View behind the scenes video footage of Tina Bishop

Tina Bishop’s smooth, tanned skin shows no signs of chill as she stands in front of an open refrigerator, stripping out of a man’s suit to reveal a black bra and panties with white nylons. She sips from a bottle of champagne, her naturally fun personality in giddy overdrive for her shoot with Kevin Crawford for Savvy.com.

Although she has modeled since she was 17, Tina was thrust into the public spotlight in February after she appeared on NBC’s “Fear Factor” and a show-themed Playboy pictorial and DVD. After our interview, I checked out the video and found Tina running track in tight little shorts and appearing topless with a towel around her waist. She stood in a tank full of water so cold that she joked about having permanently hard nipples.

You gotta love a girl who doesn’t mind sexy props and nipple jokes. Like many of the women you see on Savvy.com, Tina is part of a 2006 calendar, but this one is meant for the troops serving overseas.

She told Savvy she didn’t expect fame to find her in quite the way it did…

Savvy: What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

Tina: I was nervous about doing Playboy because it was my first time to pose completely nude, but I was definitely more nervous about appearing on “Fear Factor”.

Savvy: No way! How could that be?

Tina: I was scared to get naked, but I was more scared about eating bugs. I did not want to do “Fear Factor” but I had a friend in Dallas who was going to a casting and because I’m very athletic, he told me I would be perfect for the show. So finally I went to the casting thinking I would never get it anyway, but they called me and I was, like, “Crap, I am really going to do this.” It just sort of fell into my lap. But I got eliminated in the first part so I didn’t have to do anything too nasty. It turned out to be fun.

Savvy: Along with the pictorial. Not a bad gig for a model.

Tina: That was my big break. The producer of the show asked if I was interested and I sent some photos in and the rest is history.

Savvy: Would you do a centerfold if Playboy asked?

Tina: Definitely.

Savvy: Would you pose nude for any publication other than Playboy?

Tina: Actually, I did a nude shoot for someone yesterday. (Laughs) I did the pin-up thing for a calendar for the troops overseas. I wasn’t completely naked but I had body paint all over me. It was like a 20s and 30s pin-up look. I think it is coming out Dec. 10. It’s done by this really big body artist who has won all kinds of awards and HBO did a documentary on him. Leroy Roper is his name. I don’t have a problem with nudity as long as it is done classy with a professional photographer.

Savvy: Some models take such a stand about it.

Tina: Well, if you are wearing almost nothing, there isn’t much of a difference. I think you just have to be comfortable with yourself.

Savvy: Well, enough about your bare boobies. Tell me about your Savvy shoot. You have clothes on but it’s pretty damn sexy itself.

Tina: I had a lot of fun shooting. Kevin (Crawford) and I have worked before and we have good chemistry together. My favorite outfit was the black bikini.

Savvy: What words would you use to describe yourself?

Tina: Adventurous, spontaneous, silly, and down to earth. I don’t get along with most other girls except models I work with.

Savvy: And you still live in Dallas?

Tina: I have lived in Baltimore and South Padre Island, but yes, I am back in Dallas for about two weeks now.

Savvy: What’s so great about Texas?

Tina: It is wide open spaces, unlike New York and California, where the cost of living is so high. My family lives here and the people are very friendly. Plus, the women are hot here.

Savvy: You certainly illustrate that. How do you keep your body so perfect?

Tina: I run sprints and lift weights. Use to run college track for the Mavericks.

Savvy: Oh, yea, girls who run track always had great legs. What do you do for fun?

Tina: I like to travel and work out. I work a lot so that’s about it.

Savvy: So you don’t get to party?

Tina: Oh definitely.

Savvy: Do you have any flaws?

Tina: I’m too nice.

Savvy: A hot girl who is nice. Doesn’t sound like a problem to me. (Laughs)

Tina: If I get mad at somebody, I give them the silent treatment. I’m also a hopeless romantic.

Savvy: Help me pin down your look.

Tina: My mom is from Chile and my dad is English, Irish, German and Indian. I’m a mutt. (Laughs)

Savvy: What sort of things should a girl do before she settles down with one guy?

Tina: Travel the world.

Savvy: Have you ever beaten up another girl?

Tina: Not since the second grade.

Savvy: Have you changed since high school?

Tina: I am more comfortable with my sexuality.

Savvy: Oh goodie. Let’s talk about sex.

Tina: (Groans nervously)

Savvy: Why the groan? How are you more comfortable with your sexuality now as compared to high school?

Tina: In high school, I was shy about my body and not exactly comfortable with the whole sex thing. The older I get, the more I am getting to find out what turns me on and I'm not as shy in bed.

Savvy: Groovy, baby. Do you ever carry condoms in your purse or keep them by your bed, just in case?

Tina: Both actually.

Savvy: What’s the best sex you ever had?

Tina: I don’t like to kiss and tell if you know what I mean.

Savvy: What do you mean?

Tina: Some questions I'm comfortable answering, but for the most part, I like to keep my sex life to myself.

Savvy: Ah C’mon. Give me something sexy to share.

Tina: I don’t really see myself as sexy, but in photo shoots, I play up that side of myself. In everyday life, I see myself as more silly and goofy. Give me a hint what your readers want to know.

Savvy: Like… If I were to slip into your bed, what would I find you wearing?

Tina: I sleep topless in boy shorts.

Savvy: How long do you make a guy wait for it?

Tina: It depends on the guy, the chemistry between us. I slept with a guy on the first date and it lasted two years – actually, that was my last boyfriend. Sometimes I won’t sleep with a guy at all. It just really depends. If I really, really like the guy, then I’ll sleep with him sooner. If I don’t like him, then I’ll hold out.

Savvy: What does your boyfriend think of your sexy pictures?

Tina: I haven’t had a boyfriend for five years.

Savvy: Well then. What kind of lad are you looking for to sweep you off your feet?

Tina: I guess somebody who has a big heart and is nice to everybody, not just me. I’m really big on how a guy treats other people. Taxi cab drivers and waitresses. If he’s mean to them, then it makes me not want to date him because that makes me think that’s how he is going to treat me in the long run.

Savvy: Interesting. I’ve heard of women checking out a guy’s shoes to see how new they are.

Tina: I’m not about money. I’ve dated guys across the income spectrum. I am more interested in how a guy treats people. I had a humble upbringing and wealth isn’t as important as a great personality and feeling a connection.

Savvy: Do you ever study how big a guy’s shoes are when you first meet?

Tina: Nah, I don’t care about that. But he needs to work out and be in shape because I am very athletic. I don’t want to date guys who are high maintenance, like, metro sexual. You know, he spends more time in front of a mirror than I do and takes longer than me to get ready. There’s a lot of them out there.

Savvy: Are you strictly a model or have you acted much?

Tina: I’ve had opportunities but I’ve been so busy with the modeling.

Savvy: Tell me this: how tall are you?

Tina: (Laughs) I am 5’10”.

Savvy: What's the meanest or most mischievous thing you've ever done?

Tina: Nothing… I’m an angel. (Laughs)

Savvy: Uh-huh. What’s your guilty pleasure, angel?

Tina: Eating chips and Queso. But my favorite food is sushi.

Savvy: Are you a morning person?

Tina: Not at all.

Savvy: Complete this sentence: I know I’m in love when…

Tina: I can’t take my mind off him.

Savvy: One thing’s for sure – you’ll be on our minds for some time to come.