How did you land a spot America’s Next Top Model? Brandy: "I went to an open call in Houston and was there from 10am to 12 midnight.  It was my first experience within the modeling industry and I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it, but I was chosen.”

Have you always wanted to be a model? Brandy: “Yes. I grew up in a strict church where they looked down upon participating in such activities. Around 12 or 13 we left the church and I branched out and then decided to pursue the modeling industry. I really had never done anything like this so it was great and an answer to my prayers.”
 
How do you think your ANTM experience will change your future? Brandy: “It has already changed. The show gave me an inside look allowing me to have a reason to strive harder. I was able to see how I was perceived and now I have a point to prove how I have changed and the areas that I have been working o­n.”

What advice would you give to aspiring models trying out for the next season of ANTM? Brandy: “During the tryouts try to be unique but most importantly yourself. Be different and make sure your personality pops. I am not a big makeup fan, I love the fantasy aspect of it all. If you make it o­n the show, continue to be yourself,  you are not there to make friends you are a competitor and let Tyra know that you want to be there and do your best to stay ahead of your competition.”
 
Is there anything you saw that your competition did well or something you learned not to do because of another example? Brandy: “Tiffany changed my attitude. She was like a sister to me. I commend the girls that were able to let their inner beauty shine.”

Knowing what you know now, would you do it all again? Brandy: “Yes, I would control my attitude and pay more attention to other peoples feelings. I probably would have stayed more to myself and focused o­n the competition rather than the friendships.”
 
Sometimes it’s hard to become friends with the competitors, did you find that true? If  so, which contestant did you clash with most and why? Brandy: “I have a hard time becoming friends with other girls, so it was nice to meet someone like Tiffany we will remain friends. There were a lot of clicks in the house and as time went o­n everyone’s attitude changed.”
 
What was your favorite part of the show? Brandy: “Making it to the show. Also meeting Tyra and being able to work with her.”
 
What was your worst part of the show? Brandy:  “Getting eliminated. Also not being self conscious of my attitude.”

Do you normally watch Reality shows? Brandy: “I watch Fear Factor and America’s Next Top Model along with Real World. I would love to go o­n the show Girlfriend’s o­ne day.

What are your future plans? Brandy: “ I am planning o­n finding an agent that believes in me and I am open to all types of modeling, runway, print, commercials.”

"I'm Much More Self-Conscious About the Way I Act Now": An Interview with America's Next Top Model 4's Brandy

by Phil Kural -- 03/25/2005

Although Brandy was the third girl eliminated this season on America's Next Top Model, she managed to cause quite a bit of controversy. Find out right here why she applied for the show, how she feels she was edited and what she could have done to stick around.

We all know that the first four episodes of this season all basically revolved around Brandy's attitude. I didn't mind though. She brought some controversy and drama to the group, she took nice pictures and kept it real. However, the attitude caught up with her, and Tyra let her go.

I had a chance to talk to Brandy, and she came off very articulate. I think the best thing about her is that she realized how she was coming off, and has made a conscientious effort to change that. Brandy gave me the scoop on a number of topics, and just like she did on the show -- she told it how it was.

RealityNewsOnline: Why did you originally audition for the show? Did you send in a tape or go to an open call?

Brandy: Let me tell you, I was a big fan of the show before I applied. I had gone to an open call audition because one of my friends had told me about it, and before I knew it, I was on the show!

RNO: Did you feel there was tension between yourself and some of the other girls right away, or did it not show until you all moved in together?

Brandy: Oh, there was tension with me and some of the other girls from the semifinals. Everyone was there trying to portray a character. When the final 14 girls were chosen though, that's when it really started. I think had we not all lived in the house together, there would have been a lot less tension, since we wouldn't have had to put up with the ways of the other girls.

RNO: Was there a connection with any of the other girls besides Tiffany?

Brandy: The first girl that I actually connected with was Noelle, however, once we moved into the house, we had drifted apart. That was probably because I didn't like the style of the girls that she was hanging out with. I still love her, but at the time, it was hard for us to connect with all the other girls' around.

RNO: Were the judges wrong to associate you with having a bad attitude, or do you think they were right in their perception?

Brandy: No, I wouldn't say that they were wrong to associate me with having a bad attitude. I just didn't know that I was exuding this horrible attitude that they were seeing. I see now, by watching it on TV, that I was serving it out that way, but that wasn't my intention. I realized that people's perceptions of me are much different than the way I see myself, and I'm working on fixing that.

RNO: Had you done any modeling before the show?

Brandy: I had actually never done any modeling in the past, and just jumped right in feet first!

RNO: In your opinion, do you think it's fair that someone that takes sub par pictures is advanced in the competition, while someone that is photogenic is eliminated for her personality?

Brandy: At first, yes, I did think it was a little unfair, but now I look back and figure that what happens -- happens. I thought the competition was based on pictures, but I guess they wanted someone with personality as well. I'm not going to sit here and lie though -- I was pretty upset at first.

RNO: It seemed as though you were very happy with the weave you had when you started the show, but got upset when you weren't going to get a makeover. Was there something we didn't get to see?

Brandy: See, the afro was matted. I said that if it was matted, I wanted to get a whole new look, but if it wasn't, then I wanted to keep it. After all, that's the reason Tyra picked me for the show! Since I've been eliminated, I've actually let my hair grow out, and now I have a mini-version of the afro that I had when I started the show, but this time, it's real!

RNO: Looking back, is there really anything you could have done to stay longer in the competition?

Brandy: If I had just paid attention and listened, and learned that I was coming across as having attitude, I would have been around much longer than I was. It's the little stuff that I didn't realize I was doing that was turning people off. Like I said though, I've realized all these things now, and I've done a lot to change it. I think I'm much more self-conscious about the way people see me now, and I don't try to give off the attitude I was displaying in the past.

RNO:Every girl I talk to always says she knew she was going to be eliminated. Did you?

Brandy: Let me be honest -- I had no clue that I was going. I was so confident, that when I was eliminated I was in utter shock, and that's why I didn't hug any of the girls. I was more like 'Damn, I was just eliminated.' I just didn't understand why I was leaving. I was happy with my pictures, I didn't fight with any of the judges or the photographers for the shoot. It was such a total shock.

RNO: As a person, do you think the experience changed you, the way it changed Tiffany?

Brandy: Yes, I would say that as a person, I've changed. My perceptions of myself have changed, and I don't want to be known as "the bitch" because that's not me. I'm working it out though.

RNO: Do you feel that any of the judges were on your side or rooting for you?

Brandy: The only judge that I felt ever wanted me there was Tyra. I never really felt connected to any of the other judges, and they never showed me any kind of sign that they were rooting for me.

RNO: What have you been doing since the show has ended? Do you still want to continue on the modeling path?

Brandy: I definitely want to continue on the modeling path, but I'm being realistic and realizing that this is just the first step for me, especially since it was the first time I had ever modeled. I would love to get into fashion design as well though, so we'll see where it goes from here!

RNO: While watching the show, has anyone's actions surprised you, or are all the girls being edited pretty accurately as you remember them?

Brandy: Well, seeing that the first couple episodes focused on me and my bad attitude, I can't really say. Based on what I have seen of the other girls, I'd say that they are being edited how I remember them. I guess we'll have to see now that I'm gone and they start featuring some of the other girls.

RNO: What would you say was the hardest thing to adapt to on the show -- the lack of sleep, the other girls, or the cameras?

Brandy: The hardest thing for me was living with the other girls. I got used to the cameras being around and the lack of sleep wasn't a big deal for me. I lived with my two sisters growing up, and figured it would be just like that, but boy was I wrong! Once we got to the house, everything changed. Nobody was all that friendly anymore, and it was all about just being there, being ready and this being a competition.

RNO: What do you wish the viewers had seen about you that the editors didn't show?

Brandy:I wish the editors would have shown be being nice every now and then. I used to cook breakfast all the time, and when Brittany was almost eliminated, I was the one right there to hug her and lend her my Bible. I just wish they didn't make me out to be this angry girl all the time, since that's really not me.

RNO: Thanks, Brandy! You're going to do great!

Interviews: America's Next Top Model 4:Interview with Brandy

SpyRI writes, "Brandy, from Houston, Texas, became the 2nd girl eliminated from UPN’s hit show, America’s Next Top Model. She speaks out about her surprise at being eliminated, the real reasons for her makeover meltdown, and what the girls do to keep themselves busy in the apartment!

Brandy, thanks for taking the time to speak with me today!Well, thank you for wanting to speak with me!Oh, of course! I was sorry to see you eliminated, but I thought you’d be interesting to talk with. Your last words on the show were really sweet and it seems like you and Tiffany became real friends. Are you still in touch with her?

Not at this present moment but as soon as I can, I’ll be in touch- I still want to be her friend, and have a relationship outside of the show. Were you surprised to be eliminated instead of Lluvy?

Yes, actually, I was really surprised, because I knew that my picture was very much better than hers- I didn’t expect to up for elimination, it was a big surprise. My heart was probably racing a thousand miles an hour- like, whoah! I didn’t see it coming.During your makeovers, Tyra and Jay told you that they thought that your look was "fierce" and that they didn’t want to change a thing- that must have been so flattering, so why did you then ask for a makeover anyway?

Well, I kind of wanted a makeover because I really wanted to see what they would come up with, but the real reason, the only reason I was sure I needed one was that the man had messed up my Afro! It was really bad, matted up, tangled up in knots, and they had to cut it out of my hair with a razor blade! I said to them, "If you can comb out my Afro, I want to keep it," but after that, there wasn’t anything else to be done.Are your growing your hair out now?

Yeah, it’s growing now! I have a miniature Afro, but it’s real now. I’m going to let it keep growing natural.Are you going to dye it red?

Oh yes, red’s my signature color, I love red in my hair.For the next photo shoot, you got frustrated by how long you had to wait for your turn- how long was it?

It was actually like, well, we were having 14, 15 hour days. It was a lot of hours that we were actually waiting- on the show it makes it seem so quick, but it all doesn’t happen in an hour’s time. It was hours after hours after hours. I got tired.On the show, there was a lot of drama when Michelle came out as bi. We saw your and Tiffany’s accepting reactions, was anyone actually bothered by it?

I’m not bothered by it. My thing is that I was taught to love everybody, no matter their nationality, religion, anything, I was taught never to discriminate. I could never stop liking Michelle because number one, just because you’re a lesbian or you’re gay doesn’t mean you’re untouchable! Like I said, Michelle, I’m here for you and anything you want to talk about. Of course, we’re not seeing everything that goes on during the time that you spend together. Last week Sarah said that you all spent a lot of time speculating on who would be eliminated next, that kind of thing. What else did you all do in that apartment?

We actually, we would have little parties, little get togethers, little modeling contests. We did a lot of stuff as a group. We would analyze magazines, and fashion. We would teach each other fashion history. Tyra told us that a real model is supposed to know her history of fashion, so we’d make up little quizzes and try to see who know the most, things like that.Who did know the most?

The person I feel who knew the most was Keenyah- she knew a lot about fashion, and about who fashion designers are.Now that you’ve been eliminated, who do you think will or should win?

Well, I don’t know who will win, but in my particular way, I would be rooting for Naima to win.Last week Sarah seemed upset about people online who discuss the show, basically fans of the show, who discuss the show in chatrooms or online or whatever. She seemed like she’d read a lot of comments, and was upset. Have you been online and reading what fans have to say?

I haven’t been- I don’t really want to read what people have to say because it might not be what you want to hear! (laughs) It might even hinder you from going forward, because you might not know how to deal with it or you might think of them as coming down on you... I wouldn’t read it unless it was someone who knew the real me, not just from the show.Have you ever modeled before?

No, I’ve never modeled before- the show is actually the start, the beginning of this.Wow, and what are your plans now? Are you going to continue creating a modeling career?

Yes, I still plan on being a model, I want to be known. I also plan on being a fashion designer, I want to have a line of my own in a few years.Fantastic! Well, we’ll certainly be looking out for that! Thank you again!

Thanks!