake. Plans for slowing down? not likely: “I have a lot on my plate,” she says, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

In her Playmate bio a joke is made that begs repeating: "She was born in central California, raised in upstate New York, and now she goes to school in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she’s studying to become a nurse and an anesthetist – a fitting title for such a knockout." We couldn't agree more. The stunning Miss February 2011 has a few more surprises: she contrasts her love of Heavy Metal ("“My favorite bands are As Blood Runs Black, Miss May and Despised Icon,”) with a love for John Steinbeck novels and Phantom of the Opera.

Things you'll need to accomplish to keep pace with Playmate Pilar Lastra: first and foremost, become a Playmate; she's Miss August 2004. Second, rebuild a Ford Mustang, drive it across the country and literally write a book (she's actually written two) on cars. Three, get named to People Magazine's list of 100 Most Beautiful People. Four: star in a handful of big network TV shows, host your own radio program on Sirius XM, and test drive cars for a Playboy web series. We could go on but we'll stop there; no need to brag.

Armed with a bachelor's degree in sociology (Golden Key honors at Cal State Fullerton), some worldy experience (a semester abroad in Italy, not to mention stop overs in Tokyo and Beijing), and striking good looks, Miss May 2012, Nikki Leigh, is what one might call the full package. She says it was her dream from the age of 13 to be a Playmate and it only took a single photo for us to make that happen; when she came in for her first test shoot (her first modelling gig!), we knew right away that she was a Playmate, through and through.

Growing up first in Tijuana and then Chula Vista, California, Miss Raquel Pomplun, or should we say Miss April 2012, was what some of us would call a whiz. "“I can solve almost any math problem,” she says. Which is more than we can say for ourselves. When not unraveling the earth's many riddles, Raquel models and her test shoot so impressed us we put her on our Sex and Music issue alongside Bruno Mars (who rumor has it, developed a bit of a crush of Miss Pomplun). Between gigs and math for fun, Raquel is pursuing an advanced degree in biochemical engineering...

This is Jessa Hinton, perhaps you know her? You should; Miss July 2011 has become one of the most recognizable faces in Vegas, the poster child if you will of the Palms Hotel and Liquid Pool. Or maybe you recognize her from her roles on the hit series' Baywatch or 7th Heaven? Maybe she's kicked your ass? She's trained in mixed martial arts. Whatever the reason (it could be that the 5'9" blonde bombshell is tough to miss) you'll be seeing a lot more of her: "“Promotional modeling is great,” she says, “but someday I want to be my own global brand.”

Summer Altice is 5'11". A former volleyball standout at SDSU and UCLA and statuesque model for Mossimo, Guess and Mademoiselle it's easy to assume that might lead a semi-chamred life but that is categorically incorrect: "The thing about modeling is, if you become a deer in the headlights about the fame, parties and meeting people, it will overcome you." Articulate, thoughtful and unpretentious, Summer has taken her love of music to new heights, turning tracks as a DJ and probably more often than once, being noticed as Playboy's Miss August.