Richard Guy is one half of the legendary GuyRex Organization, a pageant partnership with Rex Holt that has developed an enviable record of elegant pageants and titleholders for more than two decades. In the past year, the partners have played a significant role in shaping the Miss Universe Organization's internationally televised productions, working on last year's Miss Universe and the 2003 Miss USA telecast. Whether he is coaching a contestant, directing a pageant, or supervising a judges' panel, Richard Guy has a unique vision of pageants as entertainment and art. In this exclusive Pageantry interview, Mr. Guy shares his philosophy and practical advice.

Q. How important is selecting the right judges?

A. The judges control the whole thing. It's a serious business. We tell them that, if they don't pick the right girls, people won't watch the show. We are running a beauty pageant. The public wants to see beauty.

Q. What do you instruct your judges to look for?

A. I've just realized that, in the year 2003, we are more "in" than we've ever been, because we were the first "reality" show on the air. We have to give the people what they want, and we have to show beauty first. I say to the judges, "Say this three times: �The product is beauty, the product is beauty, the product is beauty.' "

Q. What qualities and attitudes are you looking for in competition judges?

A. A judge has to keep an open mind. After all my years in the business, I am still learning. Judges must keep in mind that the beauty of the contestant is the primary consideration for the Miss USA system. Remember, beauty comes first. Not that physical beauty is the only thing, but let's not focus 100 percent on the interview, either. When you run a beauty pageant, beauty has to be at the top of your list. I just visited the bank, and the manager of the bank told me that her 14-year-old son was watching Miss USA on TV, and — by the way, this is how you get ratings in a matter of two to three years — he got on the phone and called all his friends and said, "Watch this, watch this." Beauty doesn't have an age limit.

Q. Are you telling judges to look for a certain body image or type of woman?

A. The woman's measurements mean nothing. Instead, look for what we call "symmetry of form." If you take your head off and put it on somebody else's body, it doesn't look right. If the contestant doesn't have the physical attributes first, then you can't go on to judge the other aspects.

Q. What do you consider the most important quality in a contestant?

A. The first thing is physical beauty. By physical beauty, what we mean is a type of face with expressive eyes. Anything that takes away from the eyes is a distraction � whether it's hair that makes you look older or whatever. Knowing who she is, and having maturity for her age. A girl who's 19 trying to look 24 isn't who I'm looking for. She can't pretend to be somebody older to compete. However, a woman can be mature at the age of 15. Lauren Bacall was a mature woman at 15 and married at 17. I'm looking for that Lauren Bacall. I'm not looking for a Sandra Bullock, who's 37 trying to be 22.

Q. What is another contestant attribute that judges should look for?

A. Mental flexibility is the second aspect. When you go into the interview, judges need to determine if she has an open mind. Because, as Confuscious says, "we should keep learning until our casket closes." People who don't want to change, die. You want to change everyday. You want to learn something new every day. I'm looking for a woman not only with an open mind, but also someone with common sense, good judgment, and a person who knows right from wrong. Remember that the world is not perfect, and neither are these contestants. They're human. You're not going to see a single perfect girl here.

Q. Give me an example of an imperfection that you want judges to notice.

A. You'll see girls who are so programmed, that they'll go in there with the big eyes and they'll go "yada-yada-yada." But when you ask them a question, I want the judges to look for that and to see whether the girl is programmed.

Q. Are there any other aspects of a competitor's performance that you consider to be key?

A. Well, we've talked about the physical and the mental aspects. The third characteristic is emotional. Either the delegate is answering the interview question from her heart, or she's trying to please you. Is she a machine that would turn off a robot? Judges shouldn't support someone who's a trained seal. The last aspect to consider is spiritual. By spiritual, I am referring to the aura about the woman. Can she walk into a room and prompt people to say, "Ooooh, who is she?" All this adds up to one thing: class, elegance, and glamour. Class is a thing you're born with; you can't teach it.

Q. Should taking a certain stand on a platform help a contestant?

A. I don't think that taking a certain stand on a platform has anything to do with it. I don't think pageants should have a particular platform for one charity. Of course, it touches you more when you have a personal life experience with a disease, and you adopt it as a personal platform. But I think we should help everyone.

Q. What are the single most important qualities of a winner?

A. Being a total person, and believing in herself. She has to be strong in knowing who she is, and not compromise her beliefs. The difference between good and bad people is that good people learn from their mistakes; bad people don't.

Q. Any final tips for pageant contestants?

A. Naturally, a good attitude is the most important thing. Attitude is everything in life. And how you acquire a positive attitude is by coming out of your box and knowing who you are.

To read more stories like this one, subscribe to Pageantry TODAY!