Last Thursday, Aryn Livingston became the third model to be voted off of Bravo's new reality series Make Me A Supermodel.  During her time on the show, she managed to raise some eyebrows with her close friendship with fellow models Ronnie Kroell and Ben DiChiara.  Aryn spoke to BuddyTV today about what really went on in the house with Ronnie and Ben, some of the challenges she faced in trying to manufacture sexual chemistry in her photoshoot with Jay McGee, and how she got her start in the modeling business.  Below, you will find an audiofile and a transcript of the interview.

Hey everybody. This is Debbie at BuddyTV, and I'm talking to Aryn from Make Me A Supermodel. Hi, Aryn.

Hi Debbie.


How's it going?

It's going good. Kind of crazy being back in real life, but I mean, it's been an experience of a lifetime, I can tell you that.


How difficult was it for you to be in that really sexy photoshoot with Jay in the third episode? That's the first thing I want to ask you.

I was really, really nervous. When we walked into the hotel room, we saw the bed and we saw Tyson, and we kind of all knew what was going to happen. It was just like one of those things where you're like, "Wow. I can either give up now or I can just completely jump into it with 100 percent of what I have and just hope that that can be enough and that I can really perform and bring it." And it was hard for me, really hard, because of all the guys, Jay and I had just never really talked before. And so, one of the really positive things that came out of working with him is that we actually got really close and we had a lot of time to talk. After that, we were really good friends, and even being in the bottom two together, we were just really leaning on each other through that whole experience. So, it was definitely a challenge, the whole thing.


Also, in that episode, we found out that you were starting to have some trouble with your boyfriend. And so, has that been resolved?

Well, actually, my boyfriend and I had had a lot of trouble before the show and a lot of trouble going into show. It's a time in both of our lives where are having to make a lot of decisions, and sometimes those decisions have taken us in opposite directions. And that's always hard, I think, when you get to a certain age. Growing up is all about just having to learn how to make decisions for yourself as opposed to others. I was just really disappointed how our conversation was portrayed in the show, but we are fine right now and we are just trying to work things out. We're the best of friends right now and I actually spent all day with him yesterday and it was back to old times, laughing, joking. And to have the support of him and his family through this entire thing has just been really special.


Oh, that's great. That's good to hear. But, something else that I have to ask you is about your relationship with Ronnie and Ben. You guys got really close and so, was there anything there? Or, were you edited to look a certain way?

Yeah, that was really disappointing to come home and see the episode, just because I know what really happened. The girls in the house, particularly... I think that I gravitated towards Ronnie and Ben just because, I think viewers would agree, out of almost everybody on the show, they're really the most real people, and they're just as wonderful and nice in real life and in real person as they seem on the show. They're amazing guys, and I was able to really have an amazing friendship with them. I didn't have that with a lot of other people in the house just because there was a lot of cattiness and a lot of drama. And I think the three of us just decided we didn't want to be a part of that. And that looked like something other than it was on TV. And it was just really innocent, and I really care for those boys, so I'm kind of disappointed to see people's reaction to something so innocent, and something that we, all three of us, wanted to stay out of drama. Instead it kind of created drama.


Okay, and how did you get started in modeling?

Actually, I was at college and I've always wanted to do this, and I finally just called my mom. I was like, "You know, mom, I'm not getting any younger and I really want to give it a try before the window of opportunity is gone." So, I just did a lot of research and found a mother agent who really believed in me and got me contracts in New York and L.A. It's just one of those things where you have to work really hard and bust your butt and network as much as possible and I did that for about a year. You know, I had pretty much actually given up on any real success in the industry, and then the show came along, and it's just been uphill since then. I'm really excited to see what's next.


So, have you been getting a lot of positive feedback from the industry from your exposure on the show?

Yeah, that's what's really exciting, to come back and to know that majority of the people who watched the show, the majority of the people who were actually in the industry agreed that I didn't go because I was the weakest person, talent-wise. And that was really encouraging. And I've actually gotten a lot of offers from the industry, and my mother agent and I are working right now figure out what's next for me. There's a lot of open doors and a lot decisions to be made in the next couple of months, for sure.


And, how do you think you compared to the rest of the models based on modeling abilities?

That's a tough call to make because I think that there's a lot of people who haven't even begun to realize their full potential on the show yet. I think there's a lot of models who are so new to this industry that they are just now starting to realize how much they have to offer the industry. I unfortunately didn't get to stick around long enough to see how everybody used that potential and how everybody grew, so I don't know. I mean, I know that there's a couple that I was looking at as certainly big competition, and then there's a couple that I kind of picked as my choice for sleepers in the competition who are really just now starting to come into themselves and learn more about the business and how to impress America and the panel. So, I'll definitely be watching the show just to see how everything pans out.


And, what was the highlight for you for being on Make Me A Supermodel?

I think the highlight for me being on Make Me A Supermodel was just the validation of it saying that I do maybe have a future in this career. Just making it that far was such an accomplishment that it gives me the confidence, it gives me the drive, not to give up. Yeah, it's not over for me yet, and all the things that I got to do, and all the people I got to meet can only help me in this industry. I'm just glad to have been a part of it for as long as I did.


Great. Well, congratulations on making it far and for performing well. I thought you did really well. And best of luck in the future.

Thank you. Actually, I was just on BuddyTV and saw some comments. Is there any way clear up something that was on BuddyTV?


Oh yeah. What was it?

It was just someone who commented on my bio. Bravo had said that I was a fifth-grade teacher, and there was a lot of people saying, "Oh, how can you do that without a masters degree?" And I just wanted to clear that up. Actually, in my senior year in high school, I was asked to teach fourth- and fifth-grade Latin to elementary students just because they couldn't find anybody on short notice to tutor them, and I took that on despite everything I had going on my senior year. So I was just a tutor for Latin students. So, that's all that was.

-Interview conducted by Debbie Chang
(Image courtesy of Bravo)