America's Next Top Model

Part 1 / Part 2 Was it difficult for you to do the nude shoot? No! God no, I was the second one up there. It was really easy. It was tasteful and it was liberating and I was like, "Whatever, whatever it takes to get in the house!" You know, nothing was going to stop me. If you hadn't have won, what do you think you would be doing now? Would you still be pursuing modeling? Oh God, I can't even fathom that. I would be because I'm not a quitter. The show's going to be successful for everyone on it in one way or another. Do you have any advice for young aspiring models out there? Keep going and no matter how many people say no, keep going until...until you're about 40 and then you should stop! (laughs) Do you think that having the more bubbly, funny, outgoing personality that you have gave you an edge over other contestants, especially when it came down to you and Melrose? Not so much an edge, but definitely a relatable personality that people just see, and it's just what you see is what you get. And I didn't have anything to hide and I didn't really...people would be like, "Oh my God, you're so crazy, tone it down!" And I never did because I didn't know how to be anyone else besides me. What were you thinking after the runway show in Barcelona? I was actually really sad because this was going to be the last time that I was going to work with all the makeup artists that we've been working with for the past two and a half months, you know? It was the last time I was going to see them for God knows how long - I still haven't seen them. So I was just sad. I wasn't thinking about the runway. I was just like, "Oh my God, I'm going to miss everybody that I've worked with and I can't believe it's over with now, there's nothing more to do, there's no more challenges." And you know, I cried a lot right after we were done, just because it was sad. I was leaving my little dysfunctional family. You've become a role model and an inspiration for a lot of young girls. How does that make you feel and was that something you were conscious of during the show, and do you have anything you'd like to say to them? Oh, I think that's so awesome for young girls to look at someone and realize that they're not just a winner because they're beautiful, but that they're a winner because they showed who you are, and that's a lot of things that people don't understand. They think that image is everything, especially young girls. Image isn't everything. What sets you apart and what makes you memorable is how you act - that's the most important thing. Don't be someone else that you're not and don't try to be, because it's just not worth it. You've got to stay true to yourself because if you're not true to yourself, then you're lying to yourself and it's no fun to lie to yourself. From your experience so far, how important is it in your industry to be more than just a "pretty" face? It's very important. You have to be smart. You have to be energetic; because I've been going non stop...and I still love it. You know, you can be the prettiest girl in the world but once you open your mouth and you're conceited...it's instantly ugly, it's just ugly. You can see a beautiful person and they can be conceited and you don't even see them as beautiful anymore, you just see them as this really ugly person. So that's really important. Also, you have to be smart, because you have to get your education, which is really important. A lot of girls start so young and it's really important that you keep with your education because modeling does have an expiration date. And you're doing interviews and you open your mouth and you sound dumb, you know...there's nothing worse than opening your mouth and not knowing what you're saying. You seem like you have such a natural "model" body shape. Do you ever struggle with keeping your weight down? Absolutely. How's your nutrition plan and do you feel any pressure to be even thinner now that you've won the show? You know, I have my good days and bad days. I don't feel like I should be thinner. I lost a lot of weight on the show because of the stress and because of the lack of sleep and lack of food. We weren't eating on a regular basis and just being so stressed out, you lose your appetite. I mean, I have my days, just like anybody else, where they just don't look right or this doesn't look right or...I'm a woman first and foremost, so there's going to be days where I feel fat. Not like fat, fat...but just days I don't feel like I like my body, and that's just because I'm only a woman and that's what we go through. But, I definitely watch what I eat. I don't eat fast food. It's not an easy thing, I work at it. Did you pay a lot of attention to what people were saying about you during the season? Did you go online and read any online forums? Yeah, I went online once in a while and looked at websites and the support. And if was bad support, I just rolled my eyes, I'd be like whatever. But if it was good support, I would just feel really touched. I just didn't remember the bad and just kept with the good. A lot of contestants have mixed feeling about Tyra after the show. Did you and Tyra get along? How do you feel about her and have you spoke to her since the show? Oh yeah, we get along and it's just awesome. I owe everything to her. I mean I wouldn't even be talking to you if it wasn't for her, and anyone who has a problem with it, it's just because probably they didn't like the outcome. If they won, they wouldn't be saying anything bad and if they went somewhere. It's all how you carry yourself. I read somewhere that you have a boyfriend? Yep! Did he feel threatened at all by the attention you've been getting, especially now that you've won? No, not at all. Actually during the filming of the show we were apart. But we've been together for two years so, no, he's very supportive. How has this experience as a whole changed your life, besides the obvious reasons? It just makes me feel good that at 21 years old I'm fulfilling a dream. I feel very lucky and very, very blessed. You're going to Sydney, Australia. What are you going to be doing there? I'm doing my first CoverGirl shoot! I can't wait! CoverGirl is awesome. It was the first product I ever bought when I first started wearing makeup. What are your plans for the future and what do you have on tap for the next few months? Keep modeling and getting my book filled and just stepping out of the reality world. I want to make it to the top more, and more and more. I just want to keep on working! Part 1 / Part 2 Over the past few months, BuddyTV has interviewed a number of different people from all over the television industry. Thus far, we've featured an interview with Josh Schwartz (creator of The OC), an interview with Alfred Gough (creator of Smallville), an interview with John Shiban (executive producer of Supernatural), an interview with Mark Schwahn (creator of One Tree Hill) an interview with Hank Steinberg (creator of The Nine), an interview with David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik (the creators of The Class), and an interview with David S. Rosenthal (new Head Writer/Executive Producer of Gilmore Girls).