HOT BLOGGER: Joan Erakit

  • Age: 26.
  • Sign: Leo.
  • Lives in: Twin Cities.
  • Orientation: A lover of all things sexy.
  • Status: Hanging with a cool dude.
  • Education: B.A. in anthropology.
  • Occupation: Style writer.
  • Hangouts: Northeast Social, Le Meridien Chambers, Minneapolis Central Library, Honey, Masu, Jetset, Urban Bean, Cause, 112 Eatery, Kitty Cat Klub.
  • Turn-ons: Tattoos, impeccable taste, straightforwardness, a man who knows when to tell me to shut up.
  • Local celebrity crushes: Sims, Mike Mictlan, MaLLy.
  • Nominated by: Kara Nesvig and Amy Gee.

We say: This style-blogging beauty knows how to live. A scroll through her online musings, dubbed the Brown Girl Files (thebrowngirlfiles.tumblr.com), offers a peek into her life of photo shoots, art exhibits and champagne-sipping. But beneath the glamour lies an independent, articulate, worldly woman. Born in Kenya, the petite princess' life moved on to South Africa, France, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Canada before landing in Minneapolis. "I just need to sit still," she says with a giggle. If she ever does, she says perhaps she'll compile her pop-culture insights into her first book. Can we pre-order?

HOT FIRST AVE EMPLOYEE: Nicole Leeper

  • Age: 23.
  • Sign: Sagittarius.
  • Lives in: Northeast Minneapolis.
  • Orientation: Straight.
  • Status: Engaged.
  • Education: A.A.S. degree in the entertainment business from the Institute of Production and Recording.
  • Occupation: Bartender at First Avenue and the Depot Tavern, hydrologist for Vitamin Water.
  • Hangouts: Spring Street Tavern and my lovely home.
  • Turn-ons: Kind hearts, a work ethic and common sense.
  • Nominated by: The beautiful ladies of the Depot.

We say: Definitely a guy's girl, Nicole is that longtime friend you've always harbored a secret crush for. The no-nonsense knockout is Hotness' seemingly perennial token employee of First Avenue, where she pours pints and picks up nuggets of music-biz knowledge, hoping to one day open a venue of her own. While Nicole's been known to toss a patron or two, she recently moved over to the club's adjacent Depot Tavern, favoring its calmer clientele. "I was tired of getting punched in the face for minimum wage," she says wryly. An inquisitive mind and casual charisma make this blond-haired babe quite the catch, but alas -- she's betrothed.

HOT GRAD STUDENT: Sandra Charlotte Meulners

  • Age: 24.
  • Sign: Libra.
  • Lives in: Uptown Minneapolis.
  • Orientation: Currently facing northwest.
  • Status: Not available.
  • Education: Master of landscape architecture candidate at the University of Minnesota.
  • Hangouts: Muddy Waters, Wilde Roast Cafe, Pracna, Prohibition.
  • Turn-ons: A well-groomed and dapper gent with keen humor, strong interests and a killer smile.
  • Nominated by: Nathan Vincent Szklarski, that devil.

We say: Sandy is like the girl next door. The really, really hot girl next door. You know that subtly stylish knockout who lives down the hall with her artist boyfriend you're super jealous of? When not holed up in her apartment nose-deep in a landscape architecture textbook, you might catch this fair-skinned fox sipping a Jameson at Muddys. With graduation on the horizon, the grad student is contemplating a move to the Netherlands to work in her field. Because the Dutch need one more smokin' hot blonde with piercing blue eyes.

HOT MAKEUP ARTIST: Nicole Fae

  • Age: 28.
  • Sign: Capricorn.
  • Lives in: St. Paul.
  • Orientation: Straight.
  • Status: Married.
  • Education: Aveda Institute, Make-up Designory, life.
  • Occupation: Beauty expert, makeup artist, hairstylist, wardrobe stylist, brow groomer, airbrush tan tech, and I also have my own makeup line!
  • Hangouts: Sneaky Pete's, Studio 510, Golden's Deli and home.
  • Turn-ons: Humor, confidence and amazing lips!
  • Nominated by: Ulysses Awsumb.

We say: One look at Nicole, with her long legs and natural grace, and you might mistake her for a runway model. But the self-employed makeup artist/all-around stylist is more comfortable behind the scenes. She's the kind of woman any man would want on his arm, dolled up for a swanky affair, martini in hand. But the redheaded hottie prefers hanging in her Bloomington home to the bar scene. It's just as well that she largely refrains from flaunting her elegant magnetism to barrooms of ogling men -- some lucky bastard already put a ring on it.

HOT NERD: Sarah Morean

  • Age: 28.
  • Sign: Taurus.
  • Lives in: Stevens Square, Minneapolis.
  • Orientation: Straight.
  • Status: In a relationship.
  • Education: B.A. in English and medieval studies, University of Minnesota.
  • Occupation: Library assistant.
  • Hangouts: Grumpy's Downtown, Psycho Suzi's, Great Sun Buffet, Boiler Room Coffee.
  • Turn-ons: Humor, creativity, confidence, manners.
  • Nominated by: Jacie Anderson-Coovert.

We say: Keeping up with this adorably bubbly, brainy brunette's ever-expanding list of hobbies can be a challenge. One moment she might be knitting herself a Harry Potter scarf or crafting playfully sexy connect-the-dots couple's underwear. The next, she's reviewing comics (she co-founded the Minneapolis Indie Xpo comics festival) or writing for one of her many blogs (like www.blogchickablogblog.com). The Sioux Falls sweetie drives the college boys wild, working as the quintessential hot librarian at the U. While she can rope 'em in with her looks, the basketball fan and aspiring stand-up comedian keeps them intrigued with all her captivating quirks.

Intro | Winner: Hannah | Winner: Carlos | The Women | The Men