Ms. Pigford says she hails from L.A.'s inner city area --and not the area known as "The Jungle," either. (Over near the Great Western Forum to be exact.) "I got this big loud mouth that grew up with three brothers," she shared. "[I was] a little tomboy who was hopping fences. Just a regular little kid." Her favorite color is brown. Her favorite cuisine is Mexican (Guacamole to be exact). She doesn't watch reality TV show, even though she has the potential to be one of the genre's biggest stars. "Will & Grace" and "Girlfriends" are more her speed. Her birthday is October 30, and if she wasn't pursuing modeling, she would've been in the legal profession. She says she's single by choice and focused on her career.

Ms. Pigford initially scoffed at the idea of such a renewed interests in the show having to do with her ethnicity. "I mean there are four black girls on the show… I don't think it has anything to do with me being Black. I think if it was a white girl that acted like me, she would get the same recognition."

But on second thought, she reconsidered. "You have to be someone who inspires other people and lift them up and try to bring them together because no one else will. And we have to do it for ourselves. And it may have something to do with me being black, why I have more of the black viewers."
It wasn't easy getting where she is today. None of the other contestants were singled out for being "a bitch" as much as she was. Yet still she rose in the ranks.

Reflecting on the show, she offered: "That was competition and you gotta understand that in the heart of competition and in the spirit of that, there were a lot of things that came out of people that most likely wouldn't come out."

YaYa Da Costa Johnson competed with Ms. Pigford all the way to the very end. And what was seen in the final edit of the show didn't reflect her in the best light, as it pertained to the competition. But Ms. Pigford took the high road and continues to communicate with her. "Youkeep your friends close and your enemies closer," she quipped.

She's also in contact with the plus-sized beauty Tocarra Jones and online art gallery dealer Kelle Jacob. "Honey, I'm sorry but our people got to stick together. If we don't stick together, who will?"

Power to the people!

Some More about Eva.She relocated to New York City--not very far from the huge department star MACY*S. She counts Betsy Johnson, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada among her favorite designers. She has great admiration for established supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek and Kate Moss. She's a self-proclaimed "shopaholic" and doesn't have any plans to drop her last name. "That's the name I was given and that's my name. I can't run away from it. I'm proud of who I am," she stated matter-of-factly.

As far as being a Cover Girl is concerned, one of Ms. Pigford's greatest fantasies have been fulfilled. "Its beautiful. There's only six Cover Girls and I'm one of them. What!? It's amazing," she described. "It's such a dream come true for any young woman in any entertainment, a model, a singer, an actress. What you want is to be the face of a cosmetic line, which you strive to do in your career. And to have the opportunity to follow people such as Tyra and Brandy, Queen Latifah … and now me? Like Oh My Gosh!"

So how is the $100,000 broken down?

The $100,000 contract was for the pictures, the ads that we shot prior to me winning Top Model. The three of us, we all did the shoot and took the pictures. So the ad that you guys see that's the $100,000. And if they like me, then they will re-sign me, which they do."

Whoa! Run that by me one more time?
So you don't get $100,000?
"Yes I do," she assured, "And more!"

She says her first big extravagance is furnishing her new apartment.

Oh, okay.

Upcoming spreads include fashionable photo shoots for "Essence" and "US Weekly." And then the role on "Kevin Hill," which she hopes will lead to more acting work.

"The biggest lesson I learned is to be yourself. It's always more accepted. It's easier to be yourself. Be you, and love who you are and love the skin you're in and be proud of you are than to try and put on a different face everyday. It will take you so much further."

Go Eva!