Tony Winner Marissa Jaret Winokur Tests Panties for The New York Times

The front page of the November 5 edition of The New York Times is filled with news of the World Series (Go, Yankees!) and a nationwide flu vaccine shortage, but back in the Thursday Styles section, Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur accepted the task of testing five brands of bikini-cut underwear to see which ones ranked best in avoiding what the newspaper called “the dreaded V.P.L. (visible panty line).”

Since her Tony win for Hairspray, Winokur has become increasingly identified with fitness as a top-five finisher on Dancing with the Stars and host of the weight-loss reality show Dance Your Ass Off on the Oxygen network. For her Times assignment, the paper explained, “She wore each pair while exercising in close-fitting sweatpants, while relaxing in leggings and while running around in jeans.”

The winner? The "totally comfortable" Ongossamer Cabana Cotton Hip-Bikini. But Marissa's most memorable comment was aimed at the Commando Cotton Bikini, which placed fourth: “My husband didn’t believe I was actually wearing any panties when I had these on under my pants.”