Mr. Fountain Valley's Diamond in the Rough: Can David Truong Bring Enough Bling to Capture the Crown?

David Truong understands a thing or two about beauty and elegance. As the owner of in Fountain Valley, they're his stock and trade on a daily basis. But can he bring them to the stage in this Friday's inaugural ? He took some time to share some thoughts about his impending humiliation with Fountain Valley Patch.

How did you end up competing in the pageant?

[Former Fountain Valley school board member] Nicola Weiss is a good friend of mine. I've always, whatever she's wanted me to do as far and fundraisers are concerned, I have a soft spot for her, not knowing what I said yes to. And the rest is history. I'll tell you this: None of the contestants are sleeping this week, believe me. We're all very nervous about this.

What is your charity, and why are you so motivated to help it?

My charity is the Fountain Valley Community Foundation. It's the catalyst of community involvement, and that's what we're really about. We want to do things that bring the community together. Being able to go out and bring the community. together costs money, and this is a way to bring some money to the community and make things happen.

What sort of edge do you have over your fellow contestants?

[Laughs] You've got to be kidding me; I have absolutely no edge. Everybody asks me, "What is your talent?" and I'd say my talent is probably the lack of talent. I can tell a cubic zirconium from a diamond, but I don't think that's going to work on stage. I've put myself to sleep these past few weeks by repeating to myself, "It's for a good cause." all night long. My fellow contestants and I get along really well, and I think what's really helped us if that we get along so well and we play off of each other's humor. I don't think there's really anything I can do more than just show up and make a fool out of myself.

Who would you like to see compete in future pageants, and why?

There's a couple of names that come to mind. Alex Accetta is one of them probably, just because I really like Alex. He's a really funny guy, and I think he'd put on a really great show. And I love his mustache. The other one is Larry Crandall because he's a funny guy as well and not only that, he's a class act.

Any final thoughts?

I'm paying people not to go. But I do want to put it out there that this whole thing is for the good of the community. The real winners for this whole event are the charities that are benefiting from this. The victims here are really the audience that has to come watch us do this.