New Hollywood 2011

Ursula Yvonne Mayes was born on August 9, 1979, at a military base in Seoul, South Korea. As an army brat, she traveled frequently early on, and made stops in places like Puerto Rico and North Carolina along the way, before settling in the Washington, DC area. This is where she would spend the remainder of her childhood.

With five brothers in the house, Ursula had a lot of masculine influences, which may explain her constant troublemaking. She also picked up interests like boxing and rock music, and managed to get mixed up in less-than-stellar hobbies like hot-wiring cars. The extent of Ursula's teenage troubles is unknown, but as she grew older, she developed a healthier pastime that would send her life in an exciting new direction.

Despite her teen issues, Ursula held a keen interest in photography that led her to her aunt's photo studio for work. The plan was to stay behind the camera and help with hair and makeup, but her aunt encouraged Ursula to try modeling, and a new talent was born.

When Ursula's pictures started to win awards for her aunt, a Virginia modeling agency signed her. At the time, she shifted between jobs as a waitress, an office manager and a makeup artist. In 2004, these jobs vanished when Ursula finished third in Maxim's Hometown Hotties search. Because of this, she was invited to Hawaii, where she won the Miss Hot Import Nights title against thousands of other competitors. Ursula's true modeling career had begun.

Ursula embarked on a national Miss Hot Import Nights tour to celebrate her crown and Action Media, the contest sponsor, followed suit by appointing Ursula as their new spokesmodel. She also became a familiar TV presence (something she still does today) for Action Media-sponsored shows like Hot Import Nights, Nightshift, VIP, and Auto Fashion.

Ursula relocated to Orange County and promptly signed on with two modeling agencies. This led to a multitude of print gigs for clients like Muscle & Fitness, OC Health, Chicago Clubline, and Bacardi. Ursula also signed on with Dreamgirl and became their 2006 spokesmodel, serving as their go-to girl for clothing and lingerie catalogs. Even with all of this attention, there was still something else waiting in the wings.

After participating in the Super Bowl Lingerie Bowl, Ursula was offered a new assignment as the substitute Suitcase Model No. 9 on Deal or No Deal. After appearing in only one episode in February of 2006, she was promoted as a replacement for No. 5, and by the following season, Ursula was the brand new No. 5 model and a familiar face on the game show circuit.

Since starting her stint on Deal or No Deal, Ursula has found new ways to add to her fame. She's launched a website, a calendar and a DVD to reach out to fans around the world who recognize her picture from her various creative endeavors. She's entered the video game industry by appearing in Juice 2 Hot Import Nights, and she's taken on acting duties in the feature film Redline (2007). We're not sure what the next surprise in store for Ursula will be, but we're certainly looking forward to it.

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