Make Me A Supermodel

Shannon Pallay almost made it to the final four on Make Me A Supermodel.  This tall, dark-haired beauty consistently brought a high-fashion quality to her photos and to the runway.  Even while she was sick, she gave it her all in the competition.  There were times during Make Me A Supermodel when it looked that she and fellow model Perry Ullmann were at each other's throats, but Shannon assures us that their relationship was more amicable than what it appeared to be on TV.  Shannon spoke to BuddyTV today about what her own personal fashion style is, what it's like behind the scenes at a runway show and the best way to break into the modeling business.

Below, you will find an audiofile as well as a transcript of the interview.

Hey everybody, this is Debbie at BuddyTV, and I'm talking to Shannon from Make Me a Supermodel. Hey Shannon, how's it going?

Good, good. How are you doing?


I'm good. Before you got eliminated, you said you felt that you deserved to stay more than Ronnie [Kroell] did because it was only your first time in the bottom. Do you think you were unfairly voted off?

Well, I wouldn't necessarily consider it unfair, I was just making a strong point on the fact that I felt consistency should have been rewarded. I was very consistent throughout the show, where I felt that Ronnie wasn't in a lot of ways. I mean, I don't look at it as being unfair, because I'm ready to more or less move on and just continue to try to model and do my best.


As the weeks went by, it looked like there was more and more tension building between the boys and the girls in the house. Was there really a lot, or do you think that the editing of the show played it up?

I think the editing had a lot to do with that, honestly I do. I know that everybody thinks Perry and I were constantly at each others' throats, and it seemed like we despised each other. In actuality, though we had our arguments and everything, we certainly didn't hate each other at all. We even had good moments and talks, and we got along. I think the editing did kind of make things seem a little bit different from how they were, or maybe just exaggerated certain aspects or certain things that happened in the house. There was tension between the boys and the girls, I just think it was really, really exaggerated on the show. There were times when we all got along.


What were some of the good moments? Do you remember a specific moment that was good? Also, what was the thing that infuriated you the most about the other people?

Well, it's really difficult when you have so many people in one house. There are no doors for any of the bedrooms, you can hear everything perfectly, and you're trying to sleep and somebody else wants to stay up and have a little party. It's really hard. Even when you're in a group of people you like, even if you're living with all of your best friends, it's something that's really difficult. When you have so many people in close quarters, everybody's attitude sort of comes out. You can get very irritated very easily, you know what I mean? It was just little bickering and this and that. I just don't feel like any of it was really that big of a deal. In retrospect, I look back at it and think we had our little arguments, but none of it was really that severe at all. A lot of times, like I said, we actually got along quite well.


Was modeling something that you've always wanted to do?

Yes, actually modeling is something I've always wanted to do. I've always just loved art, I've loved photography and fashion, and I just wanted to be a part of all of it. I have interest in being behind the camera as well, and designing. I'm kind of overly ambitious in that sense. I just always loved modeling. I just always wanted to take beautiful pictures, and just help designers realize their goals and put their work out there. I just always loved it and I was always sort of infatuated with it. It was something I knew I wanted to pursue, so I did.


Who are some of your favorite designers?

Designers? I couldn't even list for you. I love so many of them, but really, I just appreciate the beauty of all of them. Even when you're not a big fan of a designer, you have to appreciate the artistic side of it. That it's somebody's blood, sweat, and tears going into a t-shirt. Designers care so much about their products, and to be a part of that is really sort of an honor. I just always wanted to be a part of that.

Are there any specific looks that certain designers do that really appeals to you? What kind of things do you look for when you're shopping for yourself?

When I'm shopping, or window shopping, or whatever I'm doing, I just really appreciate originality. Sometimes you see things repeating themselves, and designers can copy other designers and whatnot, so I just really appreciate originality. When you see something that's really unique, I just really go for it. I really would rather not look like everybody else walking out on the street. Everybody wants their own kind of signature. There are designers out there who just have this amazing originality that I really admire. That is the number one thing I look for, something that's unique and something that stands out.


What's your signature? If you were to say, "This is Shannon," what would that be?

That is so loaded, I don't even know where to start. Maybe gothic, bohemian, Park Avenue, kind of around town gal, if that makes any sense at all, which I know it doesn't. That is how I'd describe my look.


Actually, I can picture that. Take us through what goes on behind the scenes of a runway show.

Chaos.


How long do you have to get ready, and what happens if you have an outfit that doesn't fit?

If something doesn't fit, you make it fit, and you make it look like it fits. There's so much chaos. People don't realize with every runway show, not just the ones that we've done, but every single runway show that goes on in the world, is just chaos. There's so much stuff to do and little time to do it in. When you have to change into your next outfit to go on for your second round, you have to do it extremely fast. Then your makeup has to be constantly touched up, your hair has to be fixed, and it's just so difficult to describe how it's just a cluster back there. Everybody is running around, it's really chaotic. Doing runway shows is actually very tiring. Besides the fact that it's a lot of fun, it's long days and a lot of hard work. It's just sheer chaos, sheer chaos. I don't know how to describe it any better than that. It's chaos.


What goes through your mind while you're walking down the runway?

While I'm walking down the runway, it's really hard to describe what I'm thinking and what I'm feeling. Beforehand, you have all these things going through your mind. Will I look good if I do this? Will I look good if I do that? How is this going to make the clothes look? All of these things go through your mind, then the second you step out there you just kind of forget all of that. You just kind of let go and you have fun, cause you realize you're there to try and sell what you're wearing. You're not gonna sell that by looking anxious or looking worried or looking nervous, so the second I get out there it's just like, you know what, this is fun. This is fun. I'm supposed to be making these clothes look good, so I should just have fun with it. That's basically it. It's just walking down the street feeling good about yourself, that's going through my mind. It's just fun.


What tips would you give to other people who are trying to break into the modeling business?

For anybody who's trying to break into the modeling business, just keep trying and don't take no for an answer. I've had so many doors closed in my face, slammed in my face actually, just no, no, no. Thousands of nos, but all it takes is one yes. You'll get told no a million times. Even the most beautiful woman in the world will get told no a thousand times, but all it takes is one yes. Basically, just stick with it. I could have given up years ago with all the nos I heard, but I just kept going. If you want to break into this, you have to realize that it's really brutal and people will be mean to you. You can go into an agency and they can basically just call you ugly right to your face. You have to have thick skin, and if you hear a no you say "Oh well" and move on to the next stage. That's all it is, just trying really hard, just realizing that you have to really, really work hard. That it's not just glamour, it's actually hard work. Once you accept that fact, and accept that not everybody is going to like you, once you accept that you'll be okay.


So what's next for you, Shannon?

What's next for me? What's next for me is a secret, maybe you'll find out, who knows.

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