A Richmond woman’s bid to be the Maxim Cover Girl 2020 came to an end Monday morning.
Mercedes Ciprut was hoping to make it into the semi-finals of the North America-wide contest, run by one of the world’s top lifestyle magazines.
And she got very close, getting as far as the quarter final stage, with only five contestants now left in the running.
“It was an accomplishment for myself to even make it this far,” Ciprut told the Richmond News.
“I am very happy with this first attempt, so many local people believed in me.”
Since the News featured Ciprut last week, people she only knew casually have been reaching out to show their support.
“I feel so loved by my community… it was great even without the top five,” she added.
Ciprut – a self-confessed “workaholic” who prides herself in having a super healthy lifestyle, including some body-building – had never entered any such contest before and was astounded by how far she got.
The nursing student, who also works as a server at the Pioneer Pub in Richmond and as a lab technician at BC Children’s Hospital, was eyeing up a place in the semi-finals and the $25,000 (U.S.) first prize, which comes with a cover shoot and two-page spread.
