Something very interesting happened at the M-Plaza Hotel in Accra, last Saturday, where the first phase of the national selection exercise for this year's Model of the Universe-Ghana contest was held.

The interesting thing was the composition of the judges for the event, and how they went about their questioning. Three gentlemen and two ladies made up the panel of judges and, indeed, the organisers deserve some praise for the calibre of people they chose as judges.

While Komla Dumor, the hilarious but hard-hitting Joy FM Morning Show host, asked the contestants very tricky but funny questions which sent some of them reeling over with rib-breaking laughter, Kofi Ansah the celebrated fashion designer bombarded the beauties with brain "wracking" questions, asked in his usual cool but quite intimidating tone.

The third male judge, Adi Plahar, who is the Managing Director of Super Model Agency and Training School, had his big eyes scanning the contestants from head to toe and when he shot questions at them they were meant to test the confidence levels of the ladies.

There was a professional sculptor and interior decorator on the panel ? Mrs Constance Boateng. She appeared to be interested in the curves and contours of the amateur models, and the judges? score sheet showed that she poured in a lot of marks for contestants with proportional figures and not facial beauty.

And what was Mrs Serwaa Acheampong Kyei, a businesswoman, doing on the panel, one may ask? Well, modelling is about big fashion and advertising business, so probably she was there to help select ladies who would be able to market products in the advertising industry even if they fail to make it big on the local and international catwalk. And that, according to the organisers, is what Model of the Universe is all about!

When finally the judges put their pens down and tallied the points for the over 50 contestants only 11 made the mark and thus qualified to represent the southern zone at the grand finals of the show slated for August 7, at the National Theatre in Accra.

The lucky 11 included Janet Amey Agbeli, Ananda Barnor Oguoe, Brenda Fafa Lekettey, Elorm Ajo Acolatse, Aurelia Ahey, Kelly Aboagyewaa Osei and Rhoda Acquah. The rest were Yaa Serwaa Ntiamoah, Faustina Azutigah, Millicent Mensah and Mariam Safianu.

They will contest for the national crown with 11 other contestants to be selected at the northern zonal event scheduled to come off today at the Miklin Hotel in Kumasi.

The Model of the Universe pageant is organised by 1st Royal Company Limited and sponsored by Dasani Mineral Water, BO-16 Hair Products, Graphic Communications Group, Joy FM, Peace FM, Metro TV, Luv FM and Radio Gold.