- #2 Sharae Spears def. #7 Shamron Moore: Sharae never really felt the heat in this one. While the styles were similar and Shamron could have put up a fight, Sharae is just far fresher in fans' minds, and has the CGOY credentials to pull through. She'll need that tight, sharp body to carry her any further, as Jamie Graham will await her in the Sweet 16.
- #3 Jamie Graham def. #6 Christi Nicole Taylor: As expected, this one was an utter mismatch. Christi is one of the relics from the very first year of Cyber Girls, and her name recognition wasn't up to par with Jamie. Miss Graham has a major following, and many are still sore from her loss in last year's CGOY voting. She should prove to be quite a force.
- #1 Merritt Cabal def. #8 Tailor James: This match was too close to call all the way to the end, with Merritt narrowly getting by with 2 votes. Tailor mounted a serious challenge, and for most of the week it seemed as if she'd get the big upset. As a #8 seed who had to start out in the first round, Tailor put Merritt in danger of being the only #1 seed not to advance. Now, Merritt will need to put up a strong showing to make it much farther, with Kim Holland and Jennifer Hurt in her possible future.
- #5 Kimberly Holland def. #4 Kaytee Bees: This was a back and forth battle, with Kaytee looking strong in the middle of the week. She was ultimately edged out by the popular Kimberly, whose repertoire includes numerous pictorials and a Playmate appearance. Kaytee, even with the honor of being the 100th CGOM, couldn't even advance past the first round, making that decision look a bit questionable when looking back on it.
- #1 Amy Sue Cooper def. #9 Trina Marie: This match started a bit tight, but then as expected, Amy ran away with it. Being one of the tougher CGOY's seeded in the tournament, she should prove to be a hard opponent for anyone, and especially was for Trina, one of the girls passed over in a tough CGOY race that was won by Sharae Spears a few years ago. Amy should be one of the major favorites moving forward.
- #5 Danielle Richardson def. #4 Stephanie Eve: This one should be one of the most surprising results so far. In a tight battle, Danielle, who was (and is) the only candidate left to have never been a CGOM, beat out Stephanie, who is a hugely prolific Playboy model who has Playmate (and Playmate Xtra) credentials under her belt. In the end, fan favorite Danielle edged out the competition in a stunner, to move on to far stiffer competition against a CGOY in Amy Sue Cooper. Amy isn't likely to flop like Steph did, but it's all left to be seen.
- #7 Kortnie O'Connor def. #2 Breann McGregor: The second of the #2 seeds to go down, Breann couldn't use her CGOY credentials to battle off the underrated and scrappy Kortnie. This should have been an easy one for any former annual title winner, but Breann is one of the more maligned CGOYs in history, and wasn't necessarily favored in a matchup against a girl with a superior body and posing style, anyway. Not a complete shocker, really.
- #6 Hillary Fisher def. #3 Tess Taylor Arlington: Let's just call it revenge. Hillary was unfairly beat out by Miss Arlington for last year's CGOY title, and got her chance here to find some retribution. She got it, getting the help of her die hard fans. Hillary's bubbly personality combined with a rock hard body should have gotten her the title in the first place, but a deep run in this tournament might just be her consolation prize.
And now, let's look ahead to the first half of the great matchups of the 3rd round, the Sweet Sixteen. All the contestants here will face some true adversity with some tougher opponents. And as we saw, your votes count!
- #1 Leigh vs. #4 Beyor
This is the one to watch in this round of bouts. With both contestants thoroughly handling their 2nd round opponents, this one could go either way. Monica Leigh is one of the great CGOY's, and easily handled Danielle Gamba with her stunning beauty and great material. Jillian Beyor is a longtime fan favorite who took care of Melissa Puente with surprising ease in her battle. For these reasons, this should be good. Will Monica avoid being one of the first #1 seeds to go down? She couldn't have gotten a worse draw in this round, with Jillian being a powerful force who could very well reach the Final Four. Prediction: Leigh by 10% - #2 Spears vs. #3 Graham
This is the second of two matchups in the same bracket region as Monica Leigh, where all the top four seeds advanced. This one pits a former CGOY, Sharae, against one of last year's favorites to win it all, Jamie. Sharae clobbered Shamron Moore in her first match, as did Jamie against old-school Christi Taylor. With such dominant opening performances, one would think this one will go down to the wire, with some seminal talents. For Playboy fans that are into tough, lean, and chiseled bodies, there is nothing more you could want. Both girls pack curvaceous bodies with hourglass figures, as these dazzlingly photogenic physical specimens cannot be beat in that department. Prediction: Graham by 20% - #1 Garcia vs. #4 Badertscher
A very interesting matchup pits the sinewy and talented former CGOY Jo Garcia against the newly crowned CGOY, Bethanie Badertscher. Jo struggled a bit to put away Dana Dicillo, a #9 seed who kept it close for far too long. Bethanie, on the other hand, crushed Heather McQuaid to roll into this one, and may have a huge boost. If she can exploit the slow start by Jo, she could possibly cause a minor upset here. Bethanie is the 2011 Cyber Girl of the Year, which means that she has plenty of current exposure, and that it's upped her credentials and made her look a bit underseeded. If she can use that momentum, she could very well take it. But it's still a tall order to beat a competitor as strong as Jo, who is always a top poser. Prediction: Garcia by 5% - #6 Fisher vs. #7 O'Connor
The lowest seeded match in the Sweet Sixteen, this is not the meeting many might have expected. There was a chance that this bracket region would have 4 CGOYs pitted against each other, but these girls took care of that. Both girls beat out CGOY winners: Hillary beat up on her rival from last year, Tess Arlington, and Kortnie made a surprising push to handle Breann McGregor. The fact that both did this is very impressive, and perhaps is a case of underseeding when considering how great the models really are. Now, Hillary will try to use her popularity from last year's class to beat out a lesser known Kortnie, for the chance to face yet another CGOY. Both girls have very similar body styles, but very different posing philosophies, with Kortnie being far more subtle and Hillary taking a more overtly sexual role. The winner could be the surprise of the upcoming rounds. Prediction: Fisher by 20%
The Sweet Sixteen is set, now time to vote some ladies into the Elite Eight, and the regional finals!
