This morning I had the pleasure of chatting with Tahlia Brookins, the latest girl to be eliminated from Cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model.

The insecurities that plagued Tahlia during her time on Top Model weren't at all noticeable on the phone, as she spoke freely and strongly about her fellow competitors and future. Tahlia and I chatted about the unique way she came to be on Top Model, an adorable unseen moment from her favorite photo shoot, and how she and Celia got a good laugh when everyone but them fought their fight.

This is Abbey with BuddyTV and this morning I’m speaking with Tahlia from America’s Next Top Model. How are you doing this morning, Tahlia?

I’m good. How are you?

I’m good, thanks. So how did you come to be on America’s Next Top Model?

It was actually the work of my dad. It’s such a funny story. My dad - on my 18th birthday - called me up and said “Hey, I have your birthday present.” And I was like “Oh, okay, well, cool.” And my dad - being the gentleman that he is - I expected it to be a piece of jewelry or something like that. And I was like, “Okay, dad, well, I’m kind of having a huge party here but I’ll drive down tomorrow and get it.” And he was all, “No no no no no. You don’t understand. This isn’t something you can just come and get.”

At first I didn’t really understand and I was like, “Okay.” And I was like, “Humor me.” He said, “I have decided to take it upon myself to register you online next week for America’s Next Top Model.” And my dad and my sister are very sarcastic people, and I’m so gullible I’ll believe anything. Growing up that way I’ve kind of gotten to the point where I’m like “Ha ha, dad. Very funny.” So I said that. I was like, “Dad, that’s really funny, but really, where’s my present?” And he said, “No, I’m being serious.” And I’m like “Well, I don’t believe you.” And he was all, “Well you’ll believe me when I pick you up next week at 4AM to go down to the audition.” And I got off the phone with him and I was talking with my friends and I said, “Wow. Maybe he is serious about this. Maybe he’s not just joking.”

So sure enough that next week he’s at my apartment door knocking at 4am saying “Are you ready to go?” So I was like, “Wow. Sure.” So I get down there and there’s this line of hundreds and hundreds of people. So I was like, overwhelmed. I could feel the anxiety coming on. I was like, “Oh my God. There’s no way I have a chance at this.” But what the hell, why not? This is an opportunity that very people get. Why not just go for it? So I did. And look where I ended up.

Exactly. Well, thanks dad. That’s a pretty awesome birthday present.

I know. Right?

That’s really, really sweet. What a better story than, “Well, I just decided I should try out and I stood in line." So, what was life like in the Top Model house?

It was very stressful, very agitating and annoying, and very irritating. Its so much more than what you see on TV in the fact that you wake up every morning to a house full of people who are competing for the exact same thing you are and will go to whatever extent they have to, to make sure that they get just that little bit closer. So you have the pressure from the other girls, the pressure in the house, then you go into the studio for a challenge, teach or photo shoot and you’re expected to impress the judges. So you’re like, “Oh wow.” There’s that pressure too. And on top of that you have the pressure of waiting - and the anxiety of waiting - to hear what the judges have to see going into an elimination. It’s so much more pressure than you would really anticipate there being.

Yeah, how long does deliberation take? I’m sure it varies, but I’m sure it’s not as fast as they show it on TV.

Oh no no no. It goes for hours on hours. I know one deliberation was at least two and a half hours long.

Wow.

Yeah it’s very stressful. We’re taken out of the studio and we’re trying to be as calm as possible, yet we’re just sitting there like “Oh my God. Okay. Someone is going home. Who’s it going to be?” And then you’re just sitting back there like, “It’s going to be. It’s going to be me. I just know it.”

Yeah, of course. Ugh. That would not be good for my anxiety.

I know. Right?

So who were your friends in the house and are you still in contact with them?

I kind of became friends with Aminat, Fo and, I guess you could say Teyona, in a sense. So I guess you could say I sort of lean towards them. But as far as friends, I don’t want to say that I made really any friends. They’re good acquaintances. I’ll give them that. I’m sure that they all have good goals and accomplishments in the future. But as far as being text buddies, no. I don’t see that happening.

So what was it like seeing yourself on TV? Did that bring back the anxiety a little bit?

A little bit. See, I’m one of those people who hate seeing myself on TV. So it was a little difficult because it’s a little overwhelming, because you’re like, ‘Oh my God. I have to relive this experience all over again after I just got over it, no matter how easy or hard it was.’ And then you get to watch every slip up and every mistake. And then you’re like, ‘Oh. I could have done better. I should have done this. You’re critiquing yourself more than the judges are critiquing you.” So it’s so hard and it’s kind of weird at the same time.

Were you shocked by anything was said about you? Or hurt by anything that was said about you?

As far as the judges are concerned, not really. I expected everything that the judges had to say. As far as from the girls I knew that there was going to be a lot of backstabbing and a lot of shit talking, I guess you could say, from the girls about each other. But I never really thought that it was going to be as low as these girls go to. I’m just a little shocked by the immaturity there but other than that, I shouldn’t be because I should have expected it after watching a couple of episodes prior to my being there.

So at that fateful judging panel, what was your thought when Celia stepped up and started speaking?

A lot of things went through my head at that moment. My first instinct was, “Oh my God. I’m gonna just go up there and punch her right in the face.” I’m just like, “What a backstabber.” After calming down and looking at it from her perspective, she did what she thought was right and what was appropriate and what the time called for. You can’t really judge her for that. Her, as well as any of the other girls, they have the right to her own opinion, they have a right to their own opinions about me or anyone else in the house. You shouldn’t judge them for how they decide to speak their mind. Unfortunately for me, it was my venting to the wrong person at the wrong time. Or I guess you could take it as, I shouldn’t have vented to any of those girls because they took it so literally. Wrong person, wrong timing. Everything was messed up about it. It happened the way it did. It was disappointed for me, for Celia. But at the same time she had a right what she wanted to do. She thought she was doing something that needed to be done. So kudos to her.

What did you think about the kind of battle that broke out in the house after that, when you and Celia just kind of stood there.

Oh my God.

You guys were just standing next to each other, and I was like “Hello? Is this not their fight if anyone is going to fight?”

Well that’s what she and I said. She and I would look at each other and be like, “Isn’t this about us?” We’d kind of shake our heads and go to our own room, and a couple of hours later they were still yelling at each other so we’d go to the stairwell, stick our heads over the rail.

Wow. So it was a long fight?

Exactly, and then even Celia was like, “Isn’t this about me and Tahlia? This isn’t really about you guys.” We got a good laugh out of it. I’m not going to lie.

What was your favorite photo shoot that you did?

My favorite photo shoot was Ellis Island, but not because I got number one. An event took place there that I believe wasn’t caught on camera. I wasn’t able to watch that episode because I had to work that day. During that photo shoot there was a little girl, one of the other models that was modeling with us, and her name was Tahlia. She and I were both amazed because we were like, “Oh. There’s another Tahlia in the world.” Because it’s definitely rare.

So she was standing behind me on one of the props after the second or third frame and she giggled to herself and she says, “I’m going to out-model you!” Which I thought was the funniest thing. So I was like, “Okay, well we’ll just see about that.” So we’re going on frame by frame and then all of a sudden Mr. Jay says “Okay, well this is the last frame.” So I was like “Awesome. Okay.” So I get into my pose and I’m ready, and all of a sudden little Tahlia jumps off the prop, and I didn’t realize she was off of the prop, but she jumps off of it and all of a sudden she tugs on my dress. And I look at her and say “What’s up?” And she’s all “Is this the last photo?” And I was like, “For now, yeah. Why? What’s up?” And she was like “Oh.” And then she gets this big smile and she’s like, “Could you hug me for it?”

Awwwwwww.

Here she is. She’s like nine years old, maybe even younger, and she’s asking this person who she’s never even met before, and she’s asking a stranger who she’s never even met before, who happens to have the same name as her, to hug her in such a compassionate way for that last frame. I was just awe struck. I can’t even explain to you. That moment right there just made everything that happened that was so upsetting or so negative in the week - or anything before that - it just made everything disappear. I melted and it brought a tear to my eye.

Of course it did. I’m all gooey. That was so sweet.

That was honestly the most amazing and the best experience that happened to me through this entire thing.

Do you have a favorite challenge or teach that they did?

Not really.

Yeah?

I don’t know. Maybe that’s just me. I mean, yeah, Clay Aiken was there and Benny Ninja. Blah blah blah. I don’t know. Maybe I just expected a little bit more than we got. But I mean, it was still fun and I still had a good time and learned a lot from each experience.

So a big part of this show was being a role model and telling your story as a burn victim. Do you think that you got your story out there the way that you hoped to?

I hope so. I really think that if I didn’t do it in the exact way that I was hoping to, I still did it in a way that caught someone’s eye. I hope that I did influence someone. I hope that I did inspire someone to do better. A lot of people are going to take this as, “She’s only reaching out to burn survivors.” No, that’s not just it. Yes, burn survivors are my biggest goal to get to because they’re so difficult to get to because it’s so hard in life for them.

But it’s not even just for people who are burned. It’s for people who are self conscious about something as small as their weight or a freckle on their face to huge weight loss drops, or to people who have muscle or physical defects that they think hold them back in society. That’s my whole reason for doing this, and showing that you can be strong enough to push yourself to do what you want to do in society, and that you shouldn’t have to change who you are to achieve a goal or simply to walk down the street. So that was my whole meaning behind it and I hope that I got that point across, and I know that, even not just from that show, but that at some point in time I’m going to be able to get that point across in one way or another.

What have people’s reactions been to you since the show has started? Have people told you that you were an inspiration? Or have you been recognized on the street?

Oh yeah, I’ve been recognized many times, even from walking to the gas station or to going though Wal-Mart, and they’re like, “Oh my God. We’ve seen you. You’re that one girl from that TV show.” Even my pastor at my church stopped me and said, “Oh my God she’s here.”

Thanks, Pastor!

I know, right? Talk about being pointed out in the middle of a group of people. It’s awesome that people recognize me and stop me, and they’re like “Oh, we enjoy watching you. You inspire us so much.” Just getting that reaction from some people - it feels so good. It’s one of those things where I didn’t just do it for me. That was my goal.

Yeah, and that’s definitely more than can be said for basically anyone else who’s remaining on the show.

Hopefully.

No, definitely. You weren’t just there to look pretty. So what’s next for you?

Well, hopefully I’m able to take something away from this as far as a career. I’d love to continue to model and make that a dream come true. Tyra and Mister Jay at one point during an audition had actually stated that they thought of me more as an actress type than as a model. And so if that’s the case send me to acting school. Okay, give me the opportunity - it’s another challenge. Let’s just do it. And this time I don’t have to be quite so glamorous for it, I guess you could say.

Yeah, you could just go in jeans and a tee and not have to worry about a model fashion lecture.

Exactly. I guess you could just say that I kind of want to make a name for myself in Hollywood, but at the same time I want to be there to help people out, and inspire people and to state that - like I said - you don’t have to be someone you’re not just to make your dreams come true.

Now that you’re out of the competition who do you think will win?

I’m really rooting for Fo or Aminat or Teyona. Those are the three that I’m just, “Please take the gold.” Especially Fo. So anyway, yeah, I’m just really hoping that Fo takes the gold just because you just look in her eyes and you can tell this is something she’s wanted ever since she was a kid. She’s just dying to have it. I’m just hope that as hard as she’s worked everything does work out for her.

Thank you so much for sitting and chatting with me, Thalia. I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you.

--Abbey Simmons, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image Courtesy of The CW)