Realitywanted.net » Interview with KIMBERLY, 2nd eliminated lady from America’s Next Top Model Cycle 9.

Interview with KIMBERLY, 2nd eliminated lady from America’s Next Top Model Cycle 9.

Posted on October 17th, 2007 by Mark
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By Jackie Helm

Cycle 9 interviews are a collection of questions and answers from a conference call involving me, other writers and the eliminated models. Enjoy…

Kim introduces herself and briefly describes her journey down the model hopeful path. She said she auditioned last year for cycle 8 and didn’t get past the “stay stay leave leave” part. This year Kim sent in a video. From that the casting directors wanted to see her, which took her to Miami and finally a person phone call from Tyra sealed the deal. She was invited to be a part of the semi-finals!

Q: What do you think it was that changed that they saw or was different the 2nd time around that made you stand out or sparkle?

A: My first time around I definitely wasn’t physically ready. So once I was denied the first time, I really really really wanted to make it the second time. I started working out more and changed my diet. I had this really really nasty blonde hair and I went back to my natural color which is brown so that was much better. I was a little bit more prepared, I wasn’t as nervous because I knew how it was going to be. I was more natural and I went in there and played it off a lot better.

JACKIE: Who do you think should have been eliminated before you?

A: I thought Ebony was going to be in the bottom two because she had been in the bottom two the previous week. Just her whole attitude in the house seemed to be going really down. Like she didn’t want to be anymore like she was fed up with it. The panel saw that in person so I thought that would have been a real negative point on her. But Nigel was in love with her so I guess you win over one judge you win most of them. I thought Ebony would have been at least in the bottom two with me if I was going to be in the bottom two but Bianca was also in the bottom three last week and I was in the bottom for but I was still higher than her, I don’t know I felt robbed.

JACKIE: How do you feel about Tyra totally clowin’ your black vest in the audition photo?

A: Ah way to call me out. That just shows how involved she is. She says that she hand picks us but when she just said it off the top of her head, “I remember your audition photo and you were wearing this and this”…I was like whoooa…thanks to my friend Darson in Miami and getting me kicked off the show (laughs). Ya, that’s definitely not my style but I drove down to Miami over night and really didn’t have anything that they were wanting us to wear so I just borrowed a vest and named hoochie the whole show.

JACKIE: Can you tell me anything juicy or fun that was not shown on TV?

A: I was hoping that they would show Bianca crashing into the window. We had glass windows all over the house and they were really clean. We were cooking lunch and she was walking out to go to the balcony. She smashed into the window and it was the funniest thing her whole face imprint was on it, you could see her teeth outline and her eyelash outline. It was hilarious. I wish they would have shown that.

Another thing that they didn’t show was that all the girls were really environmental like they were really excited about the environmental background of the show. So we started wanting to raise money to give to different organizations. Heathers was her Asperger campaign, mine would have been the humane society and different girls had different things. We were really excited about it and I thought that they would show it and they didn’t.

JACKIE: Regarding the Saleisha and Bianca blowout, who was the instigator and did they ever make up?

A: First it just started off with a couple of girls and we were talking to Saleisha about previous experience because we had heard that she went to the T-Zone camp and that was in a Wendy’s commercial and all kinds of different stuff before she went on the show. We thought that was kind of unfair because, one - she was winning all the challenges so of course we were jealous and, two – that just gives her a huge leg with Tyra even though people said that she was going to get a harder chance with her. So we were just talking to her saying, “Do you think that is fair, what kind of experience do you really have?” Because we always thought America’s Next Top Model to be for amateurs to build from the bottom to the top, not jump in half way and then make it to the top. So that is how is started and someone got offended somewhere along the lines. Then they just got all ghetto, they started getting in each other’s faces and making unnecessary insults. What they didn’t show also was that Chantal got involved in it and turned like crazy on Bianca. It was a big blow out. That really sucked because I felt like that split up the house really bad. That definitely split up the girls in two different camps; it was like Team Bianca, Team Saleisha/Chantal.

JACKIE: Did you ever see them make up?

A: They got along after that but I don’t know if there was an official, blah blah blah. It took awhile but things started to cool down a little bit. I mean we are going to live in the house for a while for who knows how long, so you don’t want that kind of tension with each other.

JACKIE: What advice would you give someone looking to audition for the show?

A: Do it but don’t do it. It was an amazing experience. I came out with 12 amazing friends and just did crazy things that I could have never done in normal every day life. Be prepared. They don’t show you everything that goes into it behind the scenes. It’s a lot. It’s tiring. You only get two hours of sleep. They put different limitations on you. It definitely gets to you and it’s a lot harder than it looks.

Q: Now that you got to see what Bianca had to say as far as the tips she tried to give you, do you kind of hold some ill will against her?

A: No, not at all. Bianca was definitely one of my closest friends in the house, which is kind of funny because she ended up being one of the biggest bitches. No, not at all, it was a competition and I thought it was really funny when I saw her say that. But no ill feelings, that’s my “Bionkers”. So, it’s totally fine. I didn’t trust her anyway in that sense because I was like, “this doesn’t feel right”, so I was like, “okayyy smile and nod” but I’m not going to listen.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you received from Mr. Jay?

A: He told me that I had a really sexy and confident walk on the cruise ship so that definitely helped me out. It pretty much just put more energy in my face and in my walk. I definitely tried to do that. But the runway show that they showed, I couldn’t walk because it was so tight around my ankles and I had 6 inch heels, but excuses are excuses. Definitely my face looked kind of constipated, but in a good way.

Q: How do you feel getting to walk in that straight jacket?

A: It was creepy. First of all that was a real abandoned insane asylum. So, that added the whole feel to it. And then when they pulled out the straight jackets, I was like “oh my gawd, what the hell”. So, we put them on and it was really rough, I wasn’t expecting it to be cashmere or anything. It was like rubbing your skin off to a point, it was really rough and you can’t move at all. And the people like all tied us in and we had to be in them there for a while till they got the shots done. You start to get into this mentality of how people have to stay like this for days at a time. It really starts to mess with you. I know some of the girls started getting like really claustrophobic. They were like, “Get me out!!”

Q: You were given some flack for what you were saying about Heather in the first episode. Can you talk about how that was represented, like if that was what you really said…?

A: Oh my gawd I would love to. I’ve been getting hell for what I said on the show. Honestly, looking back on it and everything, I didn’t regret anything I said because everything I said was what I meant and I felt like it was the truth. They way that they had portrayed it or whatever, it was a group discussion where all of us where talking about everybody. Heather was right next to me and they didn’t show that. Which is kind of weird. My mom works with handicapped kids in publics schools and I’ve been around that like my whole life. So, I’ve helped her out at work and seen different personalities like that. I’ve made the statement about people clinging and stuff because I’ve been around like different personalities like that.

Q: Do you feel like you were well represented with that and like everything else?

A: Not really because Heather and I were really good friends and they showed me like backstabbing her in a sense which hurt my feelings and everyone thinks I’m like a heartless bitch because of what I said. Definitely no no no, she’s a good girl, but in the real world I don’t think she would be able to make it. Because we were waking her up, we were telling her to take a shower, take her pills. She’s not independent in that sense, but for the show and to give other kids motivation I think it’s a wonderful step. But in the real world competition of the world I don’t think she could have made it.

Q: What are your plans right now, what are you up to and what are you hoping to do in the future?

A: I am open for anything. I hope this opens like every door for modeling, acting, even activism. Because I am really big in the Humane Society and I would love to have this give me a bigger voice to spread the word about the Humane Society or just anything. Anything that is available I would love to try.

Q: We have heard that the models don’t have any choice as to what photos are selected. Do you feel that you might have had a photo that might have been better than the one that was chosen in the rock climbing photo shoot?

A: Absolutely. I do feel like they picked the worst picture of me to get me out. If you look at them shooting my photo shoot, I was doing a million different poses. They picked the one where I was crunched up against the wall taking a crap in mid-air. I was kind of bummed about that. But I felt that was the way that they could kick me out by picking one of my worst pictures. I definitely felt like that was unfair.

Q: Was there anything that you would change about your time on Top Model.

A: Nothing. I did everything that I could have done, from the critiques that I got. Just everything, I met the girls…I did everything to the fullest. I just wish that they wouldn’t have shown me hating on Heather like that. Because that definitely threw people off about me, and that wasn’t how it was at all. That is definitely it. I had an amazing time and I wouldn’t change anything except go further. That is the only thing; I wish I would have gotten further.