America's Next Top Model contestant Ashley Howard has perhaps one of the most bizarre (and lucky) reality TV casting stories of all time: all it took was one glance from Tyra Banks during a taping of The Tyra Show, and Ashley earned herself an appointment to try out for the special short models season of America's Next Top Model.

Once in the house, as we saw in weeks past, Ashley ran into problems both on and off camera.  As the competition heated up and tensions in the house rose, her dancing background (and lack of modeling experience) began to catch up with her, and after Tyra sent Ashley home for not yet being able to harness her dancer's body in the right way for modeling.

I had a chance to chat with Ashley this morning about her unique casting experience, how she felt about her portrayal as a "mean girl" in the house, whether she will continue modeling, and more! Check out the full audio and transcript after the jump.

How are you doing today?

I'm good. I'm definitely good.

Well good to hear. Well, congratulations on making it as far as you did.

Thank you!

Of course. Can you tell me about the day that you went to the Tyra Show, the infamous day, and you were spotted by the hairdresser?

This is so funny. After the stampede auditions I found out from a friend that Tyra Banks was doing a show, that she was gonna talk about it on her talk show, and so I signed up immediately for it. And then a few days before, I got a call from somebody from the show saying the topics have changed and don't come to the Tyra Show thinking you can talk about the audition, not about America's Next Top Model, you know, it's outta there. So, I went anyway because I figured well, you know what? At that point I didn't know they were gonna have another open call in New York, so I was like, this is probably the only time I'm ever going see Tyra Banks in my life, so I should probably go.

So I went with my mom and two other friends and we sat very close to the stage. And at one point... of course her hairdresser was coming out continuously when they would stop, but of course I didn't see him looking at me, so I had no idea. But at one point she was talking to somebody directly behind me. She was asking him a question, and I thought we made eye contact, but I thought I was just being a crazy fan. So, when I left the show I was like, 'That is so funny. I think that Tyra and I made eye contact.' Afterwards, when the shows were all done taping and she's left the stage, a woman came over to me and she asked me for my information. She said it was for upcoming shows, so I stopped and I was like, 'That's so strange because I thought that they already have who they're gonna have for their upcoming shows,' but I said, "Okay, whatever, that's fine!" The next day, I got a call from a woman asking me to come to an appointment for America's Next Top Model. At that point I still didn't know that it was Tyra who had seen me herself and I didn't find that out until I got to casting week, semifinals, in L.A. She asked me, "How do you think you got here?" and I said, "Well, I went to your show and somebody came up to me and asked me for my information," and Mr. J was pointing at her. And she was like, "Well I saw you, well actually my hairdresser saw you and he pointed me out to you." and I started crying at that point. At that point it was just tears from there because I couldn't believe it. That is the story.

That is such luck.

Yes! A blessing.

I keep thinking about how lucky you are, especially just to not have to wait in those long lines too! You got your own appointment.

I guess it's annoying, because I feel like a lot of people just feel like I never went to audition at all, and if I hadn't gone to her show, I would have gone to the open call again, that week that they had it again in New York. But I stood in line for 12 hours, I was committed, I was there to audition. It just so happened that I did go to her show and she saw me. Even now I just say, it's still such a strange story to tell. It's crazy. It's awesome.

Well, once you were cast, what was life like in the Top Model house?

You know, for me, I've dormed with 7 other girls when I was in college and I was an RA in school so I kind had to deal with a lot of girls and a lot of different personalities, and that sort of thing, and it was sort of the same experience for me. It was 13 other girls in the house, all different personalities. I didn't know them very well, so it was kind of like that first day in school sort of thing, and you sort of get used to things. Some things annoy you like they would in general life. For the most part, I didn't have a problem adjusting. I wasn't like, 'This is so strange for me and I can't talk to people.' I'm social, and I'm an extrovert, and I'm used to talking to people and that sort of thing, so that wasn't the problem at all. But there were ups and downs of course, as there are with any person.

How do you think your experience, while you were there living it, how is that different from what you see on the show?

You mean from me watching America's Next Top Model?

Yeah. Were things portrayed differently than you remembered them?

I think it's hard, because there's clearly a lot more footage that is acquired and they have to create an hour long show. So of course you're not going to see every single thing that happened. You're not going see every exchange between me and the other girls, or just everything that happens on set. I'm sure that some people feel that 'I wish they hadn't shown this,' but I feel like at some point, I just got so used to the cameras that I didn't feel that 'Oh, the cameras are on me all the time, so I shouldn't say this.' You start saying whatever is in your head.

So when I was speaking to Lulu that time, I know one of the episodes I kind of seemed liked the mean girl in the house. There was a lot of stuff going on in the house. I think a lot of the girls were talking about a lot of the other girls, but they kind of caught me, and I said everything I said. I don't take it back. I don't feel that I said anything that was so far-fetched that it was just 'Oh my gosh.' I feel like I portrayed myself how I was. I speak my mind and of course it probably seemed like I was speaking behind people but that wasn't the case. I said everything I had to say to people's faces. Everybody in the house knew how I felt about them. If I was annoyed about whatever, I said it.

With Erin, with her pulling people and pushing through people, nobody said anything to her about that. That's what was so funny, and I guess she felt guilty but nobody had said anything to her. I think that she just felt bad, so when she started crying a lot of us were like, 'You were wrong.' Nobody came into the competition thinking, 'I'm gonna step over this person, I'm gonna push this person in my way,' and it was just sort of annoying because it was a fun challenge, and everybody was there to win the challenge, and it was unnecessary for her to feel the need to push through people and that sort of thing. I said what I had to say to her, and I didn't talk about her behind her back and tell other girls, 'Oh, I hate Erin' and I'm gonna smile in her face when I see her, because that's not how I am. So I said what I had to say, and I think I portrayed myself as I am. I speak my mind. I was there to win, and I always said that.  I don't have modeling experience. I didn't claim to have any. I have a dancer background. I have an acting-singing background. That's what I came from, and so I said what I had to say, and that's who I was.

What was your favorite photoshoot that you did?

My favorite photoshoot was probably the one where we had to look long. I just liked the props we had to work with. It was so grungy, and it was like a work station. It was a construction site almost, and we're in these gorgeous clothes and our hair is really beautiful, and beautiful makeup, and very classy. It was a nice contrast. I think learning to cheat our proportions, that sort of thing, it was probably the most fun I had there. Cirque du Soleil was a lot of fun too. Getting to fly to Vegas was awesome. We didn't expect that, so that was great. Of course I didn't want to get eliminated but, you know.

How did you feel about that last photoshoot going into elimination, did you feel that you did well in it?

I didn't feel as though I'd be eliminated, so that was tough. It was hard because in the beginning I was told that I could use my dancing and I should use it to my advantage, and then I felt like by the end it was like she doesn't know how to use her dance at all. She doesn't know her body. It was tough because I'm trying to keep in mind all the things I've been learning: the smeyesing , trying to look long and taller in pictures, being 5'6". But I didn't feel as if I did such a poor job that I would be eliminated. Throughout the photo shoot Jay was speaking to me, and he didn't really speak much to Laura or Kara, but he kept telling me 'No, no, you should try this. Ok, better.' Or that sort of thing. So I didn't feel it would eliminate me at all.

Are you going to continue modeling?

I sure hope so. I guess I just want more experience with it now. You know what, I can do this and it opened the door for me, and it made me want to do it more. It created an interest in it for me. I just want to learn more. Just try to learn and do more with it. I would love, love, love to do as much as possible with modeling. Hopefully.

One last question for you. Who do you think should win now that you're out of the competition?

It's hard to say who I think should win because if we're basing that on personality, you know, it's different. But in terms of who I really think looks like a top model I would say it's between...I love Rae's look and I love Nicole's look. It's between those two girls for me. I'm rooting for both of them.

-Meghan Carlson, BuddyTV Staff Writer

Image courtesy of the CW