50. Melissa Haro
Melissa Haro appeared in both the 2008 and 2009 swimsuit issues. She’s been modeling since the age of 13, and made it to the final three in the first season of Project Runway.Click here for more pictures of Melissa Haro!
49. Jessica Gomes
Gomes has an interesting heritage. She’s Australian but of Singaporean, Chinese, and Portuguese heritage. She’s making her second appearance this year in the swimsuit issue.
Click here for more pictures of Jessica Gomes!
48. Irina Sheik
Sheik is a Russian model (full name: Irina Shaykhlislamova). She appeared in the 2007 and 2008 swimsuit editions, and she’s also a worldwide face for Guess Jeans.
Click here for more pictures of Irina Sheik!
47. Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Tiegs is a three time SI Swimsuit cover model (’70, ‘75, and ‘83), and she’s best known for her long running association with the SI swimsuit edition.
Click here for more pictures of Cheryl Tiegs!
46. Oluchi Onweagba
Onweagba hails from Nigeria. She got her big break in the MNet Face of Africa modeling competition, which she won.
Click here for more pictures of Oluchi Onweagba!
45. Raica Oliveira
Raica is a Brazilian model who was discovered by the same modeling scout that discovered Gisele. That guy has a hell of a job.Click here for more pictures of Raica Oliveira!
44. Aline Nakashima
Another Brazilian, but with a diverse background. Her father is Japanese and her mother is Brazilian, but of Portugese descent.
Click here for more pictures of Aline Nakashima!
43. Fernanda Motta
Motta is like the Brazilian Tyra Banks, hosting their version of Next Top Model.Click here for more pictures of Fernanda Motta!
42. Carla Campbell
Campbell is from Jamaica, and earned the honor in 2006 of being the first ever model from the Caribbean to appear in the swimsuit edition.
Click here for more pictures of Carla Campbell!
41. Daniella Sarahyba
Sarahyba has been gracing magazine covers since she was 3 days old - when she appeared on the cover of Brazilian parenting magazine Pais & Filhos with her model mother.
Click here for more pictures of Daniella!
40. Frankie Rayder
Frankie Rayder was born “Heidi”, but she seems to have some interesting ideas about names. Her daughter is named “Sunny Bebop”.
Click here for more pictures of Frankie!
39. Alicia Hall
Hall was the winner of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search, a short lived NBC reality show that aired in 2005.Click here for more pictures of Alicia!
38. Bridget Hall
Bridget is one of IMG’s biggest stars, and appeared in the SI swimsuit edition from 2002-2006.Click here for more pictures of Bridget!
37. Angela Lindvall
Lindvall is hot, but she also sounds like a great person. She’s very interested in the environment and sustainability and is the founder and president of the Collage Foundation, an organization promoting sustainability and environmentally conscious choices among young people.
Click here for more pictures of Angela!
36. Yamila Diaz-Rahi
Diaz-Rahi is an Argentinian model of Lebanese and Spanish descent. She was on the 2002 SI swimsuit edition cover.
Click here for more pictures of Yamila!
35. May Andersen
Anderson is the face of Danish tourism for their “Who doesn’t like a Dane?” campaign. This is despite recently being arrested for flipping out on an airplane. But that’s ok with us, she might have fallen on some hard times of late, but back in the day Anderson was hot enough to easily make our list.
Click here for more pictures of May!
34. Juliana Martins
Martins has been dubbed the “Brazilian Cindy Crawford” since she was 13 years old.
Click here for more pictures of Juliana!
33. Noemie Lenoir
Lenoir is a French model and actress, appearing in such movies as Rush Hour 3 and After the Sunset.
Click here for more pictures of Noemie!
32. Selita Ebanks
Selita Ebanks grew up in the Cayman Islands. She’s not just hot either, she was intelligent enough to get accepted to Columbia University, but never attended as her modeling career took off before she enrolled.Click here for more pictures of Selita!
31. Julie Henderson
Julie Henderson was discovered in Houston, Texas at the age of 13. She’s appeared in the past two SI swimsuit editions.
Click here for more pictures of Julie!
30. Kylie Bax
Kylie is a Kiwi, having grown up on a horse farm in New Zealand. Click here for more pictures of Kylie!
29. Isabeli Fontana
Yet another Brazilian, Fontana moved from Brazil to Milan, Italy to become a model when she was only 13 years old. She generated some controversy when she posed for a Victoria’s Secret campaign when she was only 16 years old, seemingly reversing a policy Victoria’s Secret had of only signing models who were 21 and older. Click here for more pictures of Isabeli Fontana!
28. Cindy Crawford
Crawford is one of the original supermodels, and one of the famous models of all time.
Click here for more pictures of Cindy!
27. Valeria Mazza
An Argentine model, Mazza’s big break was appearing on the 1996 SI swimsuit edition cover with Tyra Banks.
Click here for more pictures of Valeria!
26. Rachel Hunter
Another New Zealander, Hunter began modeling at the age of 17, and got her break appearing in SI in 1989. She later appeared on the “Dream Team” multi-model 1994 SI swimsuit edition cover. Click here for more pictures of Rachel!
25. Stephanie Seymour
Seymour is a published author, writing the book >em>Stephanie Seymour’s Beauty Secrets for Dummies in 1998. A real page turner I hear. Click here for more pictures of Stephanie!
24. Daniela Pestova
Pestova is a three time cover model for the SI swimsuit issue, gracing the cover in 1995, 2000 and 2006.
Click here for more pictures of Daniela!
23. Kathy Ireland
Ireland appeared in the SI swimsuit issue an astounding twelve times before her final appearance in 1996. For a lot of years in the 80’s Ireland was basically synonymous with the SI swimsuit issue.
Click here for more pictures of Kathy!
22. Paulina Porizkova
Porizkova had a crazy childhood, with her parents fleeing the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and leaving her with her grandmother, thinking they could get her later. Czech authorities wouldn’t allow this however, causing a huge uproar that finally allowed Porizkova to be reunited with her family a crazy seven years later. She then became a model at the age of fifteen, and appeared on SI’s swimsuit issue cover in 1984 and ‘85.
Click here for more pictures of Paulina!
21. Elle Macpherson
Macpherson has made the cover of the SI swimsuit issue on six different occasions, five times in the 80’s and 90’s, and once in the 2000’s.
Click here for more pictures of Elle!
20. Chandra North
North was a big model back in the early 90’s, appearing in quite a few SI swimsuit issues.
Click here for more pictures of Chandra!
19. Petra Nemcova
Nemcova is a Czech model who discovered at the age of 16 during a national talent search. She has appeared on the cover of the swimsuit edition once, in 2003, but has also appeared in the 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006 editions.Click here for more pictures of Petra!
18. Jessica Van Der Steen
Jessica Van Der Steen is currently a Victoria’s Secret model, but she appeared in the SI swimsuit edition in 2004 and 2005.Click here for more pictures of Jessica!
17. Beyonce Knowles
Beyonce has the distinction of being the first non-model, non-athlete to pose for the cover of the SI swimsuit issue, being featured on the cover of the 2007 edition.
Click here for mor pictures of Beyonce!
16. Elsa Benitez
A Mexican model, Benitez appeared on the cover of the 2001 SI swimsuit issue.
Click here for more pictures of Elsa!
15. Brooklyn Decker
Decker hails from Kettering, Ohio, and is engaged to tennis player Andy Roddick.
Click here for more pictures of Brooklyn Decker!
14. Ana Beatriz Barros
Barros has appeared seven times in the swimsuit issue, making appearances in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Click here for more pictures of Ana Beatriz!
13. Molly Sims
Sims appeared in the Sports Illustrated “Swimsuit Issue” in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006. In the 2006 issue she wore a bikini fashioned from over $30 million worth of diamonds. Click here for more pictures of Molly!
12. Michelle Behennah
Behenna was born in Singapore, but raised in England. She won a modeling contest held by a shampoo company when she was 14 years old.
Click here for more pictures of Michelle!
11. Anna Kournikova
One of the hottest female athletes of all time, it’s really a tragedy that Kournikova isn’t still in the spotlight a lot today. The internet misses her. Click here for more pictures of Anna!
10. Veronika Varekova
Varekova has made eight appearances in SI’s swimsuit issue including a cover in 2004Click here for more pictures of Veronika Varekova!
9. Rebecca Romijn
Romijn has made the leap from model to actress as well as anyone, as evidenced by her role as Mystique in the X-men franchise, as well as her work on Ugly Betty.
8. Niki Taylor
One of the original Supermodels, Taylor was on the cover of the 1998 SI swimsuit issue..
7. Naomi Campbell
Another original Supermodel, Campbell has kind of lost her mind in recent years, but that’s ok. We still love her.
Click here for more pictures of Naomi!
6. Kim Alexis
Alexis was a huge model in the 80’s, and later became a health nut, running marathons and hosting health shows on Lifetime and the Health Network. Click here for more pictures of Kim!
5. Christie Brinkley
Billy Joel’s ex-wife. Oh, also appeared on three SI swimsuit issue covers in the late 70’s and early 80’s, and was also the face of Covergirl for a really long time.
Click here for more pictures of Christie!
4. Marisa Miller
Discovered at the age of 16 in a San Francisco cafe by two Italian modeling agents, Miller has appeared in every issue of the SI swimsuit edition since 2002. Click here for more pictures of Marisa!
3. Bar Rafaeli
The 2009 cover girl, and easily one of the hottest women in the world.
Click here for more pictures of Bar!
2. Heidi Klum
Host of Project Runway and easily one of the most famous models in the world, Klum always stood out when appearing in SI’s annual.
Click here for pictures of Heidi!
1. Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks has transitioned from modeling to building a massive empire and positioning herself as the heir apparent to Oprah Winfrey. She was the first African-American to grace the cover of the SI swimsuit issue, and that cover might just be the most iconic in the history of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. That’s good enough for us when it comes to our top spot, although the number one slot certainly could have gone to any number of the women that made up this list!
