10. Kiana Tom
Profession: Model
You know those hot chicks doing fitness programs in the tropics back in the day on ESPN? That was Kiana Tom, hosting
Kiana's Flex Appeal from 1995-2001. The UCLA grad has been called a modern-day Jane Fonda, and outside of her good looks (she posed nude in a 2002 issue of
Playboy), she's written books and magazine articles on physical fitness. Poses nude
and can read? We share the same interests!
9. Kelly Hu
Profession: Model
Hu won Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1985 and Miss Teen USA that same year (seriously, why not hand the overall title to Miss Hawaii every year?). Her acting career jumped off in '87, when she started appearing in shows like
Growing Pains, 21 Jump Street, and
Night Court. She went on to have roles in
The Scorpion King and
Cradle to the Grave, among others. But perhaps most interesting is her love of polka. Oh, wait, you say she likes
poker? OK, motherfucker, you've gotta enunciate a little better. You're just lucky that our "polka? we'd love to!" joke wasn't completely torpedoed.
8. Agnes Lum
Profession: Model
Long considered the mother of all Japanese bikini models (not literally, thank god), Lum rose to fame in Japan in 1975 when she was selected as the first-ever model to represent the Clarion stereo company as a Clarion Girl. She later went on to release a few singles and appear in a host of calendars and billboards. She was, and still is, the hottest f*ckin' Agnes of all time.
7. Lily Thai
Profession: Model
In just two short years (2003-05) of porn (although they probably weren't that short for her), Lily Thai shot over 100 scenes. She was grindin', ya dig?!? And then, suddenly, she stopped doing porn. But the Internet lives forever, so she's still grindin' for us, ya double dig?!?
6. Maggie Q
Profession: Model
After graduating from Mililani High School in Honululu, Ms. Q relocated to Hong Kong, where she starred in a handful of action thrillers. In '06, America got familiar with her pretty face when she starred opposite Tom Cruise in
Mission Impossible III. (Tom also got familiar with her shins. Get it? He's short!) The following year she added
Live Free or Die Hard and
Balls of Fury to the resume, before earning nerd cred by appearing as a character in the video game
Need For Speed: Undercover. In fact, under the covers is exactly where we'd like to see Maggie. Get it? In bed! We want to see her in bed! After we've had sex wi—oh, never mind.
5. Stacy Kamano
Profession: Model
At the age of 11 Kamano won the title Miss Tropical Pre-Teen Hawaii, which kicked off her modeling and acting career (and also sounds kind of sick). In 1999, boosting her hometown cred, she joined the cast of
Baywatch Hawaii. Since then she hasn't done much, but hey, once a
Baywatch babe, always a
Baywatch babe.
4. Tia Carrere
Profession: Model
After being discovered by a producer while shopping in a supermarket in Waikiki, Tia appeared in a host of '80s b-movies. After relocating to California, she got her big break during a two year run (1985-87) on
General Hospital. Later, she hit paydirt when she landed the female lead in
Wayne's World, and starred opposite the Governator in the 1994 blockbuster
True Lies. Carrere also sings, and won a Grammy in 2009 for Best Hawaiian Album. You know Hawaii's dope 'cause they've got their own Grammy category.
3. Patricia Ford
Profession: Model
Despite not being an actual Playmate, much of Ford's fame can be attributed to being a staple in
Playboy magazine in the '90s. She's also a 5-time winner of the Bikini Open and appeared in commercials for Bud and Miller Lite, among others. She retired in her thirties and now reportedly lives in Las Vegas, where even at her somewhat advanced age, competition is none.
2. Nicole Scherzinger
Profession: Model
Nicole was raised in a strict Catholic household in Hawaii and got her big break on the WB reality show
Pop Stars, which gave the world the girl group Eden's Crush. Things went sour, Scherz joined the Pussycat Dolls, and after two multiplatinum LPs (and a Complex cover), she detoured into television, winning Season 10 of
Dancing with the Stars this past May. How's that for doll domination?
1. Jarah Mariano
Profession: Model
She covered Complex's 5th Anniversary issue back in April/May of 2007 and followed up in both ’08 and '09 with appearances in
Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit issues. Mama's also got a Jay-Z video ("Show Me What Ya Got") and a network television show (NBC's
Chuck) on her growing resume. Not the only thing growing when she comes around.
