Just like in Fox's hit show The OC, the Orange County Championships starred a group of outsiders who made their presence known in Southern California. But unlike the show, these 'foreign' competitors weren't up to no good.. unless of course you happened to be competing against them the night of the show.

Wait a second.. let me just point out that I don't really watch The OC. Actually, I liked it better the first time, when it was called Beverly Hills 90210. But I digress..

The NPC OC usually plays second fiddle to it's bigger brothers, the NPC LA and Cal State. But this year, no one got the memo, because the stage was packed with a solid number of competitors, and a solid amount of solid physiques.

As usual, the fitness class was pretty slim - 3 competitors - but don't let the numbers deceive you, because performing at the OC was one of the most energetic, action-packed athletes around.. Shiva Bagheri. Those of you in the know may recognize the name.. Shiva was a top competitor in the Ms. Fitness circuit back in the late 90's. And let me tell you, she definitely hasn't lost a step since then. Although her physique wasn't up to par with the eventual winner of the class, Brooke Paulin, her routine was a showstopper. Fitness Pro Carla Sanchez even commented that Shiva's moves were worthy of being a backup dancer for Britney Spears. Girl can move.

Figure was equally action-packed - you should have seen those high-flying quarter turns! - with 47 competitors taking the stage at Anaheim's Cook Auditorium.

The short class was won by Janelle Cassanova, although originally from the OC, was one of the first 'outsiders' to win her class. Janelle is a part of Carla Sanchez' dynamic Performance Ready fitness team, who brought 3 competitors to the show from the state of Colorado. Janelle was trailed in second by Masae Parker, who took the overall Masters Figure title, and Danitza Denn, who has steadily improved her physique over the past year. Rounding out the Top 5 in the short class were Brandi Halbert and Amy Grosso.

The medium class title at the Orange County was nabbed by Brooke Paulin, who, as previously mentioned, also took the fitness title. Speaking of also, Brooke is also a member of the Performance Ready team. Although the class had a decent amount of entrants, Brooke stood head and shoulders above the other girls on stage, sporting a sleek, polished look. Speaking of shoulders, that was Brooke's only apparent weakness on an otherwise pretty solid physique. Speaking of solid.. just kidding, no more segues. Coming in second was Stephanie Knowles, and although she possessed great overall shape, her conditioning wasn't on point like Brooke's. Wrapping up the Top 5 was Laura Kutnock, Dena Gunnoe and Jennifer Sheetz.

Ok, so competitors from Colorado don't exactly merit an foreign invasion, but the medium tall class winner just might. The stunning Anna Larsson, hailing from nearby Sweden, beat out very strong class to take the title. Anna apparently won the gene lottery, with model good looks, piercing light eyes, and a physique that you'll be seeing on a national stage very, very soon. But she didn't exactly walk away with the win.. right behind her was Amber Garrison, who has all of Anna's redeeming qualities, except for a Swedish accent (Amber's is Southern). Just like in some sports tournaments, sometimes the best match ups happen in the earlier rounds, and this was the case here.

But wait, I'm not done with the medium class just yet. Coming in third was 21 year old 'newcomer' Julia Simon. Although this was her first NPC show in the US, Julia was a seasoned competitor back in her home country of Romania, winning number bodybuilding titles as a teen. She actually competed in the OC show at the last minute in order to qualify for the Cals. Much to her surprise, even without much dieting, her physique still warranted a third place finish in the class. But expect much bigger things from Julia at the Cals. Finishing in 4th and 5th were Melody Braden, the 3rd Performance Ready competitor at the show, and Anne Holbrook, who won the Masters tall class.

Last but not least was the tall class, headlined by the eventual Overall winner of the show, Ali Metkovich. It's funny, because at the show, I asked numerous people who this mysterious 'Ali Metkovich' was, because I had never heard her name before, even though she looked eerily familiar. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that Ali, who is actually a record holding heptathlete from Nevada, is an old acquaintance from years ago. I had never seen her look dieted down and, frankly, look so good that I didn't even recognize her. The fact that her last name has changed since then didn't help, but hey, I should know these things!

Ali's great proportions - wide, capped shoulders and tiny waist - along with her polished looks allowed her to win the tall class over veteran competitor - and sometimes bodybuilder - Sunshine Fritzges, who had excellent size and shape. Completing the Top 5 were Judy Farinha, Adrienne Mairs and Michelle Starkey, who also finished 3rd in Fitness.

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