Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood wasn’t shopping for talent when she walked into Bebe in Beverly Hills, but in 26-year-old sales specialist Ida (pronounced “EE-duh”) Ljungqvist she spotted a must-have item. Sara and Ida got to chatting, and our ad hoc scout realized this one was more than just an exotic beauty with a flawless figure. As Sara would later tell Holly Madison, Ida has the spark and flair of a Playmate. Soon thereafter the Girls Next Door showed up unannounced at the clothing boutique, camera crew in tow. “I was in total shock”

Canadian beauty Jayde Nicole went from small-town girl to big-time Playboy model to overwhelming fan favorite and now the 2008 Playmate of the Year. Here’s what Jayde had to say just before accepting her new title at the Playmate of the Year Luncheon at the Mansion.

On Being a Canadian PMOY: “It’s crazy. Everyone’s been saying ‘I hope you win,’ but I’ve said, ‘You know what? I’m Canadian, so there’s no way; We haven’t won Playmate of the Year in 30 years.’ So, it made it a much greater shock. And I feel it’s a little bit more responsibility, because I’m not just representing Playboy here in the U.S., but I’m going to be representing my whole country.”