America's Next Top Model

America's Next Top Model cycle 10 contestant Amis certainly marched to the beat of her own drummer.  She wore what she wanted to at panel and she skipped during her runway lessons with Miss J.  Amis's carefree attitude rubbed some of the girls in the house the wrong way.  She was up front from the beginning, saying that while she loved modeling, it wasn't the only thing she wanted to do in life.  She was there for the experience and walked away happy with what she got from it.  Today, she spoke to BuddyTV in an exclusive interview. 

Below, you will find the complete transcript and mp3 of the interview.

Hey everyone. This is Gina from BuddyTV, and today I'm talking to Amis from America's Next Top Model. Hey Amis, how are you?

Hi, I'm doing well. I'm doing really well, how are you?


I'm good. Thanks so much for doing the interview today.

Oh, it's not a problem. Thank you.


Had you ever done modeling beforehand or was this your first experience?

This was definitely my first professional experience. In Chicago, I had went to school there for a year, and I had done a few things, like a little hair show, just a few runway things through the school mostly. They were very small. It was a big difference and a big change for me going into the competition, because I didn't really have a background.


Was there anything about being on a reality TV show that you weren't prepared for? Maybe the lack of privacy or something like that?

Totally. I think going into any situation like this, like you have your whole life on public display and you don't really have a whole lot of direction in how you're going to be portrayed, so you're pretty vulnerable in that sense. I definitely didn't expect how difficult it would be not to have freedom to go out when you want. There are cameramen around all the time, but you get adjusted to that.


You seem like a really free spirit. You kind of remind me of Jael from a previous cycle. How do you think you were portrayed on the show? Do you think it was accurate?

I think it was really accurate. In a reality TV show, I feel like they design the shows to make people seem one dimensional. If my one dimension is to be goofy and weird, then I'm okay with that. I'd rather the public see that side of me than be portrayed as mean or catty. I feel it did a pretty good and accurate job of portraying who I really am.


There are definitely some catty girls in the house this cycle. What did you think of the drama, and how did you stay out of it?

I just figured this isn't the end-all and be-all of our lives, you know? This is going to be over in two months. Maybe that was the wrong attitude to have, but I didn't think it was worth getting so stressed about. Life would be so much easier if you could just do your part in getting along and respecting other people. So I just tried to have that mentality. I'm pretty easygoing in real life anyway, so when people fight over just the petty, dumbest things, I feel like there's way more to be worried about than just like who's taking a shower, who wasn't. Stuff like that doesn't really get to me very easily.


The fact that you slept late the day of panel really rubbed the girls the wrong way. What was going on?

I was exhausted by that point. I'd been in the house, I'd felt what the competition was like, and sincerely, it was probably my time to go. I tried it, I'm so grateful for the opportunity, but it's not something I felt like I fit the mold for. So I slept in, big whoop. I still came to panel, didn't I? It really irritated some of the girls it seems like, but I've always been a late sleeper. My mom told me it's because my brain is still growing, so I don't know, maybe that's my only reason.


Were there some girls in the house that you formed genuine friendships with?

Oh, for sure. I feel like I'm a pretty genuine and authentic person, and I couldn't really hide that if I wanted to. I didn't know how to act sophisticated or whatever, like some of the girls seemed to. With that sincerity on my part, I feel like I made way more friends than I made enemies, for sure. Me and Marvita are super close, I really enjoyed spending time with her. And I loved Lauren, I loved Kat, and Anya had something to offer. Every one of the girls, whether I liked them or not, I have to admit that they all deserved to be there. Everyone has something to offer, and I just tried to be positive and think of that when I wanted to ring some of their necks sometimes.


Are you okay with the judges' decision to have eliminated you on last night's episode?

There's not really much you can do about it, so I try not to dwell on it. I feel like they were pretty accurate. I was there for an experience, and I don't really feel like that's such a bad thing either. I feel accomplished, I'm so proud of myself I made it this far. Is it so terrible to just enjoy my time there? I guess I wasn't really willing to compromise my relaxed attitude for the stress that winning might have. How can I explain this better? I don't know. I felt like they were pretty accurate, but I feel that my photo was one of the best ones I'd had too. It's interesting, the show, because you have to balance out, okay, my photos I feel like were progressing, but you have to keep in mind the attitude. Everything is taken into account when it comes to judging.


Now that you've had a taste of the professional modeling world, is this something that you want to pursue as a career, or was this just an experience for you?

I absolutely want to pursue it as a career, but my thing is, it's not the only thing I want to do. I think that was maybe a problem during the competition for me, and it definitely differentiated me from the other girls, is that this was the end-all for them. This competition was all they wanted to do. They only wanted to be supermodels, it seemed like. For me, I like modeling, but I would love to incorporate that with music or acting or writing. I just want to dabble in every kind of creative form.


You seem like a really great person, and I'm glad you got to be on the show this season. I wish you good luck and hope you get to do more of this.

I appreciate that. I had a lot of fun. No regrets, no bitterness, it was an awesome, awesome experience and I look forward to what's next.


Thank you so much, Amis.

No problem, thank you.

- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of CW)