People may have underestimated cycle 9 contestant Chantal Jones on America's Next Top Model.  At first glance, she looks like that small town girl next door that's featured on every season of the show.  Yet, Chantal had the ability to not only be commercial but also extremely high fashion.  Though she never won a challenge and was never voted Cover Girl Of The Week, Chantal stayed on top throughout the season and was called first in judging more than any other model.  She made it to the final two but lost to Saleisha Stowers.  Today, she talked to BuddyTV about her plans for the future, defending Heather, why she think she lost America's Next Top Model.

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

Hey everybody, this is Gina from BuddyTV and today, I'm talking to Chantal, the runner-up from cycle nine of America's Next Top Model. Have you watched previous seasons of Top Model before being on the show?

Yeah, I watched seasons one and two and I was really obsessed with it but then because of school and everything, I got pretty busy. I didn't catch all the other seasons, but I always liked it.


Was this your first year trying out for the show?

Yes, this was my first time to try out.


What is the audition process like, or at least how was it for you? Was it long or stressful?

It was long, but it was exciting. There was a lot of waiting to find out things, and while I would be waiting I'd be wondering if I could have done better or whatever. It was exciting and kind of stressful, but it was fun overall.


On the finale, they showed that great clip of you and Saleisha on the first day joking that you'd be the final two. Would you have imagined that you would have been final two?

I didn't. I didn't think about it at all, but Saleisha, from the first day that she met me on the cruise, she was like "We're gonna be top two." She said it, and she was totally right. I was like oh my god, she did say that in the beginning and look, now it is.


In that finale, all three finalists -- you, Jenah, and Saleisha -- were all very emotional. For you, what was behind the tears? Was it stress, or was it just that you wanted it so bad?

Yeah, it was that I wanted it so bad, and that it was almost over. We spent so much time together, and especially Jenah and I were very close, and just that it was over and we were saying our goodbyes was so sad. It was bittersweet, because she was leaving but at the same time it was like okay, now it's really game time, it's really time to step it up and be focused. That was really hard and very emotional.


There were a few times during the season where we saw you show a lot of kindness to Heather when some other girls were gaining up on her. What was your relationship like with her?

We're good friends. I was close with everyone to tell you the truth, all the girls. I had a friendship with them. We weren't just competitors, but we were the same type of girl, living in the same house, going through the same thing, and I understood them and they understood me. Of course, because we were going through the same thing. So I don't know, we're close, just as close as I was with any of the girls. I don't like when people gang up on anybody, or try and pick fights and stuff, so that's just my natural instinct to defend someone. I always will stand up for Heather in any situation.

Do you have a favorite moment or a favorite photo from the season?

My favorite experience of the whole thing was being at the Great Wall. I thought the Great Wall was just incredible, and being there I was just so appreciative to get to experience something like that. The Great Wall was definitely the biggest highlight for me.


When you're in the final three, and Tyra makes you do that thing where you have to say who's the weaker model or who shouldn't win, did you feel bad about what you said about Jenah since it made her cry? Or did you really feel that way?

No, I felt horrible, I felt horrible. That question was the hardest question I've ever had to answer. I was totally put on the spot, I wasn't prepared, and I love both the girls so much and they were so great. It was really hard to pull something out of my butt of what to say, because I didn't know. It was like who shouldn't be here, well I think that all of us really deserve to be here, that's how I really felt. But you have to answer the question, and when it came down to deciding between Jenah and Saleisha, I just went with my instinct and picked Jenah.


Do you have any opinions as to why the judges maybe chose Saleisha over you to win the season?

I think it was because she rocked out on the runway. She did so good, and I was nervous and scared, and I bombed it. Saleisha did a great job and she held it together. I was really impressed with her, and I am very proud of her.


What's your goal as a model now? Will you keep pursuing this?

Yes, I will definitely keep pursuing modeling. I would love to do something with Guess, I would love to go in the direction of Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret, I think that would be the coolest thing. I would love to just go play around on the beach all day and make an awesome calendar or something. I think that would be really fun.


Well you had a lot of fans on BuddyTV, and I'm wondering if there's anything you want to say to them?

Yeah, definitely. I just want to say thank you to all the people that supported me this whole time, and all the people that were cheering me on and voted for me for Cover Girl of the week, even though Heather got it every single time. I love all my fans. It's weird to think that I have fans, I'm just this girl from Austin who loves modeling and stuff. It's crazy how fast this all blew up, and I really appreciate everyone who was rooting for me.


Well I just wanted to thank you so much for your time Chantal, and I wish you good luck in the future.

Thank you so much.


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