It didn’t hurt when Playmate Crista Nicole fell from Heaven – despite her soft, feminine beauty, this angel is a lot tougher than she looks. With dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and rosy lips, Crista was born in Springfield, Ohio, where she grew up bumping elbows with the guys. A member of the softball, basketball and track teams in high school, not to mention the cheerleading squad, she was well-primed for the sometimes-harsh competition of the modeling world. “I’m turned on by extroverted, energetic and open-minded people,” says Crista. “My ambitions are to be a successful model and travel the world!” Back in 2000, Crista was headed West, on the outskirts of Las Vegas, when she spied a billboard for the Miss Hawaiian Tropic competition. Suddenly, her dreams of becoming a model seemed a lot more like a reality. Crista went on to Vegas, where she entered and competed in the pageant, snagging first place. “I became a state finalist,” she says proudly. After that, it wasn’t long before Playboy came calling – before she knew it, Crista was our Miss May 2001, with more work than she knew what to do with. “I want to model for another five or six years,” she says. “I’ll finish school when my modeling career is over. I can take psychology classes on the side.” Despite her success, Crista says that money and fame aren’t everything. “I think a lot of people miss out on the importance of life, and get wrapped up in making money,” she says. “You have to learn to enjoy everything you have!”