Queens Woman Is Finalist in PETA's 'Sexiest Vegetarian' Contest

The Vote Is On--Winners Will Head Off to Maui for One Week

For Immediate Release:
March 29, 2010

Contact:
Kristina Addington 757-622-7382

New York -- What do Heroes hottie Milo Ventimiglia and country music crooner Kellie Pickler have in common? They are the reigning king and queen of PETA's annual Sexiest Vegetarian Alive contest. PETA has now expanded the contest to include the Sexiest Vegetarians Next Door--one male and one female--and 29-year-old Nicole Angela Amendolare beat out hundreds of other entrants from across the U.S. to become one of 10 female contestants to advance to the final round.

Amendolare went vegetarian in 2007 after taking PETA's 30-day Pledge to Be Veg. She says that the benefits to her health and her figure have been tremendous--she has dropped six dress sizes. Her energy has skyrocketed, which is great, Amendolare says, because she loves playing with her two companion dogs, Soprano and Oscar. Amendolare rescued Soprano from a man who was selling pit bulls for dogfighting, and she adopted Oscar, a dachshund, after learning that he was being kept in a cage for 15 hours each day. The dogs now have the run of her home and yard. Amendolare is passionate about animal rights. She has handed out leaflets to educate people about cruel circuses and animal birth control, and she has protested the use of fur during New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park.

"On average, vegetarians are slimmer and healthier than meat-eaters are, and that makes them sexier too," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, who notes that vegetarians get all the protein, vitamins, and other nutrients that they need without consuming all the cholesterol and saturated fats that are found in meat and dairy products. "One look at our radiant lineup of sexy finalists and it's clear that they're all winners."

To see Amendolare's photo and bio, along with profiles of the other sexy vegetarian finalists, please click here. The second round of voting ends March 31, and the two winners will be announced on April 14. Each winner will spend seven nights in beautiful Maui, courtesy of the PETA Member Advantage Program.

For more information and to vote in the contest, please visit PETA.org or click here.