Wide World of Women

Well...here we are. After three months of voting in the spring followed by three more this fall, we have finally arrived at the grand finale of Sexiest Woman of 2013. We started with 120 of the most beautiful creatures to ever grace this planet we call Earth; now, only 13 remain.

There's no telling who will win, but after strong finishes in the Second Chance Round, Selena Gomez and Stacy Keibler are already coming in as the odds-on favorites followed by Julianne Hough, Victoria Justice, and Carrie Underwood from Round 4. For Stacy, it could be sweet redemption from finishing third in 2007 while Hough and Underwood could finally win after several tries.

Jessica Alba hasn't won since 2003; will that decade-long drought come to an end? Jennifer Lawrence wants to make history by winning both Sexiest Woman and the Oscar in the same year (something Halle Berry failed to do in 2002), but don't rule out that other Jennifer: Aniston, as she could still pull it off. Maria Menounos is back for seconds this year; will she do a whole lot better than last year?

Other first-timers are Olivia Munn (also from Second Chance), Ashley Greene, Audrina Patridge, and Kate Upton; either of them could crash the party.

But there's one thing standing between those ladies and that coveted Sexiest Woman crown: Eva Longoria!!!

So, for the last time: WHO WILL IT BE????? Thanksgiving is over, so start casting your votes for Sexiest Woman of 2013 right now and find out!!! Of course, you can vote as many times as you like either way, but I guarantee you this: There WILL be a winner!
http://vote.sparklit.com/web_poll.spark/?pollID=1141772

Well...Carrie Underwood maintained her lead for a couple of days, and it remained that way on Tuesday night.

BUT...when I returned here to Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon to to close the voting and declare Underwood the winner, it was Maria Menounos who in the end crept past Underwood for the title!!! The final results:

Maria Menounos--24%
Carrie Underwood--20%
Julianne Hough--17%
Victoria Justice--15%
Selena Gomez--8%
Kate Upton--6%
Stacy Keibler--5%
Jennifer Aniston--3%
Ashley Greene and Audrina Patridge--1%
Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lawrence, Eva Longoria, and Olivia Munn--0%

So congratulations to Maria Menounos, who came so close last year is your Sexiest Woman of 2013 in a surprising upset. And thanks for the thousands of you who've voted in the spring and again in the fall; can't wait to do this all over again next spring for Sexiest Woman of 2014!

BREAKING NEWS (12/5): On Tuesday night, based on the lead she maintained since Sunday night, I made Carrie Underwood the winner; since I was in Mississippi spending a few days in a place that had no wi-fi (though I monitored the process on my smartphone), it wouldn't be till I got back to Atlanta to close the voting and make it official. That's when Menounos made her last-minute move and I declared her the winner. Hoping that Underwood would reclaim her lead, I should've extended the voting a little longer.

Therefore, not to alienate their fans and due to my mistake, I've decided to award the Sexiest Woman of 2013 title to both Maria Menounos and Carrie Underwood!!! Julianne Hough will still finish third, but Carrie and Maria will be defending their titles in Round 4 and the finals respectively next year.