Other / The Betfair Contrarian / 01 April 2009 / Leave a comment

Yes, of course, they're beautiful but there's no way dual favourites Fox and Cole will lift the trophy of FHM's sexiest says the Betfair Contrarian.

The Contrarian is going to skate out onto some pretty thin ice here, as it's never easy to tell world class beauties like Cheryl Cole and Megan Fox that they're not as popular as they used to be. Only an imbecile would risk the eternal enmity of a woman by passing on news as ungallant as that, so ladies, my apologies, but the fickle men of Britain will this year choose another. Megan Fox [2.22 on Betfair] has had a hot year, and Cheryl Cole [the 2.2 favourite] put on an impressive display of vulnerability by weeping through the entire series of X Factor, but this year the spotlight will fall elsewhere, because...

The voters are hard to please...
Megan Fox may have been installed as a frontrunner because of her victory last year and her looks haven't exactly abandoned her in the 12 months since, but only one of the previous 13 women voted FHM's Sexiest has ever retained the title (Jennifer Lopez in 2000 and 2001).

...and they're not particularly loyal either
The voters in this particular poll don't like to hang around - once they've seen their favourite girl get the recognition they feel is deserved, they turn their attention to propelling another beauty up the charts. 2006 winner Keira Knightley fell 11 places the following year, while the first ever list leader Claudia Schiffer dropped all the way down to 40th twelve months later. Five of the last six winners have failed to make the top four a year later.

Always the bridesmaid...
Whereas Megan Fox emerged from nowhere to take the crown last year, Cheryl Cole has been a regular fixture on the list for six years. Since she peaked with a second-place finish in 2005, she has been in decline ever since. The following year she fell four places to sixth and then in both 2007 and 2008 she finished seventh. Just one runner-up in history has gone on to become number one (Britney Spears - second in 2000, winner in 2004). Consistent attractiveness doesn't seem to entice voters, with just one of the last seven winners finishing in the top eight the previous year.

Beware the British pop curse
While Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears have sung their way into FHM readers hearts, no British popstar has ever topped the list despite coming close. Louise Redknapp came second in 1996 and 1999 and made the list for ten consecutive years without ever winning. The nearly woman of the early 2000s was Rachel Stevens, who came second on three separate occasions (2001, 2002 and 2004) and finished in the top 20 for eight straight years before dropping to twenty-ninth in 2008. Having finished as runner-up in 2006 and 2007, Keeley Hazell's decision to release a single last year has probably guaranteed that she will never reach the top spot.

Cheryl is in the wrong age group
While there is no shortage of desirable women aged between 23 and 29, only two have topped FHMs 100 Sexiest Women list over the last ten years, compared to five women aged between 20 and 22 and three over the age of 30. Proof that people in Cheryls age range often find themselves overlooked is shown by the fact eight of the 14 runners-up have been 23-to-29-year-olds.

The Bond Factor
Quantum of Solace star Olga Kurylenko is third favourite [5.5] and stands a great chance considering that Halle Berry was catapulted to the top of the 2003 chart after starring in a James Bond movie. The Die Another Day actress was ranked 33 in 2002 before rising to number one the following year after starring alongside Pierce Brosnan. Kurylenko finished in a similar position to the pre-Bond Berry last year 38 and starring alongside 007 obviously boosts your chances as shown by the way Casino Royale star Eva Green came from nowhere to rank 36 in 2007, before dropping to 72 in 2008 once the impact had worn off.