11 Most Daring Brooks Nader SI Swimsuit Photos We’re Still Thinking About

Brooks Nader is having a banner year. The SI Swimsuit legend, fresh off her 2023 Baywatch-inspired cover moment, has taken her talents from the pages of the magazine to the dance floor on Dancing With the Stars. Paired with Gleb Savchenko, the Baton Rouge native has been making headlines for their electric performances, playful social media antics and rumored showmance.

Nader joined the SI Swimsuit family in 2019 after winning the Swim Search open casting call, and she’s graced the issue every year since. The oldest of four sisters—all of whom live and model in New York City—the 27-year-old has been taking the Big Apple by storm, though she has grown to love Los Angeles and has been spending tons of time on the West Coast as a result of the competition. From runways to fashion weeks to major brand campaigns, Nader continues to solidify her style icon and supermodel status while inspiring young women to chase their dreams.

“It’s surreal because I feel like I was just standing in line for the Swim Search, trying to be around the magazine and meet the team—and [back then] that to me seemed like such a far-fetched dream,” Nader shared while on location of her second photo shoot this year, celebrating the brand’s 60th anniversary issue. “To go from being told ‘no’ by my agents, who said I wouldn’t be a good fit for Sports Illustrated and they wouldn’t like me, to actually winning the Swim Search and being in the issue, and then going on to be on the cover, to now being considered a Legend, surrounded by actual Legends like Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Lily Aldridge and Maye Musk—I can’t even describe how incredibly special this moment is.”

In honor of Nader’s DWTS journey and her triumphant return to the finale this evening, her first time back on stage and performing with the Russian professional choreographer since they were eliminated on Oct. 15, let’s revisit some of Nader’s boldest and most unforgettable SI Swimsuit photos that helped make her an icon.

2019, Paradise Island, Bahamas with Yu Tsai

Nader was named winner of the Swim Search in 2019, and it was the most special, rewarding moment.

Brooks Nader was photographed by Yu Tsai on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Swimsuit by Beach Bunny. | Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

“I got the call from [editor in chief] MJ [Day, who said] ‘All right, pack your bags. You're going to the Bahamas to shoot with Yu Tsai.’ No pressure. So I was obviously a little bit nervous. I tried to just have a good mindset going into it and not be too nervous, even though I had never really done a bikini shoot like that... I was a little nervous but literally the second that we started shooting, everything went away,” she shared. “I really wanted to be in Sports Illustrated. I’ve always admired the girls and what it represents. I was told by the agency at that time, ‘Oh, I don’t think that they’ll like you. We can’t send you into the casting. I don’t think it’s going to be a good fit.’ They put me on the back burner with that. I basically heard about an open call from Camille Kostek and Haley Kalil who won the year before me. I saw it all over their Instagram and saw it advertised in Miami. So I was like, ‘I really want to be in it this year somehow. So this is my only other chance.’ I went to the open call. There were thousands of girls in Miami in the summer. You wait in line outside. You’re sweating like crazy ... but it was totally worth it.”