I often hear this.

Problem:
“Each person was prettier than the next.” is the opposite of what is meant.

Explanation:
“Each person was prettier than the next.” means that the next person is not as pretty as the current person. This means that the persons are becoming uglier as one steps through the sequence. When people say, “Each person was prettier than the next,” what they want to say is that the persons are becoming prettier as one steps through the sequence.

Solution:
“Each person was prettier than the previous.”