RADEVA, DAN-GOOR WIN IMAGE MODEL SEARCH CROWNS

Meet Maria Radeva and Avi Dan-Goor, the winners of the Review-Journal's third annual Image Model Search.

Both came to Las Vegas and wound up at UNLV, pursuing hotel administration degrees. The career turning point for Radeva was meeting former Nevada Gov. Bob MIller and his wife, Sandy. For Dan-Goor, it was a 100-pound weight loss after growing up as a "chubby" kid.

Both sat down for Q&A sessions with Vegas Confidential. Here is Radeva's story:

Q: Tell us about where you grew up.
Radeva: "I grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria, the capital. It's about 2 million. My mom is an attorney and she's doing a lot of consulting now. My dad is in the tourism industry. He was part of the privatization process when Bulgaria turned to democracy in the early 90's. He's an economist by trade. He now runs his own hotel and business college."

Q: You mentioned your Las Vegas connection during the finals, about how you met former Gov. Bob Miller and his wife Sandy.
A: "They are like my second family. I met Bob and Sandy through my dad in Bulgaria about 12 years ago. My dad had contacted the Nevada tourism authority. They came to Bulgaria with their family. Their youngest daughter, Megan, became my advisor on American culture.

Q: Where did you see your life going when you were a teenager?
A: "Modeling would have been the last thing I would have thought because I was more of an academic person. I went to a German high school in Sofia. From there I went to UNLV for hotel administration and stayed with the Millers the whole time. I lived with them probably five or six years.

Q: Your first impression of Las Vegas?
A: "The lights. The Millers picked me up at the airport at midnight and we drove down the strip. It was just incredible. I was 17."

Q: Did you adjust to the different foods?
A: "All I remember is I gained 25 pounds in four months. I think it was the fastfood. I had a lot of Whoppers. In Bulgaria, I would go on a rice diet, so I bought a lot of Rice Krispies, I didn't read the nutrition. That's when I really ballooned."

Q: What did you do when you got out of college?
A: "I got an undergraduate degree in '03 and worked in hotel industry for a year in The Mirage convention services then I went back for my masters in public administration. I wasn't fitting in. For me going back to school is what you do when you don't know what you want to do."

Q: How did you get involved in the image search?
A: "I started modeling toward the end of my master's program. I have been modeling for a year now. Sandy's mom, Rene, saw something in the paper. That was in May or June. I sent in pictures and forgot about it. I got a call that they received my pictures. From there I was picked for the top 20.

Q: Where do you hope to be in five years?
A: "Somewhere sunny sipping on a margarita, like all those people who escape in action films. I just got my real estate license so I think that's going to be my next career path."

— NORM CLARKE, Vegas Confidential