They said, “We’re beautiful.” You agreed. Now, at long last, here they are.
Guided by the maxims “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and “The customer is always right,” we found this year’s 10 Most Beautiful People in Dallas. See, we know that beauty is subjective and that one person’s blonde may be another person’s brunette. So when we set out to find the best Dallas has to offer, we deferred to you, our wise readers. Our customers, if you will.
Earlier this year, we began accepting entries from beautiful people and from people who knew beautiful people. Entrants had to be at least 21, and each had to submit not only a photo, but also a 50-word explanation of why that person should be considered one of the 10 most beautiful. From hundreds of beautiful people (and a number of not quite beautiful people), we then selected 50 finalists whose pictures we posted on our web site (www.dmagazine.com) so that you, the public, could cast your vote. We allowed one vote per person per day, and every day thousands of people made their voices heard. Gradually, the field narrowed, until only 10 remained. Those 10 are featured on the following pages in no particular order. (Our congratulations, however, go out to Jason Whetman and Shawna Rudd for receiving the highest number of votes in the contest.)
These beautiful people live everywhere from Frisco to Flower Mound. They do everything from ride horses to raise children. And they hang out everywhere from Southlake Town Square to West Village. They are the 10 Most Beautiful People in Dallas. We know they are, because you told us so.
Ryan Cox, 23
Occupation: Law student, SMU
Status: Single
Lives in: Lakewood
Best/worst pickup line you’ve heard: “You must be tired because you’ve been running through my mind all day long.”
Guilty pleasure: Chocolate chip cookies
Favorite film: Gladiator
Favorite hiding place: The library
Favorite nightspot: West Village
Most weekends you’ll find me: Shopping
Shawna Rudd, 26
Occupation: Product services marketing specialist, EDS
Status: Married
Lives in: Bedford
Best/worst pickup line you’ve heard: “Can I borrow a quarter? Because my Momma told me to call her the second I fell in love.” That was obviously before it required 50 cents to make a call from a pay phone!
Last book you read: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Favorite film: The Matrix
Favorite hiding place: Literally, in the upstairs linen closet when playing laser-tag with my nephew. It’s a great place to hide and a much easier space to get out of than the cabinet under the bathroom sink!
The one thing you can’t live without: Technology (cellphone, laptop, digital camera, etc.)
Favorite nightspot: The bar at Chili’s. They have the best frozen piña coladas.
Ashley Whitehill, 23
Occupation: Assistant buyer, JCPenney
Status: Single
Lives in: Dallas
Best/worst pickup line you’ve heard: “Who stole the stars and put them in your eyes?”
Last book you read: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The three things you would save if your house were burning down: My dog, my photo albums, and my favorite book
Favorite film: A&E’s Pride and Prejudice
Favorite hiding place: My bedroom
Most overused phrase: “Are you kidding me?”
Jason Whetman, 27
Occupation: Pharmaceutical sales representative, Eli Lilly & Co.
Status: Single father of 2-year-old daughter
Lives in: Frisco
Best/worst pickup line you’ve heard: “Do you have a library card? Because I’d like to check you out.”
Last book you read: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Guilty pleasure: The Bachelor or some other stupid TV show I’m embarrassed to say I watch.
Favorite hiding place: Any bookstore
The one thing you can’t live without: Diet Coke
Favorite nightspot: Costco food court
Alexa Conomos, 29
(DUE TO AN “EMERGENCY,” SHE WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE PHOTO SHOOT)
Occupation: Traffic reporter and anchor, WFAA Channel 8
Status: Single
Lives in: Dallas
Last book you read: Bias by Bernard Goldberg
The three things you would save if your house were burning down: My car keys, photos, and financial documents
Favorite film: Cinema Paradiso
Favorite hiding place: My grandmother’s kitchen for the food
Favorite thing about Dallas: Texas pride
Most weekends you’ll find me: Taking trips within or outside Texas. I love to travel and explore new places. When I’m in Dallas, I try to make the most of my time reading, relaxing, gardening, walking, catching up with friends—and don’t forget the drudgery of household chores!
Brenda McMullen, 29
Occupation: Property management leasing consultant
Status: Single
Lives in: Flower Mound
Last book you read: The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian
The three things you would save if your house were burning down: My photographs, a Bible, and my father’s wedding ring
Guilty pleasure: Caramel Frappucinos with extra caramel in the bottom
Most overused phrase: “Crum”
Favorite thing about Dallas: Fellowship Church in Grapevine
Favorite nightspot: Southlake Town Square
Eric Orson, 32
Occupation: Singer/songwriter
Status: Single
Lives in: Las Colinas
Last book you read: The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
The three things you would save if your house were burning down: The song demos I’ve been writing for my new CD, my guitars, and my boxes of photos of friends and family
Guilty pleasure: Eating a big, bad, warm, fudge brownie sundae with caramel and chocolate sauce topped with whipped cream while hanging out on the beach in the Caribbean. Everything tastes better on the beach!
Favorite film: Office Space and Tommy Boy
Favorite nightspot: Patrizio in Highland Park Village
Most weekends you’ll find me: Singing at Fellowship Church in Grapevine
Janie Wang, 28
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom and wife
Status: Married
Lives in: Plano
Best/worst pickup line you’ve heard: “You’re so exotic. What island are you from?”
The three things you would save if your house were burning down: Wedding rings, an heirloom children’s chair that I reupholstered, and our family’s oil painting
Guilty pleasure: Anything fried (I’m from the South)
Favorite hiding place: My tub, because it’s beautiful, cozy, and so relaxing.
The one thing you can’t live without: My vacuum cleaner, because I’m a bit of a neat freak.
Favorite bar/nightspot: I don’t go clubbing anymore, but I do love Lollicup’s fresh pureed mango slush with tapioca balls.
Lanny Lawrence, 26
Occupation: Breeding manager, Tommy Manion cutting horse ranch
Status: Single
Lives in: Pilot Point
Last book you read: The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes by Willie Nelson. I’m reading Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand now.
Guilty pleasure: Ice cream
Favorite film: Lonesome Dove
Most overused phrase: “Fixin’ to”
The one thing you can’t live without: The gym
Favorite nightspot: Lower Greenville
Paul Holmes, 29
Occupation: Sales executive, Allegro Development
Status: Single
Lives in: Downtown Dallas
Best/worst pickup line you’ve heard: Unless they hit me over the head with a pickup line, I wouldn’t know it.
Last book you read: I’ve started about eight books in the last year but I’ve had trouble finishing them. It’s my ADD kicking in.
Guilty pleasure: I’m a closet fan of Fear Factor and Trauma: Life in the ER on TLC.
Favorite hiding place: My parents’ house in El Paso.
Favorite thing about Dallas: If you get bored, it’s your own fault. There’s so much to do, but it’s up to you to find it.
The one thing you can’t live without: My girlfriend
