Casey Skinner nearly made it to the top five on Bravo's Make Me A Supermodel, but unfortunately, he was voted off the show last week.  Although the judges liked to criticize him for being too stiff and not confident enough, he really proved to audiences that he has the potential to become a great model, even overcoming a paralyzing fear of snakes to take a great photo.

Casey spoke to BuddyTV today about his time on the show, and during our conversation, I learned that there is more to him than just a pretty face.  He's also a musician, involved in several music projects along with his modeling.  Below, you will find an audiofile and a complete transcript of the interview.

Hey, everybody. This is Debbie at BuddyTV, and I'm talking to Casey from Make Me A Supermodel. Hi, Casey, how are you?

I'm doing good. How are you?


I'm pretty good. Well, I have to ask you, what was the hardest part about being on the show for you?

I think the hardest part...ooh, that's a good one...I think the hardest part was probably the long hours and the short nights. Sometimes, we'd get a couple hours of sleep and then we'll go shoot for, like, 60 hours. You just always have to be on top of your game, and sometimes that's a little bit hard with a lack of sleep.


It's hard to tell, watching the episode, how much you guys work. How long does a typical photoshoot last?

I think the typical photoshoot lasted...it varied but I guess between seven to ten hours. It fluctuated, so probably like eight hours.


Who was your favorite photographer that you got to work with?

I don't remember his last name, but his name was Bill. He was the one that actually shot with the snake.


Oh yeah. That looked so terrifying, and you have a phobia of snakes, right?

Yes, I do have a little bit of a fear of snakes.


How did you get over that? You did really well in that challenge, too.

Oh, thank you. I still have a fear of snakes. It didn't cure me of my fear, but it did help me go in the right direction of not being as afraid. I think I just made sure I forgot that it was a snake. Instead, it was just another being in the photoshoot, and we were both just there to make a great picture. So, I really didn't look at it as this animal that I believed was just out to kill me.


Well, they probably wouldn't have put you in a tank with something that was actually going to kill you, too.

Well, I was thinking the same thing. I was just making sure that maybe they did and it would have been good TV. That thought went through the back of my head.


So, you were in the bottom 3 three times. Is that correct?

Yes.


It must have been really difficult to be critiqued and picked apart by the judges every week?

I was glad that they picked us apart because I think if they were to go easy on us, I myself wouldn't have been able to learn anything and, therefore, improve as a model. So I really cherish those moments of them picking us apart because I would be able to work on those things and get better.


And you probably had to develop thicker skin too, because it's hard to be criticized every week.

Yeah, it did help me to develop thicker skin, so I'd be ready for the harsh world of modeling.


You and Perry [Ullmann] and Frankie [Godoy] became really close, and how was it competing against your friends?

I think we all had a mutual understanding that we were friends and we were sure we would see each other later on, down the road, after the show was all said and done. And we all agreed that once we get out of the house, hanging out, that'd be nice, but once it came to the photoshoots and the catwalks, the gloves would come off and we would have to compete with each other. We all understood that that was the best thing. It wasn't a personal thing, but we just had to do that.


In the Valentine's Day episode, when Perry found out for the first time that there was something going on with his girlfriend, you shared with him your opinion on matters of love. And can you just remind me again what you said?

Let me try to remember what I said. That was many conversations ago. What did I tell him?


It was something about how you're not really into love, or...

No, I told him that my opinions of love are jaded and very different than his. And I remembered from day one that he talked about his girlfriend in a very loving manner. And, when that happened, my heart really went out for him because I can truly empathize with that. I think I kind of tried to put a positive spin on the situation that he was in. Being in a situation where you can't really talk to your loved one, and then having something unpleasant happen can really get in your head. And if you're in a competition, you can't let anything get in your head. So, I remember, I was trying to put a positive spin on it, so he wouldn't really bring himself down.


It sounded like you were speaking from a past experience. Do you have something similar like that happen to you?

I've had certain situations where I couldn't talk to loved ones, and something unpleasant would happen, and I would really beat myself up inside. It would affect how I would hold myself and also affect my work and my presence, and I didn't want that to happen to him in such a big competition.


Aside from modeling, you have a lot of other interests. Like, I read on the Bravo site that you're a singer/songwriter?

Yes. I am.


That's cool. They didn't really show any of that on the show, but are you working on any music right now? Can you just tell us about that part of yourself?

I've always been into music and I've been a singer/songwriter since as long as I can remember. And right now, I'm working on a solo album. I don't know what it's going to be named or anything like that. On the production side, I ran a recording studio out of my house for a good amount of time. And, I'm helping a friend out who's about to finish an album. His name is Sean Bryant. He's really good. And also, I'm in another band as well, called the Squishies. It's like a folk-rock band. So I have my hand in many different things in the music.


That's awesome. Where do you see yourself going with that?

I don't really know yet. I'm still trying to get a bunch of really good, solid songs that I truly love, and then take it from there. Right now, I want to get big in modeling and use that as a vehicle to pursue things like acting and especially music. I think the fashion industry and music kind of works closely together, and I'll be able to get a lot of connections. So I probably want to get signed with a record label and, besides, modeling, go on tour.


Great. That's awesome. I will be sure to check out your music.


For more information about Casey Skinner's musical endeavors, check out these links: TheSquishies, CaseySkinner.

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