Eugena Washington

Eugena Washington is an American model and actress. She gained public attention as a contestant on the seventh season of the reality television series America's Next Top Model, where she finished in third place. She later achieved significant recognition in modeling as the Playboy Playmate of the Month for December 2015 and the 2016 Playmate of the Year, becoming the third African American woman to receive the title.

Washington was born in 1984 in Columbia, South Carolina, where she was raised. She grew up in a family with a brother, and her mother raised eight children. Her father worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

In 2006, Washington participated in season seven of America's Next Top Model. During her time on the show, she won three challenges, including a Covergirl challenge and a flamenco dancing challenge, and earned one first call-out. She reached the top three before being eliminated eleventh overall in Barcelona. She later reflected on her experience, noting that she injured her knee during filming and that the show impacted the self-esteem of many participants. She was also featured in a Top Models in Action segment during the show's eleventh cycle.

Following her television break, Washington achieved major milestones with Playboy. After being named Playmate of the Month for December 2015, she was selected as the 2016 Playmate of the Year. She was the first Playmate of the Year after the magazine initially eliminated its centerfold, and in May 2016, she became the final Playmate of the Year to be announced by Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion. Playboy subsequently published a new centerfold spread of her in 2020, which she hoped would inspire women to feel confident in their bodies.

In addition to modeling, Washington has pursued an acting career. Her screen credits include a recurring role on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful and an appearance in the 2016 film The Perfect Match. In 2021, she starred as Detective Nicole Miller alongside Gary Leroi Gray in the television series Trace.

Throughout her career, Washington has appeared in various commercial and media projects. She was featured in the 2010 music video for the song Nothin' on You by rapper B.o.B, and she appeared alongside R&B artist Dwele in a McDonald's cafe commercial. In 2016, she served as one of the featured influencers for the Cîroc Let's Get It campaign. As of 2019, she was working on developing a podcast and her own haircare line.