The shocking eliminations on America's Next Top Model continue! Last week it was Rae, and this week another gorgeous model with a strong body of work on the show was sent home: Brittany Markert, the 21-year-old student from Santa Clara, California.

Brittany was a quiet killer (in a good way) throughout this season of shorties on ANTM, winning challenges and photo shoots with her sexy gaze and delicate elegance, but not much air time, as she noted in our interview. But once the final 6 got to Hawaii, where Brittany felt her work in this week's controversial hapa photo shoot was inspired, the judges saw a model who was falling flat, and she was sent home.

I had the pleasure of talking to Brittany this morning about her experience in the Top Model house, and she shared her highs and lows, from her favorite photo shoot to her shocking elimination.

Full audio and transcript, after the jump.


This is Meghan with BuddyTV and I am on the line with Brittany from America's Next Top Model cycle 13. How's it going today?

It's actually going well. I feel like a brand new woman, and I'm so excited and motivated and pumped to just start all over again. I feel like it's the first day of my new life.

Oh, wow! So you must have really enjoyed watching the episode last night, then?

Well, I wouldn't say 'enjoyed it.' I definitely cried again. I had to relive it, but I've been counting down until this day because I just am so inspired after this competition to continue modeling and to just give it my all and see if it works out.

That's awesome. Did you have prior modeling experience before you went on the show?

I did. I started modeling, or, you know, doing whatever you want to call it when I was 18, so I've done a couple runway shows. I worked for this boutique in San Francisco, and just stood there and wore jeans, and they took pictures of it and put it on their website. But then I started doing more fashion portfolio testing for three years, actually, and I just absolutely loved it. It balanced out my stressful, academia life, and I always resorted to modeling to kind of balance it out. You know, I had just done a lot of testing, a lot of shooting with different photographers, and doing more artistic stuff. Not necessarily the typical agency portfolio.

Did you find it hard to find work as a short model?

Definitely. I did get lucky, though, when I first started. When I was 18 it all started with craigslist, actually. I went online and was just trying to make some money, and I found an audition for a runway show, and, you know, I'm only 5'6''. So I show up at this audition wearing six-inch heels, and do my walk, and then I got a call back three days later, and they booked me. So I was surprised, actually, that there is work. It definitely is harder. I think even though, you know, I'm like 5'5'' and three-quarters, or however tall I am, I always have to say I'm 5'7'' when I show up somewhere. That's just how it is. It definitely is harder out there, you just have to want it and go for it, and convince them that it doesn't matter how tall you are.

Well you did mention your academia, and I noticed throughout the season that the judges focused a lot on your math background. Did you think being a math major affected your job as a model?

Um... well, I don't like to label myself as a "math major." I definitely think that my mind is shaped... the way my brain thinks is shaped by my math major, and that's just who I am. I have a very mathematical, analytical brain, I guess you could say. And they did focus on it a lot, which I thought was funny, because it's not just who I am. But it does shape the way that I think about things, and it definitely affects how I think about photography, and just how I look at a set, or my artistic side. So the analytical brain is definitely effective in the modeling world.

Well, speaking of 'analysis,' there's been a lot of talking about this latest 'hapa' photo shoot. How did you feel about it?

When we got to Hawaii, and we're sitting there and Tyra starts explaining the photo shoot, I was so excited. The wardrobe, the hair, the makeup--it was so intricate. We were there all day, for hours, you know, putting contacts in... every single detail was there. And I think it was the best--one of my top photo shoots of the whole experience. And every photo shoot, is... it's, you know, you're taking on a character, and you're playing a role, and this photo shoot was very theatrical, and I loved it.

You really loved your photo, and I have to say that I was shocked that you were eliminated. Were you as shocked as everyone else?

Oh, god, you have no idea what that was like. I was so, so shocked and devastated, and cried for weeks and weeks, and was like, "Why, why, why?" I felt like I had just been broken up with, and they were like, "Oh, not giving you a reason for why we broke up, just go on your way." So I was shocked. I did love the photo, and, you know, I did understand their critique, but just because I looked somewhat 'catalog' in that picture, that doesn't mean that I can't look fierce in other pictures, which I showed Tyra in my scarf photo shoot, and the horse, and the ninja photo shoot. I was moving all over the place and doing different things. But this photo shoot I happened to think of a creative image in my head, and I achieved it, and I loved it, but they used that against me, and it was... it was a shock.

What was your favorite photo shoot that you did, besides the hapa one?

I absolutely loved the makeup, hair and wardrobe scene for the horse shoot. The makeup was inspired by Helmut Newton books that the makeup artist had brought, and he's one of my favorite photographers, so I was really excited that they had used that for inspiration. So immediately in the makeup chair I was so excited. And in modeling, if you're passionate about the theme, then it makes it much easier to get into. So I loved the whole makeup, hair, wardrobe--lack thereof wardrobe--theme that was going on. The horse photo, I would say that one was definitely fun for me. And I also really liked the scarf photo shoot with Tyra, because beauty shoots were more something I was used to, because being a petite model and having all this experience, you often only shoot things that are from the shoulders up or the waist up. So I had tons of fun with it, and I felt really comfortable, and loved having the scarf kind of blowing everywhere, all over my face.

And you won that challenge, so that must have been extra gratifying.

I did! And I did not expect that, because I was just in the bottom two, and I think at that point there were still like ten girls left, and everyone seemed to love their shoot, so when she called my name, I... oh, my heart dropped! But in a very good way.

Looking back, do you feel that you were accurately portrayed on the show?

I think that I got a very neutral edit, and in the last few weeks I didn't really did any airtime, because that was leading up to me being eliminated. I was like, "How are they going to eliminate me?" Because I wasn't really a bitchy... and I didn't cause much drama, so I was like, they can't show that. But what are they going to do? So they just kind of ignored me in the last three weeks, even though I did really well at things, they just... didn't show it. And that was leading up to me being eliminated. So it was frustrating, but I felt like my edit was just very neutral, and it was just sort of like, "Oh, here's Brittany, and she hangs out, and she's chill." They didn't show anything, any of the goofy, silly parts of my personality that people would love, because then I got eliminated.

Now that you're off the show, who do you think should win?

Oh... that's hard, because there's so many things going into America's Next Top Model. You have Covergirl, but you also have to model, and I definitely think in terms of high fashion modeling, Nicole and Erin have the best looks for that. But that's also not what winning America's Next Top Model means. You also have to be a Covergirl. So I think Laura is the best candidate for the Covergirl look. So it just depends on what's most important in the end.

What's next for you?

Um, so I am going through my heart to modeling. It's everything I want, and I'm so excited, and I already have new work that's coming out, so if you go on my Twitter, you can get previews of it.

What's your Twitter?

My Twitter is @brittanymarkert. And I posted my site where you can see a link to all my different websites. I'll have new work come out soon, and I just want to model. I want to go to Asia, and I want to go to Europe, and I want to do the whole thing.

Well, you should be really proud of your performance, and we wish you all the best.

Thank you.



-Meghan Carlson, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Image courtesy of the CW