This year's competition was held once again at Club Nutty Buddies in Norfolk Virginia again on its signature weekend, Father's Day Sunday. Now as mentioned the previous co-owner (Michael Waddell aka Daejah Snow) had given me an understanding that she was no longer able to perform her co-owner duties and was very comfortable with me moving forward. Now keep in mind the new co-owner Arthtavia Zentelle-Monroe Devon-Majarome had been an official judge for MMI since its endeavor of 1999 and was my son.

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He did judge the competition this particular year and became the new co-owner shortly after. Also this particular year we were overcapacity which was rewarding but the club manager stated we were not able to let any additional people in the location so we had to turn away around 35 people.

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India Spaulding became Miss Models Inc in 2003. I was personally very impressed with her because of course I knew her and had judged her in competitions in Richmond Virginia. She is the founding mother of the Spaulding family out of our State Capitol. When you hear the name (SPAULDING) it all begins with her. She competed with so much compassion and of good quality. She studied the categories and executed them as such.

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Also a quick note:

The categories from its endeavor were Presentation in Fuchsia, Runway, Talent, and Creative Gown. 

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Why The MMI Face?

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The desire for MMI to go National was in the thought process this year and during her reign, I was personally convinced this was the time and she would be the (FACE) for us going national. We were booking out of the state of Virginia at this point and gained much respect and notoriety with systems of national status.

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The name of the system also changed this year (MISS MODELS INC NATIONAL). She became our first National Queen in training. I will explain this further as we spotlight 2005.

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The MMI Crown: Clear and Red stones

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We traveled to Washington DC, North Carolina, and Atlanta Georgia, and began building connections with promoters, pageant owners and show directors. We began to build verbal understandings of tours within these different states. I will never forget her being the very first representative to work at the LEGENDARY, ZIEGFELD in Washington DC under the show director "LEGENDARY" and first lady of DC, Donnell Robinson aka Ella Fitzgerald. This was also the first time working with "LEGENDARY" and show director, PERRYS DRAG BRUNCH, Javier Bustamonte aka Javier Bloomingdale.

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I thought if there was a time to consider becoming a national brand then she was the example and the drive to do so. She was a hard worker, business savvy, and executed as such. She was so creative and took the position to heart. India was a very diverse entertainer and her first time at Ziegfeld was a performance by Jennifer Holliday (A WOMAN'S GOT THE POWER) she danced and stood on her head and the crowd went ballistic.

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Thank you so much, India for all that you have done and for your commitment to MMI. Your reign brought upon much innovation. It's no secret she made a decision to retire from doing female impersonation because her job was very demanding as a Master chef. I was fortunate to be asked to host her farewell show in Richmond Virginia in 2008 at Godfrey's and was honored to do so.

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I announced on that evening she would be the MASTER JUDGE for MMI as we never believed in head judges and she accepted. She took on the duties of being a master judge for 8 years. She was committed to coming back to the competition each year to help in any way she possibly could although she was not participating on stage as a former so her becoming the master judge was a great fit.

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She certainly made history as it pertains to MMI.