The IFBB Florida Pro Bikini show marked the end of the 2011 competition season. Promoter, Jarka put on a first class event and offered some of the top prize money of the year. Florida’s own India Paulino was victorious for the second time her in her pro career. The win capped off an impressive end to her season. Check out the competition photos here.
The Hardbody take on the competition…
1. India Paulino – India was many people’s pick to win heading into the show and she proved them right. She has nice skin tone and a nice physique for the division. At times she still appears a little nervous on stage and can make some scrunchy faces while on stage. I’m still not a fan of the nearly hip popping tick-tock pose she does followed by a giddy up kick but it works for her. If other women tried doing this it wouldn’t work. India has positioned herself as one of the top bikini pros in the game today.
2. Tianna Ta – Tianna brought her best look as a pro to the stage and it helped her lock in second place. The struggle with Tianna is that she is often more conditioned on her upper body than she is in her lower body. When she turns around she tends to be soft and not have much of a butt. She nailed her posing this time and I liked the more glamorous hair and presentation. Tianna achieved her goal of qualifying for the Olympia with her finish here. I’d like to see her bring a booty to the 2012 stage.
3. Juliana Daniell – Juliana has one of the more athletic bikini bodies and model potential to go go with it. She’s gone from the middle of the pack last year to a standout this year. She has the potential to be a top contender in every show however I didn’t have her in my top three. Juliana was a little softer at this show than previous shows and I felt her lower abs and booty needed to be a bit tighter. She’ll return to the Olympia stage with her placing here.
4. Jennifer Chapman – Jennifer wasted no time getting into the hunt of the pro ranks and made her presence known. She turned pro just three weeks ago and in her pro debut notched a top five finish. I had Jennifer in the top five and many wouldn’t argue if she was in the top three. She posed with class and did so with ease. Definitely a solid pro debut.
5. Heather Nappi – Heather finished back in the top five matching her pro debut finish from Ft. Lauderdale. I’d like to see her hair pulled away from her neck a bit more and ditch the foam padding in her suit top. She has a good bikini body and has improved since turning pro earlier this year. A top five finish is a great way to finish the year.
6. Yeshaira Robles – Yeshaira was one of my picks heading into the show to crack the top five. She has the looks and the body to do so but will need to work on her lower body a bit more to hang in the pro ranks. That said I like her look and this being just her first pro show, look for her to be in the hunt next year.
7. Brittany Tacy – Brittany has an athletic physique that many women are found of. It’s pretty much a given that most men will be fans of a physique but when women are, then you’re on to something. I would have Brittany higher than 7th and the one thing I think hurt her was her tan. She was a little too light in color and under the bright lights she looked washed out. She has more than held her own since turning pro at USAs this summer.
8. Missy Coles – Missy was another competitor plagued with being a little too light with their tan at this show. Missy’s placings have been all over the board this year and I attribute it to the competition getting tougher as the division evolves.
9. Kim DeArcangelis – This marked Kim’s second pro show and she needed to be a bit tighter in the booty to crack the top five. I’d like to see her rock the stage with a little more confidence as it appeared as if she was over-thinking while hitting her poses.
10. Brittany Gaylord – This was the best Brittany has looked since returning to the stage. She has an 8 month old baby at home and proved that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. She improved with each show and has a nice bikini physique. I would have placed her a bit higher here and just needed a bit darker tan.
11. Theresa Byrne – This was the first time we’ve seen Theresa on stage since her pro debut, which was over a year ago. She changed up her hair color and I personally like the lighter hair. She has a great physique however it was a little too much muscle and too conditioned for this show. If she’s able to strip some of the muscle away she could move up into a top spot.
12. Figen Oezdemir – Figen calls Germany home and held her own in this, her pro debut. I thought she had the best booty in the entire show and it may have been a little too much booty for the judges’ liking. Her suit bottoms did appear a little too small but overall she had a respectable pro debut.
13. Bernadett Matassa – I would have placed Bernadett a bit higher as I liked the look she brought to the stage. She’s improved her posing and in this show I would have her in the top ten.
13. Yenny Polanco – Yenny definitely has the sass and energy part down. This was the first we’ve seen Yenny compete in the bikini division and she made a few rookie competitor mistakes. Her tanning was a bit off and she had an ash look to her. She also had glitter all over her body at both the prejudging and night show. It was totally distracting as was her anklets. You could tell she was having fun and she could move up if she corrects some of her presentation mistakes.
15. Khanh Nguyen – I wouldn’t have Khanh at the bottom of the pack on my scorecard. Khanh always has a nice physique on stage and the only thing I noticed was she needed a little more confidence and energy on stage.
After the show concluded, Jarka treated everyone to a top notch meal at the host hotel. This event was well produced and the competitors, special guests, media and judges were treated with first class accommodations. It was definitely a great way to end the competitive season.
IFBB Florida Pro Bikini Results:
1. India Paulino* (5)
2. Tianna Ta* (11)
3. Juliana Daniell* (14)
4. Jennifer Chapman (20)
5. Heather Nappi (25)
6. Yeshaira Robles (31)
7. Brittany Tacy (33)
8. Missy Coles (39)
9. Kim DeArcangelis (45)
10. Brittany Gaylord (52)
11. Theresa Byrne (58)
12. Figen Oezdemir (62)
13. Bernadett Matassa (66)
13. Yenny Polanco (66)
15. Khanh Nguyen (69)
*Olympia qualified.
(total score)
