Sara Jean Underwood

We go way back with model and actress Sara Jean Underwood. Originally from a small town in southern Oregon called Scappoose, we first met Sara back when she was in college. Sara was studying marketing at Oregon State University when she went out for our Girls of the Pac 10 pictorial back in 2005. "I kind of just decided on a complete whim to go for it," says Sara of getting involved with Playboy. "I never considered modeling, nor did I think I had the quality to, but I tried out just for the heck of it." To no one's surprise but Sara's, we loved her test shoot so much that we asked Sara to be on the cover of our October 2005 issue, wearing nothing but body paint. Sara was painted in Oregon State colors, of course, while holding a Bunny-branded football, and the response was unmatched. Sara's cover became one of our most popular, and Hugh Hefner loved it so much, he nominated Sara for Playmate. Soon enough, Sara was named our Miss July 2006, and just a few months after that, Playmate of the Year for 2007. "One day, I was a student, and the next, I was Playmate of the Year," laughs Sara. "Going from Miss July 2006 to becoming Playmate of the Year 2007 [is] a huge honor," says Sara, "A lot more people know who you are, a lot more people recognize you - it's like being a Playmate on a much bigger scale, in a really good way." These shoots were her first time posing nude, by the way. "Modeling for Playboy is like anyone would expect: super nerve-racking," says Sara. "I've never been nude in front of so many people, so having to do it in front of a bunch of people at once is scary. The first minute or two is weird, but after that, you forget!" During Sara's year as our featured Playmate, we collaborated with her by showcasing her beloved passion: naked yoga. In a segment all her own called Playboy's Yoga, Sara guides her viewers through video demonstrations of her favorite nude yoga poses. While Playboy and Sara's spontaneity launched her modeling career, she soon began h