Vanessa Minnillo

Crowned "Miss Teen USA" in 1998, this exotic brunette continued to work the pageant circuit as a judge and backstage correspondent, eventually snagging a spot as cohost of MTV's Total Request Live in 2003. Her beauty-queen looks and flirty charm were the perfect fit for the channel, and the gig allowed her to hone her celebrity-interviewing skills. Familiar with pop culture and the red-carpet scene, Minnillo became a New York-based contributor to Entertainment Tonight in 2005, reporting the latest entertainment gossip. She soon landed on tabloid covers herself with a string of high-profile beaus, including baseball star Derek Jeter and singer Nick Lachey, who had barely split from his wife, Jessica Simpson, when he was spotted canoodling with Minnillo.